The connection between the airway, TMJ, sleep and performance

The airway is an elastic muscular pipe that carries oxygen from the nose and mouth to the lungs. A major stretch of it runs behind the tongue. A posterior tongue displacement blocks this airway and cuts the oxygen supply especially during sleep. A specific diagnostic tool we use is the CBCT Airway Volumetry. At it’s narrowest point, the minimum area should atleast be 250 sq. mm. If lesser than 180 sq. mm., then during sleep that patient’s airway will collapse. The body doesn’t get enough oxygen. It’s the brain’s responsibility to respond to this situation otherwise the patient will die. The brain literally tells the tongue to move forward which then drags the lower jaw as well leading to clenching or grinding with the upper teeth. This results in a disturbed sleep leading the patient to toss and turn during sleep or wake up for a bathroom break or even startle up from a bad dream. These dreams are generally a manifestation of the lack of oxygen where you are either choking or drowning or falling! Whenever the body tries to get into a deep sleep pattern, the desaturation event breaks the pattern and you end up with normal NREM sleep again.