Snoring In Pregnancy

With pregnancy comes a lot of excitement, preparation, and, of course, physical and emotional changes. Now that you are pregnant, you have probably noticed that your stomach is beginning to grow and change shape, and you may be experiencing a number of pregnancy symptoms, ranging from morning sickness to back pain.

As you come to the end of your pregnancy, you and your partner may also begin to notice that you are snoring a lot when you sleep! Snoring is a particularly common discomfort of pregnancy, and unfortunately, it can have serious repercussions on your energy levels and well-being.

Here are some tips on how to curb that pregnancy-related snoring and get a better night’s sleep!

Defining Snoring
Most of us have had our share of snoring experiences. Whether you were a snorer before you became pregnant or if you happen to share a room with a serious snorer, we can all understand how much of a problem it can be.

Snoring occurs when your airways become obstructed, making it impossible to breathe properly. As a result, you begin to make strange breathing noises as you sleep. These noises can be fairly quiet, or they might be quite loud and disturbing.

You may also experience difficulty breathing at night or notice that you are particularly congested. When these symptoms occur during pregnancy, you are suffering from pregnancy-related snoring!

But I’m Not a Snorer!
If you weren’t a snorer before you became pregnant, you may feel as if there is something seriously wrong with you. But try not to worry – snoring is actually extremely common during pregnancy.

In fact, up to 25% to 30% of all pregnant women snore at some point during their pregnancies, particularly during the second and third trimesters. And of those pregnant women who do snore, 25% go on to experience chronic or severe snoring symptoms.

Am I at Risk for Pregnancy Snoring?
It is hard to tell exactly who will suffer from snoring during pregnancy. In fact, pretty much any woman can experience mild to severe snoring symptoms at any point throughout her pregnancy.

However, there do seem to be a few factors that may increase your risks of pregnancy snoring.

These risk factors include:

• excessive weight gain during pregnancy
• being obese during pregnancy
• having a larger neck size (women who snore tend to have a neck size that is about one centimeter larger than women who do not snore)
• suffering from maternal asthma