UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Works To Help Treat Sleep Disorders In Siouxland

UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Center for Sleep Disorders will begin treating patients who qualify for an Inspire Sleep Device, which is designed to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder which affects two to four percent of adults according to the National Institutes of Health. The FDA-approved device is an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure – commonly referred to as CPAP.

OSA is a chronic condition that occurs when the soft tissues in your throat, like the tongue, relax during sleep and block and obstruct the airway, causing breathing to start and stop during sleep. OSA is the most common form of sleep apnea.

If a person has failed a CPAP study and they meet other necessary criteria, they should speak with their primary care physician about a referral to Melissa Wright, ARNP at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Center for Sleep Disorders. Melissa will assess the patient to see if they are a candidate for Inspire Sleep Therapy.

“Inspire is a device implanted just under the skin in the right upper chest,” says Melissa. “It functions by stimulating a nerve that helps to move the tongue and jaw slightly to keep the airway from being obstructed while asleep.”

The Inspire system is controlled by a small handheld sleep remote that you simply turn on before bed and off in the morning when you wake up.

For more information, call UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Center for Sleep Disorders at 712- 255-8827.