US Patent 10195426 Method and apparatus for treating sleep apnea

An oral appliance provides electrical stimulation to a patient's tongue in a manner that prevents collapse of the tongue and/or soft palate during sleep. More specifically, the appliance may induce a reversible current or currents in a lateral direction across the tongue in a manner that shortens the patient's Palatoglossus muscle, which in turn pulls the patient's soft palate downward towards a base of the tongue, and/or decreases a volume of the tongue.