Many women find they snore during pregnancy. Snoring is the result of obstructed airways, which make normal breathing difficult during sleep. Snoring can vary from a light snore to loud noise that disrupts the sleep of the pregnant woman and her partner. Nasal congestion, which is common in pregnancy, can contribute to the problem.
For most people, snoring is merely an annoying problem for the partner and the woman if her sleep is disrupted. In some cases, the problem may be sleep apnea and may require treatment.
A few studies suggest that snoring may not always be benign. A 2000 study published in the Journal of the American College of Chest Physicians linked snoring with problems such as hypertension and fetal growth retardation.
The study had the women fill out questionnaires about snoring and sleepiness during the day. They also gathered data on the APGAR scores of the newborns. Twenty four percent of the women in the study reported increased levels of snoring in the third trimester.
Fifty two percent of the women who reported habitual and increased snoring suffered from edema, or swelling, compared with thirty percent of the women who did not snore. Of the women who suffered from hypertension, all had reported snoring prior to the onset of the pre-eclampsia.
The APGAR scores for the infants of the snoring women tended to be lower than the group of mothers who did not snore. The birth weight of the snoring group tended to be lower as well. The snoring mothers were also more likely to deliver a baby that was classified as having growth retardation as well. Seven percent of the snoring group had infants with growth restriction, compared with two percent of the non snoring group.
The authors of the study concluded that the airway obstruction that is seen in snoring women may be a contributing factor to pre-eclampsia. This obstruction can also reduce the available oxygen to the fetus. This reduced oxygen can contribute to growth retardation.
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