Staying Present: How Inspire® Therapy is Helping One Woman Spend More Time With Family

The Pennsylvania mother of two fell asleep often while making stops. It was concerning and led her to see a doctor.

Unger learned she had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 2017 after a sleep study.

She first tried a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.

Unger did not find consistent relief until another doctor introduced her to Inspire® therapy, however.

“I feel like I’m ‘cured’ now,” Unger said. “I sleep eight hours a night and feel refreshed when I wake up.”

Unger remembers being tired as a child and teenager. She grew up but still struggled to remain awake driving a car or a garbage truck.

She was always exhausted.

“I was working 12 hours a day, and I was tired constantly,” Unger said. “It didn’t matter if I got four hours of sleep or 12, I never felt rested.”

CPAP worked for Unger for about a month. That is when she started swallowing air and it became painful to use.

Unger thought there wasn’t another way to treat her OSA until a local ENT introduced her to the Inspire® implant.

Unger qualified and started Inspire therapy in 2019.

She can now keep up with her family and feels like she’s more present with her two children.

She’s also able to spend more time helping on her family farm and is not tired while driving anymore.

“Now I have the energy to keep up,” Unger said.