The Connection Between Osteopathy and Improved Sleep During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an incredible journey, but it often comes with its fair share of challenges — and sleepless nights top the list for many expecting mothers. As your body adjusts to accommodate a growing baby, finding a comfortable position and getting quality rest can feel like an uphill battle. That’s where osteopathy may be able to help.

At Northside Therapies, a trusted clinic for north Brisbane osteopathy, our team is highly experienced in osteopathic care during pregnancy, and we love supporting our new mums with all aspects of their pregnancy. Let’s dive into how osteopathy can help alleviate discomfort and improve sleep during pregnancy

As your body changes, new sleep challenges emerge. Increased weight, postural changes, hormonal shifts, and the baby’s position can all contribute to:

● Back pain and pelvic discomfort

● Hip and joint tension

● Heartburn or indigestion

● Difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position

These disruptions don’t just affect your nights but can leave you feeling fatigued during the day, making an already challenging time even harder.

Osteopathy focuses on supporting your body’s natural ability to heal and adapt, making it an ideal option for pregnancy. By using gentle, hands-on techniques, osteopaths target areas of tension, discomfort, and restriction, paving the way for better relaxation and rest. Here are some key ways osteopathy improves sleep:

Pregnancy often causes tension or pain in your lower back, hips, and pelvis. There are many factors that contribute to the pain and tension, including how your body adjusts to the increased weight, if you have hypermobility, previous injuries and multiple pregnancies, to name just a few. Our Osteopaths can help identify what is contributing to your symptoms and provide treatment tailored to you, making it easier to find a comfortable sleeping position.

Swelling is common in pregnancy due to the increased blood volumes required to support you and your baby. It’s always important to make sure that any swelling you experience is not a sign of preeclampsia or a clot, before any treatment or advice is provided. Whether its swelling in the legs and feet, or fluid congestion in the hands contributing to carpal tunnel symptoms, poor circulation and drainage may be contributing to poor sleep. At Northside Therapies our Osteopaths will take a thorough history and examination and refer you if necessary. If appropriate, treatment and advice will be provided to help improve drainage and promote overall comfort—a crucial step towards better sleep.

Stress and anxiety are common during pregnancy, but helping you relax is not just about the physical, it’s also about the emotional. It’s really common to be anxious about the pregnancy and birth, especially for first time mums, those who have experienced loss, or those who have had a past traumatic experience. Understanding the complexities of pregnancy and birth, our osteopaths are highly trained and are able to support you with information and education throughout your pregnancy. We also have a great referral network, should you need additional support to manage your emotional health. And don’t forget, osteopathic treatments can also work to calm the nervous system and reduce tension, encouraging deeper relaxation and improved sleep quality.

As your baby grows, the diaphragm moves superiorly (towards the head) and the rib cage widens (that’s why your bras get tight across your back). Lying down, especially on your back, can make it harder to breathe. Along with this, your stomach gets squished by the growing uterus and the hormones running through your body relax your esophageal sphincter (the muscles that stop the food in your stomach going back up into the esophagus) contributing to reflux symptoms. And who can sleep when they are getting reflux? Osteopathy can work with you to ensure the diaphragm and abdominal tissues and organs and moving freely to reduce any reflux symptoms and help ensure you are breathing well, helping you sleep without interruptions.

So, you were a tummy sleeper, or a back sleeper, and now you’re growing this amazing human inside you, you have to sleep on your side. It’s tough training your body to relax and fall asleep in a position you’re not used to. Maybe your bed feels too firm to sleep on your side, or your pillow isn’t supportive when you lie on your side. Fear not, not only are our osteopaths able to give you advice on sleeping positions and tricks to help you ease into a comfortable sleep, at Northside Therapies we also sell a range of Denton’s pillows including pregnancy pillows to make your sleep more comfortable.

It is generally recognised that the brainstem plays a role in sleep, understanding the factors that influence it is still being studied. Whilst there is no current research about the effect of pregnancy on the brainstem and sleep, from an osteopathic perspective it is possible that tensions through the neck and dura (membranes around the brain and spinal cord) could create changes in function. This is a possible contributing factor to sleep disturbances in pregnancy. Remember that this is only a theory and is yet not researched. However, reducing any neck tension or pain can help you sleep better, even if it is just by making you more comfortable.

Osteopathy is safe, non-invasive, and tailored to the unique needs of pregnant women. It’s about working with your body, not against it. At Northside Therapies our osteopaths are highly experienced in pregnancy, postpartum and pelvic health care, so you can rest assured you’re in good hands.

So, if you’re searching for pregnancy sleep solutions, don’t underestimate the power of osteopathy for sleep. It’s not just about easing discomfort; it’s about helping you embrace this special time with the energy and rest you need.

If you’re in North Brisbane and curious about how osteopathy can make a difference, book a consultation with Northside Therapies today. Sleep doesn’t have to be a struggle — let’s get you back to feeling rested and ready for the journey ahead!