“We had a bear in the room last night.” That was the way a friend of mine let his wife know that she had started snoring. She was in the last month of her pregnancy and was previously a non-snorer.
My friend had confided in me that he couldn’t even stand to hear planes fly at night when trying to sleep, let alone a “bear” lying next to him. He wasn’t sure how he was going to last another month of it.
What my friend was describing happens to 25-30% of pregnant women – they snore. This generally happens during the last stages of the second trimester and during the third trimester of pregnancy.
As annoying as this habit was to my friend, my concern was actually for his wife. Snoring can be much more serious than annoying sounds when sleeping. Add to that hormones and extreme body changes that accompany pregnancy.
Snoring occurs when the airways become obstructed and allow for less oxygen to pass to the lungs. Snoring can be barely noticeable or quite loud and disturbing.
Unless you sleep with a partner, however, your likely won’t know you snore other than having perhaps a congested nose in the morning and perhaps not feeling as rested as usual, even though you slept the usual amount.
There are theories as to why women who suddenly develop snoring in pregnancy. One is that with the added weight/fat gain during pregnancy, fat does accumulate in the neck which can put pressure on the airways and constrict them.
Another theory is that with the added blood supply women gain during pregnancy to nourish both mother and baby, blood vessels throughout the body (including the neck and throat) expand and can cause the mucous membranes in the same area to expand, thus again, blocking the airways.
Of the 25-30% of women who snore during pregnancy, up to 15% of those women will develop chronic breathing problems including pregnancy induced hypertension (high blood pressure) so snoring needs to be taken seriously.
For some, the snoring becomes so chronic and severe that sleep apnea develops. This is where the airway is not only constricted but completely closes for several seconds during sleep, essentially depriving mother and baby of essential oxygen.
For women who already snored before becoming pregnant, the chance for sleep apnea is even further increased. Left untreated, this can lead to both preeclampsia (a condition during pregnancy involving high blood pressure in the urine, and is the number one cause of illness and death to mother and baby) and edema (swelling in the face hands legs and feet).
Additionally, babies born to mothers who suffered from pregnancy induced snoring and sleep apnea have a greater chance of low birth weights and Apgar scores (tests heart rate, reflex, breathing, muscle tone and skin color).
Some things which can reduce your chances of pregnancy induced snoring and sleep apnea include: maintaining a healthy weight, not becoming pregnant if obese, propping the head with an extra pillow, sleeping on one’s side to maintain open airways and avoiding excessive caffeine which can expand blood vessels.
Whether pregnant or not, if you suffer from snoring or mild sleep apnea, I’m certain my Stop Snoring program will work for you. The exercises are all natural and easy to do – even when pregnant!
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