Upper Airway and Motor Control During Sleep

The upper airways (UA) consist in a collapsible tube, which must continuously ensure the passage of air flowing in and out of the lungs. To meet the numerous challenges attached to the feeding and breathing functions of the upper aerodigestive tract to which they belong, the upper airways have a complex anatomy and control system of their reflex and motor functions. Sleep is responsible for impacting the breathing function by promoting upper airway closure via the normal decrease in upper airway dilator muscle activity during sleep.