Snoring During Pregnancy: What to Do and When to Seek Advice

If snoring starts or becomes louder during pregnancy, tell your midwife or doctor, particularly if there are breathing pauses, gasping or marked daytime sleepiness. Snoring alone does not diagnose sleep apnea or show that your baby is being harmed. It is a reason to discuss changes in your sleep rather than dismiss them or assume a product will solve them.

Why pregnancy can change nighttime breathing

Pregnancy brings changes in the upper airway and breathing regulation that can increase the risk of sleep apnea or worsen an existing condition. The NHLBI explains that sleep apnea can become more significant later in pregnancy. Not every person who snores has sleep apnea, however, and a symptom checklist cannot establish the diagnosis.

What to discuss at your appointment

• When snoring started and whether it is now frequent or noticeably louder.
• Whether someone has seen breathing pauses or heard repeated gasping.
• How sleepy you feel during the day and whether sleep feels unusually disrupted.
• Any previous sleep-apnea diagnosis, current treatment or difficulty using prescribed equipment.

Ask whether your symptoms call for a sleep assessment. Continue routine antenatal appointments and checks; the amount of noise you make at night is not a substitute for blood-pressure monitoring or other maternity care.

Sleep position: either side, not only the left

NHS guidance recommends going to sleep on your side, left or right, with particular importance after 28 weeks. If you wake on your back, turn onto your side before going back to sleep. Pillows supporting the bump or between the knees can help with comfort.

This is pregnancy sleep-safety advice, not proof that side sleeping will eliminate snoring or treat sleep apnea. Follow individual advice from your maternity team if you have additional medical needs.

Symptoms that need prompt maternity advice

Do not attribute a severe persistent headache, visual disturbance, pain below the ribs, sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet, or feeling very unwell to a poor night’s sleep. These can be warning signs of pre-eclampsia and require immediate medical advice, including in the weeks after birth. Contact your maternity unit or local urgent-care service. The NHS pre-eclampsia guide explains the warning signs.

Choose products and treatment with the right purpose

Ask a pharmacist or your maternity team before choosing a medicine or nasal product for pregnancy symptoms. Different products have different purposes and precautions; “nasal spray” is not a single treatment category. Avoid universal claims such as “no side effects” or “guaranteed relief”.

Asonor is intended to reduce snoring through local lubrication and hydration of the throat’s mucous membranes. It is not a treatment for sleep apnea or a way to prevent pregnancy complications. Consult the current instructions for use and discuss individual questions with a healthcare professional.

After your baby is born

Symptoms may improve after birth, but there is no guaranteed deadline by which snoring or sleep apnea disappears. Arrange follow-up if symptoms continue. If you already use CPAP, ask your sleep team about review during and after pregnancy rather than stopping treatment because snoring seems quieter.

Prepared by the Asonor Team, TannerMedico A/S, manufacturer of Asonor. General information; not a substitute for individual maternity advice.