Feeling tired during pregnancy? You might have sleep apnea

That means your body is more taxed during breathing, especially at night as you’re lying down, which puts more pressure on the airway. This is also what leads to annoying symptoms such as pregnancy rhinitis and nosebleeds, which can also disrupt sleep.

Related reading: How pregnant moms can get better sleep

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Since OSA symptoms mimic the side effects of pregnancy – which is also known to cause insomnia – many pregnant patients may go undiagnosed. And many women with OSA may not snore. Instead, they experience the ill effects of inadequate sleep: mood changes, anxiety, and general fatigue. Some patients may confuse an apnea episode with having a nightmare.

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We follow a multistep process to properly diagnose patients and help them get the care – and restorative sleep – they need.

Diagnosing sleep apnea in pregnant patients

Talking with you (and your partner)

We’ll have a conversation about your sleep hygiene – your bedtime routines and any struggles you’ve noticed. Along with this, we’ll talk about how you feel upon waking, such as whether you have a headache or still feel tired after a night’s sleep.

However, many patients don’t realize they’re not breathing or sleeping well until their partner complains about symptoms that keep them awake. So, it’s important to get your partner’s perspective about changes in your mood, nighttime breathing, and sleep patterns.

Physical examination

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We will also examine you for physical risk factors of OSA, such as:

• A neck circumference of 16 inches or larger
• Having limited space in the back of the throat when you say “ahh”
• Being overweight (before or during pregnancy)
• High blood pressure
• Low blood oxygen level

If we suspect sleep apnea based on your data and health history, we will refer you to a sleep medicine doctor to confirm the diagnosis.

Sleep study

The gold-standard test to diagnose OSA is an overnight sleep study (polysomnogram). During this test, you’ll sleep in a private room where a sleep medicine expert will monitor your breathing, heart rate, and the depth of your sleep cycles using painless body sensors and video monitoring. Depending on your other health needs, you may qualify for a home sleep study. Home tests gather similar data using portable devices.

Polysomnograms provide data about how many episodes of symptoms you experience in the night. With a mild case of OSA, you may have 15 or fewer episodes. Moderate cases cause 15 to 29 episodes nightly, and severe cases cause 30 or more.

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