Health & Medical Sleep Disorders

How Snoring Affects Pregnancy

Even if you never has issues with snoring but after becoming pregnant have started snoring, it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
During pregnancy, there are numerous hormonal changes and emotional upheavals due to the increased levels of estrogen.
Increased estrogen levels makes the muscles around the neck and throat relax and due to sudden weight gain, is the leading reason of snoring during pregnancy.
The relaxation of muscles causes the upper respiratory pathways to get narrow, increasing air flow constriction and creates vibration in the throat area which produces the obnoxious snoring sounds.
According to latest research statistics conducted on pregnant women and snoring, about 35% women found that it was mostly in the last weeks of pregnancy that they started snoring.
It was found that the higher body mass leads to more chances of snoring.
Most of the women who put on the ideal weight gain but were snoring later have issues of hypertension induced by snoring and edema.
However, if you are experiencing heavy snoring, it is best to seek medical help as that might be a sign of sleep apnea.
The most common symptom of sleep apnea is that you stop breathing for about 10 seconds, which directly results in oxygen deprivation to the brain.
Hypertension is another issue which requires attention during pregnancy as snoring is related to higher blood pressure and chances of pre-emclampsia.
During pregnancy, sleep apnea turns even more fatal with chances of pre-emclampsia complications.
Oxygen deprivation during pregnancy resulted in low weight babies and even retardation of the fetus leading to later on complications.
Though the range of snoring differs but the fact remains that sleep deprivation or restless sleep does affect the metabolism of the pregnant woman.
Another indirect snoring results in maternal asthma which is specifically shown by inflammation of the throat walls and intense swelling through out the respiratory passage.
But this is mostly with those who have prior asthma issues.
Excess weight gain also leads to pressure on the lungs leading to breathlessness and puts pressure on the heart.
It is best to consult a doctor, if there is excessive snoring anytime during pregnancy.
Thus snoring during pregnancy may not only be an indication of poor health of the mother but may also be affecting the unborn child.
However, if the snoring ranges between mild and moderate, it is best to use secondary anti snoring remedies.
There are a variety of stop snoring remedies to help you remove the ill effects and discomfort of snoring.
You can try using anti snoring drops to at least bring a full night's rest.
It is also advised to avoid caffeine, take a pillow that is at least 4 inches high for easier breathing, or use nasal drops and throat spray.
Most of the anti snoring techniques are good for reducing snoring thereby increasing your chance of having a normal baby.
A healthy mother is necessary for having a safe delivery and a healthy baby.

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