Is sleeping on your back while pregnant safe? Getting enough quality sleep during your pregnancy can be hard enough without added worry that certain sleeping positions will harm you or your baby. The sleep experts at DUXIANA® can help allay your fears of sleeping on your back while pregnant.

Although it is not ideal to sleep on your back during your pregnancy, there is little research to prove that it will have serious negative effects. If you've seen frightening headlines connecting stillbirth to sleeping on your back while pregnant, you should take them with a grain of salt. The top study that showed a slight correlation was done on an extremely small sample of women and could not control for certain factors (read this UK National Health Service article for a thorough run down on the inconclusive results that prove sleep positions affect risk of stillbirth). 

So, there is no strong research to support that sleeping on your back while pregnant will negatively affect your pregnancy, however there are still some concerns:

• Sleeping on your back while pregnant can put pressure on major blood vessels, causing a decrease in blood pressure and circulation to both your heart and your baby.
• The weight of your growing belly may compress your intestines and other organs, leading to digestion issues.
• Sleeping on your back while pregnant, particularly if your head and upper body are level or nearly level with the rest of your body, can cause your enlarged belly to tilt upward toward your ribcage, putting weight on your lungs.
• The weight of your developing baby can push your lower back deeper into your mattress, throwing your spine out of alignment.

In addition to being less than ideal for different parts of your body, sleeping on your back while pregnant is simply uncomfortable. You'll probably feel best sleeping on your side with your knees bent, especially as your pregnancy progresses and your belly gets bigger. Explore more sleeping positions during pregnancy and decide which is right for you.

Pregnancy is often a time when women begin to question whether their bed is really as comfortable and supportive as it could be. Not only is it more difficult to sleep comfortably, but falling asleep might be more difficult as well, as your body fights to relax against the backdrop of the everyday aches and pains of pregnancy. You need a bed that can help tired muscles relax so you can fall asleep quicker and stay that way. Consider whether the DUX Bed could offer you the customizable support you need. Our patented Pascal® component system allows you to customize your level of support throughout your pregnancy and beyond.