Years later, she also encouraged him to find relief when his Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine didn’t work.

This led him to Inspire® therapy.

“Before Inspire I never slept well, and I was constantly tired and sluggish,” Thomas said. “I stopped participating in activities like golf because I didn’t have the energy for it. Getting Inspire changed my life.”

Thomas’s wife first alerted him about his snoring when they were preparing to get married.

She suspected he had sleep apnea. Thomas brushed it off.

Thomas needed a different surgery a few years later. He received news to corroborate his wife’s concern.

An anesthesiologist looked in his mouth and told him he may have sleep apnea based on the size of his throat and tongue.

This led him to a sleep study which confirmed he had severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). He stopped breathing 63 times per hour while sleeping.

Thomas used CPAP first. He had a tough time tolerating the mask.

“I would start the night with it on, but then take it off in the middle of the night, and that was my pattern,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t long before I stopped using it altogether.”

He also tried a dental device. That didn’t help enough either.

Thomas’s wife continued to be concerned. This led her to research other options.

She suggested that Thomas see an Inspire-trained provider to learn more.

He eventually qualified for the implant and received it in September 2021. The results were life changing following activation.

His apnea episodes reduced to just three times per hour. It led to better sleep and more energy throughout the day.

He went back to playing sports, working out, sleeping throughout the night and waking up clear-headed.

Getting Inspire therapy also had a positive impact on the rest of Thomas’s family.

“I was able to start playing with my kids more,” Thomas said. “I’m coaching my youngest son’s football team, and years ago, there’s no way I’d have the energy to run around with them on the field four days a week.”