What Is Sleep Disordered Breathing?
Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is an abnormal breathing pattern during sleep. This can range from simple snoring to repetitive pauses in breathing (called sleep apnea).
What Causes SDB?
Air flows through the nose and mouth into the throat before it enters the lungs. The throat is a soft, floppy tube that contains the adenoids, tonsils, soft palate, tongue, and voice box. When children sleep, the muscles that hold the throat open relax, and the structures in the tube can collapse against each other and make it difficult for air to pass. This is called upper airway obstruction. Snoring is the sound produced when those structures vibrate against one another as the passage narrows. Sometimes there is complete collapse or blockage, which produces a short pause in breathing. Repetitive pauses in breathing are called sleep apnea.
Full article found here – JAMA Otolaryngology Patient Page
