Snoring During Pregnancy is Indication of High Blood Pressure

Snoring during pregnancy is common complaint. Most pregnant women found snoring were reacting to the increased levels of estrogen and other hormones. These women are at a high risk of high blood pressure.

The study conducted by the researchers from the University of Michigan is the first to state that the onset snoring confers significant risk to maternal cardiovascular health.

"Pregnancy-onset snoring was strongly linked to gestational hypertension and preeclampsia," says lead author Louise O'Brien, Ph.D., associate professor in U-M's Sleep Disorders Center.

"We found that frequent snoring was playing a role in high blood pressure problems, even after we had accounted for other known risk factors," says O'Brien. "And 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."

The study involved more than 1700 participants. Habitual snoring, the hallmark symptom of sleep-disordered breathing, was defined as snoring three to four nights a week. Nearly 25 percent of the women started snoring frequently during pregnancy and this doubled the risk for high blood pressure compared to non-snoring women.

O'Brien writes, "these results suggest that up to 19 percent of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy might be mitigated through treatment of any underlying sleep-disordered breathing."

With the help of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) pregnant women can be treated for sleep-disordered breathing. The machine worn during sleep uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open. The researchers hope that use of CPAP may decrease high blood pressure in pregnant women.

"Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading global cause of maternal and infant deaths and cost billions of dollars annually to treat," O'Brien says.

"By asking pregnant women about snoring, especially in those with high blood pressure already, obstetric healthcare providers could identify women at high risk for sleep-disordered breathing and intervene during the pregnancy. This could result in better outcomes for mother and baby."

The details of this study were carried in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.