Many pregnant women expect their sleep patterns to change drastically once their baby arrives. However, most do not realize that these sleep changes will begin to occur long before the baby even arrives. One of the major changes experienced by expectant mothers is having vivid pregnancy dreams.
How exactly do dreams change during pregnancy? What causes these changes? And how can you cope? Read more to find out.
Dream Changes During Pregnancy
Dreams are a typical occurrence for everyone, whether or not they are expecting. However, pregnancy can affect your dreams by increasing their frequency, vividness, and content. Here are the common changes that many women experience during pregnancy:
Vivid Dreams
Normally, some people frequently experience vivid dreams during deep sleep. However, for others, pregnancy can be the trigger for vivid dreams. This can involve having vivid dreams that appear to have actual events taking place and that are filled with strong, overwhelming emotions.
Frequent Dreams
Some expectant mothers think that being pregnant makes them dream more. This could likely be because pregnant women tend to sleep more because of increased pregnancy fatigue. Thus, the more hours of sleep they get, the more dreams they have.
Pregnancy or Motherhood-Related Dreams
While pregnant, you most likely spend the better part of your day thinking about your baby. So it is not surprising that you also have the same thoughts while you’re asleep.
You may dream about your baby being born, and the likely sex of your baby. Additionally, some mothers may also dream about naming, carrying or even talking to their baby.
- Anxiety Dreams
It takes a lot of effort and planning to get ready for a baby. In addition, you can also feel a little anxious despite your excitement. This anxiety could be due to worries about finances, managing your new baby and your older children, and resuming work after childbirth. You may also worry about the uncertainty of labour and childbirth. Since our dreams are generally a reflection of our thoughts, it only makes sense that constant worrying during the day causes you to have anxious dreams at night.
Nightmares
Apart from giving you vivid dreams, pregnancy can also cause you to have nightmares due to heightened emotions and hormones. You could have nightmares about childbirth, or something happening to your baby. If you’ve previously experienced a pregnancy loss or miscarriage, you might dream about that happening again.
Causes of Pregnancy Dreams and Nightmares
There are numerous reasons why a woman could experience pregnancy dreams. Changes in hormone levels during pregnancy are among the most likely causes. Apart from mood swings, your fluctuating hormones may also cause you to experience more intense, frequent dreams.
How to Cope With Pregnancy Dreams
The first step to rid yourself of troublesome pregnancy dreams is to cultivate healthy sleeping habits. Some of these include:
- Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule by waking and sleeping at a specific time each day.
- Create a calming nighttime ritual that includes activities like a bath or quiet music.
- Ensure you obtain a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep by going to bed early.
- Put all your electronic gadgets away at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Maintain a cool, relaxing atmosphere in your bedroom.
- Avoid eating or drinking just before bedtime.
A Word From Edie and Amy
In the end, you may not be able to completely get rid of your pregnancy dreams. You may eventually have to accept that you cannot control your dreams, just like most events in parenthood.
However, you can make the best of the situation by talking about your dreams and finding humour in them. You may even find keeping a dream journal helpful. Most importantly, ensure you eat well and get as much rest as you can.
