I’ve suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember. By working hard on my nighttime routine and cutting down on stress in my life, I was finally sleeping through the night 80% of the time… and then I got pregnant. Things like heartburn, hip pain, and insane dreams started keeping me up every night, so I knew that I had to make some changes and step up my sleeping game a notch or two.

For the last few months, I’ve tested out a lot of techniques for a better night’s sleep as a pregnant woman, and today I’m sharing my tips based on personal experience. I know that in a few short months, sleeping through the night will be a thing of the past, so I’m trying to catch as many z’s as possible before then!

Sapira Mattress ℅ / Sheets, Duvet Cover, Shams, Throw ℅ Serena & Lily

1. Create a routine. A bedtime routine will change your life if you don’t have one already. This routine should include activities that help you feel calm, and should never involve a screen of any kind (phone, computer, TV). My routine includes flipping my phone onto airplane mode, a hot shower (I hate sleeping on clean sheets without one), a 10 minute meditation, a dab of lavender oil on my temples, and at least 30 minutes of reading. It takes about an hour total so it’s a commitment to find the time, but it has made a world of difference in the quality of my sleep.

2. Support your body. Your body is shifting and growing on a daily basis, and sleeping the old way just doesn’t cut it anymore. I’ve found that I need a body pillow to get comfortable, so I sleep with this one (we’ve fondly named her Pamela) every night. It made a huge difference, but I was still having trouble with our mattress as it had started to dip where I sleep every night, creating a big hole.

When Sapira asked me to try their new luxury hybrid mattress, I jumped on the chance.

Anel and I had been talking about upgrading our mattress for a few months, so the timing was perfect. We’ve been sleeping on the the Sapira mattress for a little over two weeks yet and I can honestly say that it’s changed our sleep, and in turn, changed our lives! It feels soft when you first lay on it because of their memory foams, but it contours to your body and supports you where you need it most in a way that I can’t really explain – due to their 1,000+ individually wrapped pocket springs for optimal body contouring. It feels like it’s custom made just for me. I’ve always preferred a firmer mattress, and this one is firm and cozy at the same time. The combination of high quality springs and foams creates this balanced and heavenly feeling.

I also get really warm at night so I love how the top layer of cooling foam on the mattress keeps me cooler for longer. Their technology really works!

Sapira is ordered very quickly and easily online and is shipped directly to your home in the easiest-to-unpack box of all time. Trust me, if I could do it, you can too! On top of all of that, they offer a 100 night risk-free trial and free shipping, always. If you don’t love it for any reason (which we doubt will happen), they’ll give you a full refund and coordinate a quick pick-up from your home.

3. Manage heartburn. While your diet can help with heartburn (I’ve cut most of my gluten intake, try to avoid spicy and acidic foods, and always have water with meals), it’s a sneaky beast that impacts most pregnant women on different levels. When you lay down, it gets worse! I’ve found that eating dinner at an earlier hour helps a lot. I try to stop eating at least 2.5 hours before I lay down for bed at night. That, plus my changes in diet have helped. Sometimes, it still rears it’s ugly head and I take a peppermint Tums or a quick shot of aloe vera juice to calm my stomach before bed.

4. Reduce stress before bed. Obviously it’s important to keep stress levels as low as possible while you’re growing another human, but I’ve found that in the hours before bed, it’s even more important. My dreams are incredibly vivid and sometimes terrifying, so I have to be careful what’s going on in my brain at night. I’ve learned to not watch shows like Homeland (stressful) or Stranger Things (scary) at night. We have to wait until the weekend to watch them during the day! Another helpful tip is to not have conversations about money or other stressful topics in the evenings. This isn’t always avoidable, but do your best. It makes a bigger difference than you might think.

5. Move your body. Exercising during the day not only tires you out when bedtime rolls around, but I find that it also helps with my hip pain. When I walk, lift, or practice yoga during the day, my sleep is infinitely better that night and my hip pain is cut in half. No time to get to the gym? Try a 20 minute online yoga class (I find them on Youtube) or take a walk around the block. Anything helps!

6. Watch your water intake. You’ve heard rumors about pregnant women peeing a lot. I’m here to tell you that they’re true. I’ve been waking up between 3-6 times/night to use the bathroom, and sometimes have trouble falling back asleep afterwards. Being pregnant also makes you extra thirsty, so this is a tough problem to manage. My new technique is to drink as much water as I possibly can from the moment I wake up until about 6pm. I’ll then have a small glass of lemon water at dinner and cut myself off after that. I’ve had to ditch my nightly mug of tea which was a bummer at first, but made a huge difference. I’ve cut my nightly bathroom breaks to 2-3 times/night which is a vast improvement.

7. Cut screen time. At this point, we all know that staring at bright screens before bed affect your melatonin levels, harming your sleep. But it’s 2017 and we live for social media and working 24/7. Create strict rules for yourself and stick to them (when possible) so that you have at least one full screen-free hour before you go to sleep. I like to spend that hour getting ready for bed, cuddling with my pup, and reading a good book.

Save $150 off of your own Sapira mattress with code LemonStripes150! Thank you to Sapira by Leesa for sponsoring this post. All opinions, as always, are my own.