Controlling Fatigue During Pregnancy

Fatigue or tiredness is very common both during the initial and final stages of pregnancy. However if you find that fatigue becomes intense or lasts throughout pregnancy, contact your doctor immediately.

Causes

In the initial stages, your body's metabolic rate increases rapidly to meet the growing needs of your baby. Also during this time, your hormonal levels fluctuate rapidly. Repeated vomiting bouts or sleeplessness can leave you feeling drained out and tired. Reduction of caffeine drinks such as coffee, tea and cola which boost your energy levels may make you feel tired as well. However as your body gets used to this, you may feel less tired.

Towards the end of your pregnancy, your body gains the maximum weight because of the baby's increasing weight. You may find it difficult to sleep because of the weight gain resulting in tiredness. Wild mood swings and emotional tensions about a safe delivery may make you feel restless resulting in fatigue.

Another reason why you may feel tired often is due to low iron levels in your blood that can result if you suffer from anaemia.

Here's a list of the main causes of fatigue or tiredness

• Increased body weight
• Deficiency of iron levels in your blood
• Dehydration because of inadequate liquid intake
• Increased levels of progesterone in your body
• Morning sickness or nausea
• Disturbed sleep due to frequent urination

Prevention

Some ways to keep fatigue at bay are:

• Check the iron levels in your blood.
• Maintain a healthy balanced diet.
• Take rests of short intervals in between work. Sometimes 10 minutes of abdominal breathing with your feet up can be as good as a long nap.
• Avoid getting dehydrated due to consumption of less liquids.
• Try exercises such as walking and abdominal breathing to boost your energy levels and increase your stamina.

Treatment

Some tips to combat fatigue are:

• Drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration.
• Maintain the required iron content in your blood through a healthy diet. You may have to increase your Vitamin C intake accordingly for better iron absorption.
• Avoid eating junk food. These contain less nutrients and make you feel tired.
• Eating several small healthy meals during the day prevents tiredness caused by lack of nutrition.
• Request your family members to help you with the household chores.
• Try going to bed earlier than your usual time.
• Do not strain yourself when you feel tired. Take a break and relax yourself.