Sleep apnea

During sleep the muscles responsible for keeping the airway permeable suffer a relaxation. The passage of air at the level of the pharynx is hampered and as a consequence, the soft tissues vibrate producing snoring. In many cases a lack of air flow causes a fall in the oxygen levels in the blood, the brain is alerted by this descent which produces numerous sleep interruptions throughout the night.

In some cases of severe snoring obstructive sleep apnea may appear with serious health implications.