Snoring during pregnancy could cause Gestational Diabetes

A strong link between snoring and gestational diabetes has been found in new study. It is explained how sleep disorder in pregnancy may likely to cause diabetes in women. This type of diabetes starts during pregnancy and goes away after child’s birth. It is believed that the hormones produced during pregnancy reduce a woman’s receptivity to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. Gestational diabetes affects 1% to 3% of all pregnant women.

Women with the nocturnal habit were more than four times as likely to develop a short-term form of the disease which causes health problems for both mother and child. Snoring was still associated with gestational diabetes, when researchers took account of other possible causes in women like their age, race and body mass. Their babies are likely to be born heavier than the appropriate weight, which can lead to difficulties in the birth.

High blood sugar levels can be unhealthy for both mother and baby. If it is not treated, baby may be more likely to have problems at the time of birth. The baby may have a low blood sugar level, jaundice and baby may weigh much more than normal. Gestational diabetes can also affect health of the mother. If baby is very large, mother may have a more difficult delivery or she may need a cesarean section. Snoring might trigger a cascade of metabolic changes.

Gestational diabetes may activate the sympathetic nervous system of pregnant women that causes rise in their blood pressure at night. This can also provoke inflammatory and metabolic changes, increasing the risk of diabetes or poor sugar tolerance.

If snoring is bothering a woman who is pregnant, she should seek a consultation with a sleep specialist. It is also found that frequent snorers had a 14.3 % chance of developing gestational diabetes. The pregnant women who never snored had only a 3.3 % risk of developing gestational diabetes.