According to the National Sleep Foundation's (NSF) Women and Sleep Poll, about 30 percent of moms-to-be snore. During pregnancy, there is an increase in pregnancy hormones like estrogen. This hormone increase may cause the soft tissues of the nasal passage to swell up, resulting in partially blocked airways. There's also the little matter of weight gain. Snoring increases when one is overweight. The sudden addition of all that baby weight coupled with the increase in estrogen will result in snoring.
If your snoring is severe, it may be a sign that you have sleep
apnea. This is a condition in which your airway becomes obstructed
causing you to briefly stop breathing in your sleep - sometimes as many as 60
times an hour - and during pregnancy it is believed that you are more susceptible
to this condition. According to experts excessive snoring during pregnancy may
cause high blood pressure. If your partner notices that you're snoring a lot
and making snorting or gasping sounds in your sleep, be sure to mention this
to your doctor or midwife so you can be evaluated for sleep apnea and treated
if necessary.
Click here for a Sleep Problems by Trimester.
Source: National Sleep Foundation
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