Insomnia During Pregnancy

Causes and Remedies
Ways to Induce Sleep During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of joy, anticipation, and excitement. During pregnancy there are normal discomforts that a woman may have to experience. One condition that can develop during pregnancy is insomnia. According to the National Sleep Foundation's 1998 Women and Sleep poll, 78 percent of women report more disturbed sleep during pregnancy than at any other time.

Though insomnia is not life threatening, it can be very distressing, and exhausting. This is especially true for first time pregnancies.

There are several causes of insomnia during pregnancy. As the infant grows, added stress is placed on the woman's body, pressure on her organs can make it very difficult for the expectant mother to get comfortable. Pressure on her bladder may cause the constant feeling of having to go to the bathroom.

A warm bath and/or relaxation exercise before going to bed can help make the woman more comfortable. Maintaining a comfortable temperature for sleeping, and keeping the bedroom dark and quiet will bring better results. Sound machines, which soothe can help to keep out disturbing and irritating noises.

It could be that lower back pain as a result of the added weight is making it difficult to get to sleep. A firm mattress will help relieve your back pain. If your mattress is too soft, try placing a board under the mattress to make it firmer. Lie on your side with a pillow between your knees, or place the pillow under your knees to cut the pressure in half.

Stress is a known cause of insomnia. Pregnancy brings added stress due to many new factors; hospital bills, work scheduling, loss of funds during pregnancy leave, delivery, health of the baby, health of the mother, responsibilities of parenthood, reaction of siblings are just some of the causes for concern.

Worrying will only compound the problem of insomnia. It is important for the expectant mother to take steps to reduce stress. Take time for yourself. You may have to slow down your pace. Set aside time for reading, thinking, and planning for your new role as a mother. Being informed and preparing for the arrival will reduce stress factors surrounding the pregnancy.

These suggestions for relief do not take the place of medical treatment. The health of the mother and infant are very important and no chances with the delicate condition of the mother should be taken or symptoms ignored. Do not risk that there may be a more serious health related condition. A woman should consult with her doctor if the insomnia persists.

Size, Shape of a Woman's Hips May Affect Daughter's Risk of Breast Cancer

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services news release, 6,370 women were studied by an international group of researchers to find that those who had wide hips had a greater chance of their daughter's having breast cancer.

A study done on 6,370 Finnish women found that breast cancer rates were three times higher to those women whose mothers had wider hips than most, and seven time higher to women whose mothers hips were wider and had more than one child already. The study showed that the breast cancer risk was 2.5 times higher for the daughters of the women whose widest distance was more than three centimeters greater than the distance at the front.

It also was discovered by American, British and Finnish researchers, that women were more likely to develop breast cancer if the mother's widest distance between the wing like structures at the top of the hip bone was more than 11.8 inches. It was also discovered that if the structures were rounded off, the risk of getting breast cancer was greater.

Noted in the study, wide, round hips indicate high sex hormone concentration in mothers, which may boost the breast cancer risk in their offspring. The researchers suggested that the breast cancer risk was increased in the first trimester of pregnancy when the embryo is developing breast tissue and exposed to the mother's circulating sex hormones.

The researchers all concluded and noted that "Mothers whose daughters developed breast cancer were of similar height to the other mothers," they also continued with "This suggests that they had similar nutrition through childhood. Our findings do not therefore indicate that good nutrition through childhood is linked to breast cancer in the next generation. But they do show that the pubertal growth spurt of girls, which reflects nutrition, is strongly associated with the risk of breast cancer in their daughters."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2003 statistics show that 181,646 women and 1,826 men were diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition, 41,619 women and 379 men died from the disease. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women aside from non-melanoma skin cancer. Breast cancer itself is the number one cause of death in Hispanic women and the second most common cause of death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

SOURCE : Woman's Hips Might Indicate Daughter's Breast Cancer Risk
http://www.womenshealth.gov/news/english/608955.htm

SOURCE : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Breast Cancer Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/