Paul Davenport

Relieves Sleep Apnea by Preventing Soft Tissue from Obstructing the Upper Airway

This tongue-training device strengthens the tongue and other upper airway muscles, potentially reducing upper airway narrowing during sleep and decreasing the severity of snoring or obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which a person's breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep, depriving the brain of oxygen. The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder that affects nearly 25 million adults in the United States. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when surrounding soft tissue obstructs the upper airway during sleep, often due to the relaxation of tongue muscles. Available tongue-training devices primarily focus on muscles used to push the tongue upward and may not effectively treat obstructive sleep apnea. Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a tongue-training device that uses precisely calibrated, adjustable resistance to strengthen muscles used in the protrusion of the tongue, preventing its backward movement when relaxed. This device enhances upper airway muscle strength and tone reducing upper airway narrowing during sleep and reducing the severity of snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea.

Application

Adjustable resistance muscle toning device to prevent upper airway obstruction during sleep

Advantages

• Builds firmness of tongue muscles, counteracting soft tissue obstruction of the upper airway that produces sleep apnea
• Offers precisely adjustable levels of resistance, enabling continuous enhancement of muscle strength to fit each patient’s therapeutic needs
• Utilizes muscle rehabilitation, providing a long-term solution to reduce snoring and improve sleep quality for all patients

Technology

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) results from upper airway narrowing caused by the collapse of soft tissue in the throat when the upper airway and tongue muscles relax during sleep. Available methods of tongue training primarily involve pushing the tongue upwards against the roof of the mouth or forward against the back of the upper incisors. The tongue training device was developed to directly enhance tongue protrusion (the forward tongue movement needed to open the upper airway). The device improves the resting firmness of tongue muscles by forcing the tongue to push against a spring-loaded resistance as the tongue extends outward from the mouth. This device uses threshold-load resistance, is capable of specific calibration, and can be adjusted relative to the strength level of the tongue as the training progresses, enabling therapy to efficiently meet each patient’s treatment needs. The device strengthens and tones tongue muscles to prevent posterior movement and narrowing of the upper airway, reducing the obstruction seen in obstructive sleep apnea.