For a Better Night's Sleep...

All through my teenage years and all through college, I struggled to sleep at night. Well, I still have my struggles, but for different reasons...But back then, I had two problems: 1)I couldn't get comfortable; and 2)I couldn't calm my mind down. I still struggle with the latter, but the former has finally been addressed, since my pregnancy with my first baby.

When I was in high school, I always slept on my stomach. To me, this seemed to be the most comfortable way I could manage to sleep, though it still was not perfect. Sometimes I would also sleep on my side, but this was a challenge for me because I did not like my legs touching. I did not like to sleep on my back, because I couldn't stand to have my mouth hanging open.

In college, I continued to sleep the same way. In one of my health classes, sleeping positions came up once, though the teacher did not say much more than that the best position for sleep was on one's back. Well, as stated above, I refused to sleep on my back.

I continued to struggle, into my first year of marriage. Then, I complained that it was the bed's fault that I was uncomfortable (being an old throwaway that my husband had picked up from a local hotel; it was really quite bad). We eventually bought ourselves a much nicer bed, and that really helped.

But, the best thing I ever discovered came quite by accident, when I was pregnant with G, maybe in my second trimester. I had a pillow that I was placing behind my back at night to prop myself, but that wasn't quite enough and eventually I got the idea to try a pillow between my legs as well.

Voila! It was the pillow between the legs that changed everything. I could now sleep with my whole body in a more natural position, legs together but not touching. All of a sudden, I was sleeping better than I had before (disregarding the leg cramps that came later in me pregnancy).

All through my pregnancy, I had been counting down the days that I could start sleeping on my stomach again, as it was still in my mind the best way for me to sleep. But, the night finally came (long after the birth, as I learned that sleeping on one's stomach during the first several months of breastfeeding is not a good idea) when I could try sleeping on my stomach again...I laid down. And it was the most uncomfortable position imaginable! I could not sleep on my stomach to save my life! It hurt my back, and it hurt my neck. How had I managed before to sleep that way?! It was unfathomable to me...

So, I continue to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs to this day. And I am having some of the best sleeps I've ever had (disregarding the night wakings and the toddler in the bed).

So, a tip for anyone who struggles to find a good sleep position: try putting a pillow between your legs.