I was diagnosed with sleep apnea due to shallow breathing. Would the Inspire product help me?
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Hi, thanks for sharing your question. Inspire therapy can be very effective, but it really depends on the type of sleep apnea you have, as well as your individual health factors and preferences.
Inspire is designed to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), where the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep. It works by gently stimulating a nerve that controls the tongue, helping keep the airway open. If your “shallow breathing” is mainly from obstructive apneas or hypopneas, Inspire may be a good option.
If your sleep study showed a significant amount of central sleep apnea (when the brain doesn’t send the proper signal to breathe), Inspire typically doesn’t help with that. That’s why it’s important to carefully review your sleep study results with your doctor.
A few things doctors usually check when deciding if Inspire is a good fit:
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Diagnosis of moderate to severe OSA
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Difficulty tolerating or benefiting from CPAP
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A BMI within a certain range
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An airway exam (often a drug-induced sleep endoscopy) to confirm the collapse pattern is suitable
Many people do use Inspire as an alternative to CPAP when they can’t tolerate the mask, but keep in mind it’s an outpatient surgical procedure, so weighing the pros and cons with your doctor is important.
You’re definitely not alone — lots of people explore Inspire as an option, and talking it over with a sleep specialist is the best next step to see if it’s right for you 