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Avoid fluids two hours before bedtime and try to empty your bladder completely before going to sleep. This will help prevent the need to wake up to use the bathroom overnight. They call it “morning sickness” but it can strike at night, too. Unlike that empty bladder, you should always try to keep something in your stomach to avoid nausea. Have some crackers at your bedside or try drinking ginger tea to soothe nausea. Back pain caused by a growing baby can interrupt your sleep. Try using a pillow between your legs to support your abdomen and sleep on your left side. This allows maximum blood flow and could reduce swelling in the legs. Restless Leg Syndrome strikes about one out of five pregnant women who are expecting and is a major cause of sleep deprivation in the latter stages of pregnancy. You can help prevent this by taking folate and iron supplements, avoiding caffeine and with more exercise like walking. Severe leg cramps can also interrupt your sleep. This can be caused by low calcium and magnesium levels, so talk with your obstetrician about whether you need calcium supplements. Foods high in magnesium such as almonds, cashews, legumes, and dairy products may be helpful. About 40 percent of women snore during pregnancy. This could be a sign of sleep apnea, when your airway collapses and you stop breathing momentarily. Sleep apnea can contribute to high blood pressure and if your snoring is loud enough to wake your partner, talk with your obstetrician about it. If the problem is getting to sleep in the first place, develop a calming routine before bedtime. That means no computers, cell phones, or television before bed. You can also try relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, abdominal breathing, and guided imagery.
Whether you're a new graduate, a young professional, a busy mom, an empty nester or a senior citizen, there are steps you can take for better health. The Office on Women's Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these suggestions. Don't forget that your annual well-woman visit is covered without charge to you under most health insurance plans and Medicare. If You Are In Your 20s Get an annual well-woman visit. If You Are In Your 30s Get an annual well-woman visit. If You Are In Your 40s Get an annual well-woman visit. If You Are In Your 50s Get an annual well-woman visit. If You Are In Your 60s Get an annual well woman visit. If You Are In Your 70s Get an annual well-woman visit.
If you ask a medical professional, the answer is probably “no.” A 2014 study found no evidence of memory or attention problems among pregnant women as compared to women who weren't pregnant. But the pregnant women in that study still felt they’d done poorly. So is pregnancy brain is all in your head? Yes it is, and that makes it feel very real. Surging pregnancy hormones can have an effect on your memory. Research has shown that your brain functions differently during pregnancy, with more brain activity associated with emotional skills to help you bond more easily with your baby. Those same hormones can do a number on your sleep schedule and contribute to attention deficit, and it doesn't end when the baby arrives. A study found that half of new moms still felt very sleepy 18 weeks after giving birth. Pregnancy hormones can even affect how you see the world. A 2010 study showed that your spatial memory is reduced in the latter stages of pregnancy. This is what helps you remember your way to somewhere, or where you put something. Even though you won't find “momnesia” in a medical journal, most women will experience some of the symptoms of pregnancy brain. Amid this mind fog, try to remember that it's normal to forget some things or get confused at times. Talk to your doctor if you feel this is seriously affecting your quality of life. The cure for pregnancy brain comes when your baby arrives. That's when you'll forget you've forgotten so much and start to remember all the things you need to know as a new mother.
1. Boost Your B12 But Ditch The Extra Iron 2. Build Your Brain And Bones 3. Eat Like a Greek 4. Don't Skip Those Screenings 5. Make Time to Help Others
First, check with your obstetrician before resuming physical activity. Most women can begin exercising fairly soon after giving birth, but consult with your doctor before starting any vigorous activity or lifting weights. Don't be in too much of a hurry to shed all those pounds. Your body needs about a month to rid itself of fluids that were retained. After this weight loss, you'll be left with the additional stores of fat that built up during your pregnancy. Remember that your body's framework also needs time to adjust after delivery. Tendons and ligaments that were stretched to accommodate a growing baby may still be loose, so twists and sprains can happen more easily. Ease into exercise and build up slowly with a goal of doing a bit more each day. Walking is a great way to exercise after pregnancy. It's easy to gauge your effort based on the amount of time and distance that you walk. Plus, your baby can come along with you in a stroller. And consider walking with other new mothers. Social support is important, and who better to help than someone who's experiencing the same thing? Your goal might be to walk briskly enough to get your heart rate up to 60 to 80 percent of your maximum rate. Remember to take five minutes to warm up and cool down after a brisk walk. Diet is also important, but don't slash your food intake in hopes of dropping baby weight faster. Begin by limiting sweets and eating more vegetables. A conventional diet is usually safe for new mothers. You might lose a pound a week at the start, but this will slow as you approach your target. Most women need about six months to lose weight from a pregnancy. You may have heard that breastfeeding makes the pounds melt away. It's true that breastfeeding burns about 850 calories a day, but it can also make you more hungry. Satisfying that urge to eat with simple carbohydrates such as snack foods can sabotage your efforts to lose weight. Choose wisely and help yourself by keeping healthy snacks like cut vegetables or fresh fruit on hand for when those hunger pangs hit. And aim for six smaller meals per day to help you avoid cravings.
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There are plenty of things that can keep you up at night when you're pregnant, but you won't need to lose so much sleep if you follow these tips.
You've probably seen stories of 
You've hit the half-century mark. Congratulations! Maybe you already reached menopause and are taking steps to deal with the health effects of changing hormones. But what else can you do to stay healthy in your 50s? Here are five suggestions:
Your grandmother may have had a week of bed rest after delivering a baby, but it's different these days. You're on the go right away and you may feel like you should drop that baby weight just as fast. But that new bundle of joy can make it hard to find the time to exercise, so what's a mom to do?
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