Snoring During Pregnancy, Is It Problematic?

Most pregnant or formerly pregnant ladies know how difficult sleep can be during pregnancy. This is not just related to a developing and kicking fetus, but the fact that pregnant women are susceptible to developing transient sleep apnea. The sleep apnea may have been present but undiagnosed prior to pregnancy or appears during. That little bit of very loud snoring could actually be sleep apnea. The significant hormone changes, increased joint laxity, and weight gain contribute to the risk (and you may already unsuspectingly be at risk due to underdeveloped face/jaw structures). More importantly, if you do develop sleep apnea during pregnancy, the oxygen saturation changes and the chronic activity of your fight or flight system can pose problems to the developing fetus. What should you do? It would be fantastic to have a sleep study at the midpoint of your pregnancy. If positive, you can then go on temporary supportive CPAP therapy to help protect you and your baby. Then several months after baby is delivered, have a second sleep study to see if your sleep has returned to optimal. If symptoms of poor sleep quality persist (beyond was attributable to baby) AirSync can help. Call us for your Airway Assessment Appointment.