Chicago Sleep Apnea

What is sleep apnea?

In normal breathing patterns, your air passage is clear and air can flow in and out unobstructed. However, when you're asleep, those tissues relax and can constrict that airway. As you breathe in and out during your sleep, the soft tissues in that constricted airway will vibrate, resulting in snoring. See how this is diagrammed at the right.

In some cases, the airway may even close. When this happens, we have progressed from simple snoring to obstructive sleep apnea.

When your breathing is blocked, your body detects the drop in oxygen levels and responds by giving you a quick moment of wakefulness, and then you draw a breath. Though you may be unaware, this can happen hundreds of times in a night. The only thing you may notice is that you don't feel rested when you wake up.

Solving the obstruction can be as simple as moving the lower jaw forward. Notice in the diagram at the right, the lower jaw is moved forward slightly. This opens the passageway, and normal breathing can take place.