It is common for pregnant women to sleep while snoring during pregnancy. This condition even tends to get worse in the third trimester. One study reported that nearly 25 percent of pregnant women will occasionally experience sleep with snoring in the last week of their pregnancy, while another 25 percent reported snoring more often in the last weeks of pregnancy.
Snoring can sometimes be associated with sleep disorders, also called sleep apnea. This condition causes breathing stops while sleeping. This can pose a danger to pregnant women because when breathing stops, the amount of oxygen in the blood decreases.
Possible causes of snoring during pregnancy vary, including:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Snoring loud and frequent, can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea that makes breathing often stopped because of the flow in and out of the blocked air.
- Increasing the amount of blood and the development of blood vessels in the body of a pregnant woman also causes the nasal membranes to swell which results in the mother snoring during sleep.
- High levels of the hormone estrogen during pregnancy which can help make the airway swell and even cause increased mucus.
- Nasal congestion due to other reasons, such as allergies or colds.
High Blood Pressure and Preeclampsia
According to an expert on sleep disorders, the habit of snoring during sleep that begins during pregnancy can put a mother at greater risk of developing preeclampsia or high blood pressure (hypertension). This is because obstruction of the airway at night is a contributing factor to increased high blood pressure and preeclampsia in pregnancy. A respiratory expert suggests that pregnant women who are accustomed to snoring will be faced with twice the risk of experiencing high blood pressure and preeclampsia, compared to mothers who do not snore.
Preeclampsia is a condition of high blood pressure that arises after 20 weeks gestation plus swelling of body parts or called edema and / or proteinuria, which is too much protein is wasted through urine. The condition of preeclampsia is characterized by additional symptoms such as severe headaches, vomiting, severe pain in the upper abdomen, and visual disturbances.
Obstacles to Fetal Growth
A medical finding states that there is a relationship between sleep disorders, namely sleep apnea, and Intrauterine Growth Retardation or inhibition of fetal growth. Infants with Intrauterine Growth Retardation are born with smaller than average body sizes and experience developmental delays.
Risks for Caesarean Delivery
A study found that pregnant women who snore three nights a week are more likely to have babies that are smaller in size and more likely to be born by cesarean section. From the study, about 33 percent of 1,600 pregnant women have snoring habits. And from the snorers, there are a significant number who give birth by caesarean, even many who require emergency caesarean section.
Babies Born with Low Weight
Pregnant women who often snore tend to give birth to babies with below average body weight. Mothers should be vigilant because low-weight babies are known to be more vulnerable to certain diseases.
The study also said that although there was a relationship between snoring during pregnancy and an increased tendency to be born by Caesarean and babies born with low weight, the relationship did not show a causal link. However, it never hurts to apply healthy sleep patterns during pregnancy and avoid snoring in the following ways.
- Continue to maintain a normal weight for pregnant women. Note that the fatter a pregnant woman is, the more she is at risk for breathing problems during sleep.
- Avoid sleeping on your back. Try a tilted position and make sure the head is slightly higher than the body.
- Avoid taking sleeping pills, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco. All three make the airway tend to be more closed.
For husbands, consult a doctor or midwife if you find your wife often sleep while snoring, especially accompanied by snorting or gasping.
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