Tiredness is a common pregnancy symptom, especially during the first and third trimesters. But that doesn’t make it any easier to live with.
You’re more tired than usual — you’re growing a new human, after all — but you can’t turn to your usual pick-me-ups of double-shot espressos and energy drinks, and you still want to work and keep living your life.
Unfortunately, more research needs to be done on how energy levels during pregnancy can be improved, but below, we dive into what science does know.
Several things can make you feel more tired than usual when pregnant.
Sleep debt is the running total of how much sleep you owe your body. It’s measured over the last 14 nights and compared against your sleep need, the genetically determined amount of sleep you need each night.
When you don’t meet your sleep need, you start building up sleep debt, and feeling more and more tired.
High sleep debt makes anyone feel tired, pregnant or not, but it’s especially hard to meet your sleep need when pregnant.
are all too common when pregnant with a seemingly endless number of things either keeping you up or waking you up during the night.
You can easily build up sleep debt while pregnant due to:
Turn to the RISE app to find out your individual sleep need. The app can also work out how much sleep debt you’re carrying.
Your circadian rhythm is the roughly 24-hour cycle of your biological clock. It controls everything from when you feel tired and alert to when your body produces certain hormones.
When you’re not living in sync with it, your energy levels take a hit. You might be out of sync with your circadian rhythm if:
Just like with sleep debt, not living in sync with your circadian rhythm drains anyone of energy. But it can be harder to stay in sync when pregnant.
Sleep disruptions may make your sleep schedule irregular, increasing social jetlag, and nausea and cravings can often dictate when you eat. That’s before even thinking about your work times and your chronotype.
It’s hard to picture your circadian rhythm, but RISE makes that easy. The app predicts your circadian rhythm each day and shows you a visual representation of how your energy levels will fluctuate throughout the day and when your body naturally wants to go to sleep and wake up.
Your body is working hard growing a baby and changing a lot. Here’s what else affects your energy levels when pregnant:
Heads-up: While fatigue is a common pregnancy symptom, you should speak to a doctor if you’re feeling extremely tired all the time to rule out any underlying causes.
While you might not be able to get the energy levels you had before you got pregnant, there are things you can do to reduce how tired you feel. Here’s how you can work on bringing those energy levels up.
As sleep disturbances are even more common when pregnant, you should pay special attention to sleep hygiene.
Sleep hygiene is a set of behaviors you can do that help you fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night. This will help you get more sleep each night, increasing the odds of you meeting your sleep need and feeling more energized the next day.
Sleep hygiene includes:
You can learn more about sleep hygiene here. And RISE can guide you through 20+ sleep hygiene habits and tell you exactly when to do them each day to make them more effective.
The good news about sleep debt is that it is possible to catch up on sleep, pay down this debt, and increase your energy levels.
We usually recommend keeping sleep debt below five hours to feel and perform your best. But when pregnant, you may find that keeping your sleep debt even lower than this helps you feel better during the day.
Use RISE to find out your sleep need and aim to hit at least this amount throughout your pregnancy.
If you find out you have a high amount of sleep debt, you can pay it back by:
You can use RISE to keep track of your sleep debt throughout your pregnancy and take extra steps (like a nap or sleeping in) when you see it creeping higher.
Heads-up: Avoid over-the-counter sleep aids while pregnant as there’s simply not enough research into how safe these are. Even melatonin may not be suitable. Speak to a doctor before taking it to help you fall asleep.
Living in sync with your circadian rhythm can boost your energy levels and has plenty of , like reducing the likelihood of developing certain diseases. Here’s how to do it:
You might find you can’t hit the gym as often as you used to pre-pregnancy, or at least, not with the same intensity. Downgrading your exercise may help conserve some of your energy.
Swap long arduous hikes for gentle walks, HIIT classes for yoga classes or pregnancy pilates, and hill sprints for swims.
Of course, speak with your doctor to find out the right intensity of exercise for you.
Unless instructed to, you shouldn’t give up exercise altogether, though. When you’re tired, you may not be in the mood to move, but exercise can help:
Although you should listen to your body and exercise when you have more energy, try to be done with your workout 1.5 hours before bed as it can disrupt your sleep. You can learn more about exercise before bed here. RISE can remind you when to work out before bed.
Eating right is hard at the best of times, but it’s even trickier when you’re pregnant. Perhaps all you’re craving is pizza or you’re feeling too nauseous to even look at a salad. But the right foods can increase your energy levels and help you have a healthy pregnancy.
As best you can:
You can learn more about the foods that give you energy here.
Just like with exercise, try to avoid eating too close to bedtime as this could keep you up. Aim to be done with large meals two to three hours before you go to sleep. RISE can remind you when to wrap up your last large meal of the day.
You don’t need to give up caffeine altogether during pregnancy (although check with your doctor to make sure it’s okay for you). suggests limiting caffeine to less than 200 mg a day.
Be sure to watch out for hidden caffeine in black tea, green tea, and chocolate. Even decaf coffee contains some caffeine. And steer clear of energy drinks — they often contain ingredients that may not be safe for pregnancy.
When you do consume caffeine, do it at the right times of day. Drinking a cup of coffee is a great way to shake off sleep inertia, or that groggy feeling you get when you wake up. But avoid it too close to bedtime or you run the risk of struggling to fall asleep. RISE can tell you the best time to have your last cup of coffee for the day.
As much as you can try to boost energy levels through naps, healthy meals, and exercise, you should also cut yourself some slack.
Growing a baby is no easy feat, so of course, your body is going to feel more tired than usual. Give yourself compassion and rest more often than you usually would.
You may find you have more energy at certain times of day. If possible, schedule the tasks you absolutely have to get done for this time. When you’re feeling drained, take a break, go for a walk, do a relaxing activity, or take a nap.
You can check RISE to see when your peaks and dips in energy will be each day. This way, you know when you’re most likely going to be able to get work tasks or household chores done, and when you’re better off resting.
You should speak to a healthcare professional if you feel like your tiredness is more than a pregnancy symptom. They can help you get to the bottom of your tiredness and may offer treatment options.
For example, iron supplements can help with pregnancy anemia and its related fatigue. And supplements may help to reduce leg cramps in pregnant women.
Heads-up: Pregnancy fatigue is often stronger in the first trimester, so if you’re early in your pregnancy, remember this phase will pass and you’ll hopefully get some of your energy back as you move into your second trimester.
Getting enough sleep is hard enough as it is without mentioning the long list of pregnancy-related things that keep you up at night and drain your energy during the day. But, there are some things you can do to boost your energy levels.
Keep your sleep debt as low as possible, work to live in sync with your circadian rhythm, and maintain excellent sleep hygiene. The RISE app can help you stay on top of these three things to improve your sleep at night, boost your energy levels during the day, and help you feel as best as you can before the baby arrives.
You can overcome tiredness during pregnancy by exercising, eating a healthy diet, keeping sleep debt low, and living in sync with your circadian rhythm. But remember, tiredness is a natural symptom of pregnancy, so go easy on yourself and rest when you can.
To get energy without caffeine while pregnant, you can take a nap, exercise, eat a healthy energy-boosting snack, and long-term focus on keeping your sleep debt low and living in sync with your circadian rhythm throughout your pregnancy.
You may feel more tired during your first trimester, compared to your second. Take naps and rest, exercise, eat a healthy diet, keep sleep debt low, and live in sync with your circadian rhythm. Feelings of fatigue should decrease when you move into your second trimester, so hang in there!
Focus on finding a comfortable sleeping position (on your left side is best), stop drinking liquids two hours before bed to reduce nighttime bathroom trips, and take naps when you can to make up for lost sleep at night. Keeping sleep debt low and living in sync with your circadian rhythm will help to boost your energy levels.
Learn more about ĢƵ for sales teams.
RISE makes it easy to improve your sleep and daily energy to reach your potential
