Sleeping On The Side Reduces The Risk Of Fetal Death

Pregnancy is usually the time when a woman does not get to sleep properly. Abdominal growth and increased need to urinate are an obstacle to uninterrupted nighttime sleep. Some women manage to find the position that is as comfortable as possible,  so at least that’s not a huge problem for them.

However, it has been shown that not all sleeping positions are good for pregnant women. Sleeping on your back has been found to be a harmful habit in the last trimester of pregnancy, as it can pose serious risks to the fetus. The best position is on the side.

An article has been published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology that sleeping on its back has been found to double the risk of fetal death at this stage of pregnancy. Instead, the researchers found that mothers sleeping on their side had a lower risk.

Researchers from the UK collected data on 1,000 women during the last trimester of their pregnancy. The authors of the MiNess study came to the conclusion that the lateral position while sleeping is safer for the child.

Experts say sleeping on its side after the 27th week of pregnancy reduces the risk of fetal death by 3.7%. Sleeping on her back, in turn, 2.3-fold increases the risk of mortality after the 28th week of pregnancy compared to mothers sleeping on one side.

This study is the largest study on the subject in recent decades. It confirms the results of similar smaller studies, according to the BBC, in New Zealand and Australia.

This same team of researchers from the UK also found that one of the 225 pregnancies ended in fetal death.

Why does sleeping on your back increase the risk?

To date, no explanation has been found as to why sleeping on your back increases the risk of fetal mortality. One hypothesis is that being on your back causes the baby and uterus to put too much pressure on the blood vessels, which can block blood circulation and fetal oxygen supply.

Because the cause has not been confirmed and requires further investigation, researchers recommend pregnant women to sleep on their side during the last three months of pregnancy as a precaution. It doesn’t matter which side you sleep on. You can put a pillow behind your back to prevent you from turning on your back during sleep.

Should I worry if I wake up on my back? Is this dangerous for the baby?

Experts say pregnant women don’t have to worry if they wake up on their backs. The most important thing is the position in which they go to sleep; this way they will be in that position for longer.

Alexander Heazall, director of the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Center at St. Mary’s Hospital (Manchester), led this research in the UK. She recommends that at this stage of pregnancy, women sleep on their side every time, even during naps.

Alexander Heazell states:

The publication of this study and the researcher’s recommendations coincided with the launch of the Sleep On Side campaign. This campaign is led by the charity Tommy’s.

The main purpose of the campaign is to inform pregnant women about the risks of sleeping on their backs during the last months of pregnancy.