What is SNORING? During sleep, the jaw and tongue tend to relax and fall back toward the throat. This reduction in size of the airway will, in some individuals, cause the throat tissues to vibrate. Air being forced through this narrowed opening and the vibrations cause the noises we know as snoring. Snoring can be a sign of an underlying medical disorder known as sleep apnea. Untreated snoring may increase a person’s risk for the development of sleep apnea.

What is SLEEP APNEA?
Sleep apnea occurs when the jaw and tongue fall back against the throat to an extent that the airway closes during sleep. During the closure it sometimes appears as if the person is trying to breath, but no air passes through to the lungs. Eventually, seconds to over a minute, the brain will wake to a lighter sleep stage and the muscles will tighten opening the airway allowing the person to breathe again. The person is rarely aware of these sleep interruptions believing they are sleeping soundly.

The closure of the airway and not breathing may occur up to 100 or more times per hour each night. This scenario prevents the individual with sleep apnea from reaching the deep restful sleep we all require. The end result is fatigue and daytime sleepiness despite having spent 8 hours or more sleeping. This lack of appropriate sleep and decrease in oxygen levels from sleep apnea can trigger severe and serious health conditions.

Tongue in normal position, breathing through the nose, keeps the airway open during sleep to allow normal breathing.	Complete blockage of the airway occurs as the base of the tongue falls back against the soft palate forcing it against the back wall of the airway. No air can pass until the person wakes to a lighter stage of sleep for more muscle control to resume breathing.