• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • mom

Could snoring during pregnancy increase health risks?

by Pregnancy Editors Leave a Comment

There are several less-than-ideal side effects that some women experience during a pregnancy, and snoring is often one of them. In fact, a recent study from the University of Michigan found that 25 percent of the 1,700 pregnant women surveyed reported that they started snoring during their pregnancies. But could snoring be an indication of health issues down the line?

Bad news for new snorers 

Researchers discovered that women who never used to snore but started doing so at least three or four times a week during a pregnancy were twice as likely to develop high blood pressure and preeclampsia than pregnant women who didn’t.

“We already know that high blood pressure in pregnancy, particularly preeclampsia, is associated with smaller babies, higher risks of pre-term birth or babies ending up in the ICU,” said Louise O’Brien, Ph.D., who was the lead author of the study.

Read more: Your healthy diet = a healthy child, even years later

If you’re wondering what snoring has to do with high blood pressure, here’s the lowdown – any obstruction or pause in breathing while you’re sleeping increases the activity of the nervous system, which then increases blood pressure. Inflammation is also associated with breathing problems, which plays a role in preeclampsia.

Interestingly enough, women who were chronic snorers weren’t at as much of a risk of experiencing high blood pressure and preeclampsia as women who had just started. So if you’ve always been a snorer, your body is probably used to the sensation and can handle the difficulty.

The good news

But what if you did start snoring after you found out you were pregnant? The researchers believe that some of the high blood pressure and preeclampsia cases could be helped by treatment.

First, try lying on your side when you sleep (you should be doing this anyway to make yourself more comfortable and prevent pressure from being applied to the vena cava, the vein responsible for carrying blood to and from your heart).

Read more: Could sleeping on your back hurt baby? 

Next, make sure that you’re putting on a healthy number of pounds. Weight gain is often responsible for snoring cases even in people who aren’t pregnant, so be sure to watch what you eat, exercise and stay within your doctor’s recommended range.

Special mouth-guards and other devices are also available from your doctor, so if all else fails, bring the topic up at your next appointment.

If you have questions about your first prenatal OB visits, or just need a reminder checklist of important questions to ask, download our free Guide to Prenatal OB visits. Just click below.

Filed Under: Pregnancy Health Tagged With: Pregnancy Health

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Peaceful Discipline by Sarah Moore

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

how to be a good mother

How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect

By Sarah Moore

Aligned Parents webinar

By Paul Banas

Footer

Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Gentle Parenting: 5 Ways to Lead with Love
  • How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect
  • Best Parenting Books: 28 Books That Will Change Your Life for the Better
  • Aligned Parents webinar
  • How to make sure your home is ready for the new addition to your family

Search

© Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT