Pregnant Women Who Snore Are More Likely to Develop Diabetes
A Northwestern University research study has found that women who frequently snore (at least three nights a week) run a significantly higher risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy than women who are non-snorers.
The study, the first to identify a relationship between snoring to gestational diabetes, also included other factors that can contribute to gestational diabetes, including age, ethnicity, and body mass index.
The study tracked 189 women through their pregnancies. The women completed a sleep survey when they were between six and 20 weeks pregnant and then again during their third trimester. The researchers found that women who snored had a 14.3 percent chance of developing gestational diabetes, as opposed to 3.3 percent for those who were non-snorers.
Another finding of the study is that women who previously did not snore may begin snoring during pregnancy. In the early stage of the study only 11 percent of the women being tracked reported frequent snoring. However, 16.5 percent reported snoring frequently by the third trimester which represents a 50 percent increase.
The study’s author, Dr. Francesca Facco, says it is not clear why there’s a link between snoring and gestational diabetes. The researcher’s theory is that the increase in weight and fluid retention resulting from pregnancy blocks airflow through the mouth and nose. Poor air flow and diminished oxygen intake can cause what she calls “a cascade of events” in a woman’s body, which leads to increased blood pressure, inflammation, and metabolic changes which can lead to diabetes.
Gestational diabetes, in which blood sugar levels become very high in women who have not previously been diagnosed with the disease, occurs in about 4 percent of pregnant women.
After giving birth the vast majority (90 percent) of women who had developed gestational diabetes become completely symptom free. Eight percent retain impaired glucose tolerance, which can be a precursor to type 2 diabetes, while the remaining two percent come away from their pregnancy with full-blown type 2 diabetes.
Now that the association between snoring and gestational diabetes has been established, Dr. Facco says that healthcare providers should look into sleep therapies as a means of hindering the development of gestational diabetes. Helping he airway stay open while sleeping during pregnancy could be enough to avert the problem.
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