A good night’s sleep can be restful, rejuvenating — and, for many women, frustratingly elusive.

Sleep is a learned, highly complex skill that’s tightly connected to our environment and circadian rhythm and can be easily disrupted by stress and other factors. As a result, the ability to “have your head hit the pillow and remain unconscious until you wake in the morning” often doesn’t come naturally, according to Dr. Maria Sunseri, retired neurologist and sleep medicine expert. And that’s especially true for pregnant women, who are more likely to experience both sleep disturbances and heightened stress.

Questions on these topics and others were recently answered by Sunseri, Dr. Ewurama Sackey, medical director of AHN Women's Behavioral Health, and Dr. Alicia Kaplan, medical director for the AHN Center for Adult Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, as part of an ongoing public speaker series, “The Group Chat,” hosted by the AHN’s Women’s Institute.

Q: What exactly are stress and anxiety, and how can they manifest?

A: Stress often occurs when a direct or indirect threat or change takes place in a person’s life or environment. Anxiety is a direct response to that stress and can manifest itself in many ways, including persistent worry, headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, irritability or restlessness.

In severe cases, those diagnosed with an anxiety disorder may experience panic attacks, have difficulty breathing, catastrophize life events and have trouble getting a good night’s sleep.

Anxiety disorders — classified as anxiety persisting for six months or longer — are the most common mental health disorders, globally affecting more than 300 million people.

Q: How can stress and sleep impact the pregnancy journey?

A: Anxiety disorders impact more women than men and can be exacerbated after a woman becomes pregnant, for various reasons (hormone and thyroid imbalances, for example). Throughout pregnancy, many women will experience increased fatigue, restlessness during nocturnal hours, daytime sleepiness and insomnia, all of which can increase anxiety and depression.

One in five people have an anxiety disorder during the perinatal period, and if left untreated, that anxiety can heighten the risk of preeclampsia, low birth weight, and postpartum depression.

Q: How can someone manage an anxiety disorder during pregnancy?

A: Find out what works best for you and understand that “good enough” is better than “perfection.”

Lean on your social support network and seek care from a professional if you feel that you need a higher level of intervention. Also, several antianxiety medications are safe to take during and after pregnancy.

Q: So, what can I do to get a good night’s rest?

A: There are naturally good sleepers and “not-so-good” sleepers but we can all learn to be better sleepers.

Here are a few tips to get the best sleep possible:

■ Make your bedroom dark and cool — our body is incapable of regulating body temperature while in REM sleep, and half of a degree of increased warmth can arouse us from our slumber. The National Sleep Foundation recommends an ambient temperature between 60 and 67 degrees for sleep.

■ Limit caffeine after noon, and refrain from alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

■ Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime.

■ Create a bedroom conducive to sleeping — avoid bright lights (including those on your phone), consider turning on a fan for white noise, and use your bed exclusively for intimacy and sleep.

■ Get up at the same time every day to help strengthen your circadian rhythm.

■ Journal or draft your to-do lists to clear your mind before hitting the hay.

Q: What causes insomnia in women? What can you do about it?

A: Transient insomnia is often caused by stress, especially for women in perimenopausal or menopausal transitions. Hormonal fluctuations can cause hot flashes that disrupt sleep (it can take up to 100 minutes for a hot flash to dissipate) and for many women, this specific time in their lives can be filled with family and personal stressors, all of which can lead to chronic insomnia.

If you or someone you know is experiencing sleepless periods for a month or longer, we recommend making an appointment with a sleep specialist in your area or with your primary care physician.