WESTON, Fla. ā Sleep loss and sleep disorders are among the most common, yet frequently overlooked and treatable health problems.
Fortunately, there are some implantable devices that can help people with different forms of sleep apnea finally rest easy.
Back in his 30ā²s, Jack Lawson, now 82 years old, started having sleep issues.
āAt that time, they did a sleep apnea test and told me I would probably need a machine,ā he said.
Dr. Michael Medina, a head and neck surgeon with Cleveland Clinic Weston, says the condition increases the risk of serious heart problems.
āIf you have sleep disordered breathing, you are actually struggling to breath or youāre not breathing well, which means your oxygen levels drop. What happens when your oxygen levels drop is your heart works overtime,ā Medina said.
Lawson is one of 39 million Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, which is when the tongue falls back into the mouth, blocking the airway.
Medina said thereās another form of the condition called Central Sleep Apnea.
āCentral Sleep Apnea is when the body itself fails to trigger a breath, so itās more of a neurologic condition when itās like the opposite -- instead of getting choked by your own tissue, this one you just stop breathing because the trigger to breathe either goes away or itās not being triggered,ā he said.
When medications and other treatment options fail to provide relief, there are two different implantable devices designed to trigger specific nerves that control breathing in each type of sleep apnea.
Both look and work similar to a pacemaker.
The Remede implant is intended for people with Central Sleep Apnea and is placed near the diaphragm to trigger breathing, while the Inspire implant is placed in the upper body to help those with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
After getting the Inspire implant in November 2023, Lawson said his blood pressure has gone down dramatically and heās finally sleeping sounding.
āAnd my wife says, āYouāre not snoring anymore.ā And I said, āOh thatās great, I donāt have to snore.ā Itās been the greatest thing Iāve ever had,ā he said.
A combined total of up to 70 million Americans chronically suffer from a disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and adversely affecting health and longevity.