Ibadan – Gynaecologists have advised pregnant women not to sleep on their backs after the first trimester, warning that such a sleeping position could collapse the veins supplying blood to the vital organs of the body.
According to the experts, sleeping on the back is a very uncomfortable position which might lead to the shortage of blood to the brain, heart, and the baby itself especially when the woman is in that position for a very long time.
The maternal health specialists pointed out that the ideal sleeping position for pregnant women during the second and third trimesters is the left side to avoid the weight of the womb and the baby pressing on the blood vessels.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, an Associate Professor and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu State, Dr. Uche Agu, said it was important for women to avoid sleeping facing up.
This, he said, was because the woman might be having a fainting attack owing to the collapse of major veins supplying blood to the heart and brain.
The gynaecologist said, “When a woman is pregnant, sleeping position is important considering the placement of the blood vessels on the spines at the back.
” The relationship of the blood vessels to the spines is quite close to the back.
“Now, the vein that returns blood to the heart and the brain is already lined on that spine while the artery is also beside it.
“When a woman is pregnant, the womb is enlarged and because of the size of the womb, if the woman lies on her back, that womb presses on those blood vessels.
“And the one it can press more is the vein and the vein can collapse. The vein is collapsible, that is the one that returns blood to the brain and the heart. That one can collapse easily.”
Continuing, Agu said poor blood supply to the heart and brain makes the woman dizzy, sweaty, and feels like vomiting.
” If it is the artery, the artery can still pump. But if the womb rests on the major vein that pumps blood to the heart and brain, it collapses and if it collapses, there will be reduced blood to the brain and the heart.
” And the woman will be having a fainting attack. She will be feeling dizzy and sweaty. The woman might vomit and she may even die if she stays in that position for a long time.
“If a pregnant woman lies on her back for a long time, like for some minutes, she will start sweating, feeling dizzy because the blood supply to the brain has been reduced.
” This is because that womb is pressing on that major vein, collapsing it and forcing the blood to return to the heart and the brain.
” When blood returns to the heart, the heart pumps it to the lungs and the lungs now pump it to the brain. The blood returning is reduced drastically and that is what makes the woman feel like that. And if that position persists, it can cause death” he explained.
The maternal health specialist however said such a sleep position might not persist because the woman would turn immediately.
He noted that the sleeping position of a pregnant woman doesn’t affect the child but only the woman.
But Agu also said the collapsing of the vein is not a permanent thing.
According to him, the ideal sleeping position for a pregnant woman is the left side.
The gynaecologist noted, “We prefer the woman to sleep on the left side. We call it the left lateral position. This is to take the pressure off the veins. If the woman sleeps on her back, that womb will press on the blood vessels but if she sleeps on the left side, the pressure is off the vessels.
“She can sleep on the right side too but that right side may not be very ideal. But she can sleep on either side.
“What we don’t want is sleeping facing up. It is a very uncomfortable position.”
Agu advised pregnant women in their second and third trimesters to avoid sleeping face up.
Collaborating with Agu’s statement, another Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Philips Ekpe said sleeping position in pregnancy might be ignored in the first trimester but not during the second and third trimesters when the womb and the baby had increased in size.
Ekpe, a former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, said, ” The average weight of a baby is 2. 5kg to about 4kg.
“So in the first trimester, the pregnancy is not that heavy. By the second and third trimesters, the pregnancy becomes heavy.
“Now, the veins that supply blood to the vital organs like the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, and the baby itself are usually lying on top of the spine.
“If the woman lies on her back, the uterus itself with the baby lying inside is now like a weight that will compress the blood vessels and prevent blood supply to those vital organs and even to the baby which can lead to collapse of those veins. To prevent that, they should lie on their side.”
According to an online portal, MedicalNewsToday, many women find themselves wondering how best to sleep when pregnant.
“Sleep issues are common during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, when finding a comfortable sleeping position can be challenging.
“Some pregnant women may also worry that certain body positions might affect their health or that of the foetus. As a woman reaches the second and third trimesters, it is ideal to sleep on the left side.
“A National Sleep Foundation survey Trusted Source found that 78 percent of women have more trouble sleeping when pregnant, with 15 percent experiencing restless leg syndrome during the third trimester”, the portal noted.
