Madden already knew she struggled with exhaustion every day and even fell asleep driving sometimes, leading to several minor car crashes, but she didn’t know she stopped breathing while sleeping until her friend pointed it out to her during the trip.

A sleep study later confirmed it was obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and Madden’s first treatment option was a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.

She used the machine but still lacked energy in the morning. Hope was on its way, however.

Madden learned about Inspire therapy, qualified and received the implant in June 2021. She said she’s now able to get restful sleep and doesn’t wake up tired.

It also helped Madden in a unique way – allowing her to participate in the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa every summer.

She struggled to participate in the event before because she had to bike with a boat battery to run her CPAP during the trip.

The event includes overnight stops, and it was becoming too difficult.

Her struggles with CPAP for over a decade made it even worse. Madden was experiencing brain fog on top of the exhaustion.

She made an appointment with an Inspire-trained doctor as soon as she learned about the Inspire implant.

There was a drastic change as soon as she was activated in July 2021.

Before, Madden was scared to talk to others because she couldn’t be sure of what she might say and had issues remembering clients from one day to the next. She also fell asleep at her desk.

These are not problems anymore, and Madden also doesn’t fall asleep while driving.

She is also back to doing what she loves most – feeling the breeze on her face as she bikes across Iowa in the summer.