Sleep Apnea

Recognizing the signs of sleep apnea is the first step toward recovery. While many patients are unaware of their nighttime breathing patterns, common sleep apnea symptoms often include:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)
• Loud, chronic snoring
• Observed episodes of breathing cessation during sleep
• Abrupt awakenings accompanied by gasping or choking
• Morning headaches and dry mouth
• Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
• Irritability or trouble concentrating during the day

There are three primary types of sleep apnea, each requiring a nuanced approach to care. The types of sleep apnea include:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – The most common form, occurring when throat muscles relax and block the airway.
• Central Sleep Apnea – Occurs when your brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
• Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome – Also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, this occurs when someone has both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Our professional team utilizes a streamlined sleep apnea diagnosis protocol to identify the root cause of your sleep disturbances. This typically begins with a thorough clinical evaluation and may involve an overnight sleep study (polysomnography) or a home sleep apnea test. These tests monitor your heart, lung, and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.

Once diagnosed, we offer a range of solutions tailored to your problem, which may include non-surgical and surgical options. What works for one patient may not work for another, and we keep this in mind as we develop customized therapy plans.

CPAP works for a lot of people, but some patients struggle to find a consistent benefit. Inspire® is a no mask, no hose option for sleep apnea. A patient is only eligible for Inspire® when they have tried CPAP (and not found relief) first.
Inspire® specifically treats obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is the most prevalent form of sleep apnea. It occurs when the muscles at the back of the throat relax excessively, leading to a partial or complete blockage of the airway. As a result, the individual experiences a temporary cessation of breathing.

The Inspire® implant is the only FDA-approved OSA therapy that works inside your body. The small Inspire® implant delivers gentle pulses to your airway muscles to keep your airway open. Over 99.5% of Inspire implant procedures are successfully completed without any major complications. The small Inspire® implant is placed near your collarbone during an approximately 90-minute outpatient procedure. After the procedure, most people require nothing more than over-the-counter pain medication, and within a few days, can resume non-strenuous activities.