OT: Inspire therapy and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

"The Inspire® implant is the only FDA-approved OSA therapy that works comfortably2 inside your body to treat the root cause of sleep apnea, so you can breathe regularly and sleep soundly. No mask or hose required.

Inspire therapy is a mask-free solution for people with obstructive sleep apnea who have tried and struggled with CPAP. Through a simple-to-use system including the Inspire implant, remote and app, Inspire therapy enables you to control your OSA treatment from the palm of your hand."
https://www.inspiresleep.com/en-us/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=conversion_leadscontacts&utm_content=na_text_text&utm_term=key_osatreatment&msclkid=f34249f5f7091130499f2c1f970dcfec

I'm wondering if anyone has this device? I remember in years gone by, that several guys here are using a CPAP Machine. I tried CPAP and many different types of masks etc and never could get it to work.... I'd wake myself up just to rip it off my head.

I'd appreciate any feedback.

I found some negative reviews... The electrical shock is more than expected for some people. You have to deal with it till you fall asleep.

"The Inspire device is activated for the first time about one month post-surgery, after the body begins to heal.

Patients may gradually increase the stimulation amplitude of their device, which functions between 0 to 5 volts.

“We give them about two months to self-adjust the device to the strength that they can best tolerate,” says Dr. Yu. Some patients have to adjust the amplitude up or down a few times to find a happy medium, he adds."

I've been using a CPAP with a simple nose cushion for 3 years. It's helped me tremendously. There were times when I woke up with damp clothing and couldn't figure out what was happening. I thought it might be heart related. My primary care doc ordered a sleep study. It was determined I had sleep apnea. I wasn't getting the oxygen I needed at night. Over time, this can be a dangerous condition with physical consequences. At first it was annoying to use the CPAP. Now I can't imagine living without it. I feel well-rested in the morning and no sweating episodes at night. I wouldn't want to experiment with this new invasive Inspire method. Happy with what I have. Not sure, but I doubt my insurance would cover it anyway.

I use a full-face mask CPAP machine. It took a long time to get used to it. I had excessive daytime sleepiness because of poor sleep quality. Now, I feel energized during the day. No wake ups at night and my sleep tracker watch shows that I get plenty of deep and dream sleep at night.

Pratoman said...
If anything, I feel like I’m not sleeping as well since I started on the machine. I will stick with it for a few months more and see what happens. My apnea was labeled “mild” with 9.9 events per hour avg. however the sleep specialist told me that my oxygen level had gone down as low as 82%

I also use the nasal cushion, not full face mask. I tried full, couldn’t handle it.

Your sleep study stats sound just like mine. I started out with the nasal cushion, but needed a full-face mask since I'm a mouth-breather. I went thru 3 different full-face models until I found one that worked. A lot of trial and error.

Pratoman, it can take a long time to get used to a CPAP. Be persistant! It is hard to get good support in finding the right mask and the right pressure. There are some very good CPAP and sleep apnea discussion groups on the internet, and I have found helpful advice there.

I highly recommend reading the book Breath by James Nestor. along with speaking directly to sleep apnea it talks about a whole bunch of super interesting stuff. A lot of it (stress reduction, breathing for better health) directly applicable to PCa fighters. Really good book.

Web page related to it.

https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/

.

Post Edited (centralPAdude) : 3/18/2024 5:34:30 AM (GMT-8)

To follow up on my other post (and confirm I CAN post ) here's an med study on the impact of breathwork (breathing practice) on folks with health conditions, to include cancer. Some excerpts:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7336946/

Somebody said...
Exploring the Therapeutic Benefits of Pranayama (Yogic Breathing): A Systematic Review

Pranayama (yogic breathing) has demonstrated numerous beneficial health effects. At present, there are no systematic reviews evaluating the beneficial health effects of pranayama alone as a practice.

Available evidence on pranayama indicates physiological and psychological benefits. Beneficial effects were mostly observed in patients with respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma. It also helped those with cancer and cardiovascular disease...

Pranayama in patients with malignant diseases

A total of five studies assessed the short-term effects of pranayama in patients with malignancy and evaluated cancer-related fatigue, emotional changes, QOL, anti-oxidant status, and immune functions...Effect of pranayama on immune function of cancer patients in remission was assessed by Kochupillai et al.[28] Cancer patients (n = 21) who had completed the standard treatment (breathing) had statistically significant (P < 0.001) increase in natural killer cells at 12 and 24 weeks of practice of pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya, with no similar effect observed in the control group.

...Another long-term effect of pranayamic breathing is the improvement in autonomic function.[41] Recent controlled trials suggest that yoga training programs can reduce perceived stress, improve mood, and lower catecholamine and cortisol levels, cardiovascular response to stress, blood pressure, and other indices of sympathetic activation in both healthy and clinical populations.

...Our results also indicate several psychological benefits of Pranayama practice, including improved emotional responses, fatigue, stress, and reduced anxiety in cancer patients, as well as in patients with cardiovascular disease.

...Conclusions: Pranayama is a simple, cost-effective method with evidence indicating the presence of therapeutic benefits for diseased populations. The available evidence indicates both physiological and psychological benefits. Beneficial effects were mostly observed in patients with respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma. It also helped to reduced fatigue, anxiety, and other emotional responses in those with cancer and cardiovascular disease.

It honestly sounds like a lot of new age hocus-pocus stuff, but I've been doing the breathwork practice for a month now, and there's definitely something "there" there. Science backs it up. Worth looking into no matter you're condition.

I have severe sleep apnea and have Phillips Resperonics unit, has a pan for distilled water for humidity. I have the nasal pillow and been using it for 9 yrs, assume it helps my sleep , but still wake up a few times because dry eyes. Note I dont get many colds or sinus issues anymore, assume the humidity from the machine keeps the sinuses cleaned out

I've been using a ResMed Airsense 10 machine for 7 years now. I was using a Phillips Resprironics "Dreamwear" mask with nasal cushions, which was quite comfortable but sort of noisy. about a year ago, my doctor ran out of supplies for that mask, and switched me to a ResMed "AirFit N30i Nasal Mask Cushion", which is similar but quieter. One thing I like about both of these masks is that the swiveled air hose connects at the top of one's head so it decreases the likelihood of getting tangled up in it while tossing and turning. Personally, I'd much rather use a mechanical device instead of having surgery. At some point, I'll switch to the Airsense 11 machine.

I have the RedMed Airsense 10 CPAP too. I've had it for about 4 years. Still working strong. I received it through my previous PCP and a different Medicare Advantage insurance plan. Instead of going through insurance, I just order needed accessories (head straps, nose pillows, etc..) through suppliers online. Actually cheaper than using my insurance. It all comes from China anyway. I asked my current PCP if I would have to go through another sleep study if my CPAP device stops working and I need a new one. He said all I would need to do is show him my old sleep study (which I have), give him the pressure settings on the machine - and he would order a new one for me. Since it's a durable medical device, I would have to pay 20% of cost. Usually recurring payments made over 12 months - then I own the machine. But glad I won't have to endure another sleep study. A real pain in the rumpus. My smar***ch measures my oxygen saturation levels during sleep, which improved greatly after I started using the CPAP. My sleep study indicated a level of about 84%. Now it's 92% or greater. I can tell a difference. No more sleep sweats. Over time, my doc said low saturation levels can lead to complications.

Not knowing much about sleep apnea I started to read up on the condition and realize for some, it can end up being quite serious.
Maybe 12 years ago, I was a member of a truck camper group and one of the forum topics was CPAP use and over night draw down of your batteries when dry camping which is when you are not plugged into shore power and are not allowed to use your generator such as in a state park over night. I guess some of these machines supply more than air to breath but also humidity which takes extra 12V electricity.
I was 63 at the time and I had never heard of this condition(sleep apnea) or knew of anyone with this problem.

Fast forward to now, I still do not know of anyone with sleep apnea and it is fairly common in our society especially for older males. In reading up on reasons why some have to use a CPAP machine, obesity, smoking, alcohol, type 2 diabetes, some prescription drugs, sedentary lifesyle, heart disease just to name some of the negative health issues that people with sleep apnea have.

It would seem to me that in reading about ways to positively change the outcome of sleep apnea, positive changes in personal physical lifestyles should ease some dependance on machines such as CPAP and give suffers a better quality of life.

Dave

Turboz said...
I have severe sleep apnea and have Phillips Resperonics unit, has a pan for distilled water for humidity. I have the nasal pillow and been using it for 9 yrs, assume it helps my sleep , but still wake up a few times because dry eyes. Note I dont get many colds or sinus issues anymore, assume the humidity from the machine keeps the sinuses cleaned out

Turboz, I have the exact same machine also with the nasal pillows, ive been on it for 3 months, still not used to it. I don't feel any different, and I'm averaging about 4.5 hours of use per night. My apnea is mild at 10 events per hour without the machine, now using the machine, I'm averaging under 2 events per hour.

I hate it.
how long did it take you to get used to it/