First Inspire® therapy patient reflects on restful sleep for over a decade

These scary moments were due to Abersoll’s struggles with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

It wasn’t until she signed up for a clinical trial for a new treatment called Inspire® therapy that everything began to improve.

“I can drive now, and I can read a book,” Abersoll said. “It’s really wonderful not having that fog and not feeling the drag of being tired all the time.”

Abersoll became the first patient to receive Inspire therapy in July 2011.

Her success story is one of the reasons why the FDA approved Inspire therapy as a second-line treatment for moderate to severe OSA in 2014.

The journey to the “life-changing” moment had its pitfalls before she found out about the clinical trial.

Abersoll struggled with exhaustion most days before her OSA diagnosis. She couldn’t stay awake without constantly moving.

She did try a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Her symptoms didn’t improve though.

Abersoll also lives in rural northern Minnesota.

It is 40 minutes to the closest town to go shopping. She needed to stop for a nap when driving that far.

Abersoll also said she woke up feeling more tired each morning.

She felt embarrassed for not being able to focus when speaking to others. She also struggled to stay awake during movies.

“I would doze off in the middle of conversations; it was awful,” she said. “I couldn’t make it to the end of a newspaper article without falling asleep or not remembering what I had read.”

Today, Abersoll has more energy and is consistently getting restful sleep.

She doesn’t need a nap when driving long distances. Her brain fog has improved.