CLEVELAND — Most women probably think it's normal to snore during pregnancy. But those zzzs could be a warning of an underlying problem that could do more than keep you up at night.
Allie LaValle is co-owner of Larder's Deli in Cleveland. She’s always busy and on her feet. When she became pregnant and kept working during the pandemic, she expected to be more tired. This was her second child and she knew as the baby bump grew, so would her swollen sinuses, congestion, and snoring.
But at 20 weeks, Allie noticed something more alarming.
"I was waking up in the middle of the night gasping, feeling like I was choking and being woken up," she said.
Her pregnancy was high risk and Allie immediately told her OBGYN who sent her to a sleep specialist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.
Within two hours of a sleep study, they knew she had obstructive sleep apnea.
"It was pretty bad, as probably as bad as you can have it and I definitely probably had it before I was pregnant and I just didn't know and pregnancy exacerbated it,” Allie said.
Doctors say they're seeing an increase in pregnant women with sleep apnea, likely because of awareness. It's a serious condition that can be dangerous for mom and baby.
"Women with obstructive sleep apnea have a higher tendency for gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, higher blood pressure during pregnancy,” said UH Sleep specialist, Dr. Sally Ibrahim.
Allie did develop gestational diabetes but her sleep improved thanks to a CPAP machine giving her continuous positive airway pressure at night.
"Having the CPAP machine made all the difference in my energy levels, especially working on my feet forty hours a week while pregnant," Allie said.
If you're waking with a dry mouth, sore throat and experiencing excessive sleepiness during the day, talk to your doctor. Sleep position can help too.
"One study showed that a 45-degree angle helps lessen the gravitational pull of the tongue and opens the airspace so there are simple things that women can do conservatively without a CPAP that could be helpful," Dr. Ibrahim said.
Allie is still tired these days, but not from apnea. She's waiting for 6-month-old Adeline to start sleeping through the night.
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