Pregnant and snoring?

As per a study, you are most likely to have a caesarean baby if you snore while sleeping, reports Jaya Shroff.

You are most likely to have a caesarean baby if you snore while sleeping. High blood pressure and hypertension are other complications that may hound you during pregnancy, shows a study by Safdarjung Hospital.

It found 30.3 per cent pregnant women, all snorers, had pre-eclampsia —a condition that may cause obstruction of the airways, problems in the lungs and pneumonia in the unborn child — when compared with 9.1 per cent non-snorers. Women may have symptoms of sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision. Thirty per cent babies of snorers had low birth weight as compared to the 13.79 per cent among non-snorers.

The study, published in the Indian Journal of Sleep Medicine in March 2008, reviewed 100 pregnant women aged 20-35 years in their third trimester of pregnancy, of whom 50 snored and 50 did not.

"Snoring and other sleep disorders are extremely common and few people realise they cause respiration and circulation problems, both of which can cause complications during pregnancy," says lead researcher Dr J.C. Suri, head of the department of Sleep Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital.

Excessive daytime sleepiness along with snoring while sleeping are fairly accurate indicators of sleep disordered breathing during pregnancy. So, if you are a pregnant and you snore, visit a doctor to rule out risks.