The muscles at the back of your throat relax, which causes this to happen. The tonsils, the side walls of the throat, the tongue, and the soft palate are all supported by these muscles. These muscles also help to maintain the uvula, a triangular piece of tissue that hangs from the soft palate. Your airway narrows or possibly closes entirely when you take a breath in as the muscles in your airway loosen up. Because you aren’t getting enough air, your blood’s oxygen content may start to decline. When your brain notices that you can’t breathe, it briefly awakens you up so you can clear your airway and start breathing normally again. This epiphany often happens so quickly…