The Portland area man was working in his yard when he suddenly became lightheaded and exhausted. His heart was also racing, but he didn’t know what was going on.

Tests later confirmed Le Vernois had severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Le Vernois tried multiple treatments to relieve his symptoms, including a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, but it wasn’t until he received the Inspire® implant that his quality of life began to change.

The incident in 2018 wasn’t the only sign of his OSA, but it did lead him to start the journey to get help.

Le Vernois ignored other symptoms for years, and his wife mentioned he also stopped breathing at night a few years prior to the incident.

His wife was right, and a sleep study confirmed Le Vernois’ apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was above 40, meaning he stopped breathing that many times on average each hour.

Le Vernois tried CPAP, but he said life still wasn’t great with it. CPAP didn’t do enough to help his OSA, and he remained exhausted throughout the day.

Le Vernois later asked his sleep doctor for an alternative treatment option, and he was referred to an ENT to discuss Inspire therapy.

Le Vernois qualified and was implanted in September 2020, and he began to feel the difference.

Follow-up sleep studies confirmed he was having less than 10 sleep apnea events per hour following activation.

It wasn’t just about the number, though. Le Vernois said he feels better after waking up in the morning and is ready to tackle the day.

He’s also noticed his relationships with family and friends strengthened, and he credits that to getting restful sleep each night.