Explanatory videos
This is the endoscopic view of the throat of a person who has been put into a sleeping state by medication, where he begins to snore (sleep-nose-endoscopy). In this case the camera is located in the nasopharynx and is looking at the larynx. This leads to the collapse of the side walls and thus to the closure of the airways. This lasts until the body triggers an awakening reaction due to the lack of oxygen by releasing adrenaline. This process can occur several hundred times during the night. Deep sleep phases can no longer be reached. Every night is a struggle and daytime tiredness, irritability, poor performance and attention deficit are the immediate consequences.
The video shows the back wall of the throat, the side walls and the soft palate. Long pauses in breathing can be seen, followed by snoring (vibration of the soft palate). The nasopharynx is viewed from above, recorded without sound.
Such pauses in breathing, also known as obstructions, during which the oxygen level in the blood also drops, can occur several hundred times a night. As adrenaline is repeatedly released as an arousal stimulus, this massively disrupts the sleep architecture. The consequences are palpitations and cardiac arrhythmia; in the worst case, this can even lead to a heart attack or stroke.
