Inspire Implant
A small device placed under the skin during an outpatient procedure. It monitors your breathing throughout the night and delivers gentle stimulation to keep your airway open when needed.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
Inspire® Therapy
A mask-free, implantable treatment option for adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who have struggled with CPAP or haven't found adequate relief from other approaches.
What It Is
Sleep apnea treatment that works from inside your body
Inspire is an FDA-approved implantable device developed by Inspire Medical Systems. Rather than pushing air through a mask, it works by monitoring your breathing patterns during sleep and delivering a gentle signal to the muscles that control your airway — keeping the passage open naturally, all night long.
The result: no mask, no hose, and no machine running beside you. Just a small remote you turn on before bed.
- FDA-approved for adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea
- An option when CPAP hasn't worked or isn't tolerable
- Implanted during a short outpatient procedure
- Controlled with a handheld remote — turn on at bedtime, off in the morning
- Covered by most major insurance plans, including Medicare
The System
Three components that work together
The Inspire system is made up of three simple pieces — all designed to make therapy as seamless as possible.
Handheld Remote
Before you go to sleep, press the remote to turn therapy on. Press it again in the morning to turn it off. Simple, quiet, and completely under your control.
Inspire App
Track your therapy use and sleep data through the Inspire app. Share progress with your care team so your treatment can be monitored and adjusted over time.
How It Works
Gentle stimulation that keeps your airway open
In obstructive sleep apnea, the tongue and soft tissue at the back of the throat relax during sleep and partially or fully block airflow — causing breathing pauses, drops in oxygen, and disrupted sleep.
Inspire responds by detecting those breathing patterns and delivering a mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls tongue movement. This gently moves the tongue forward, clearing the obstruction and allowing air to flow normally.
-
01
You turn it on
Before bed, press the small remote to activate the device. You can adjust the stimulation level using the app to find what feels most comfortable.
-
02
It senses your breathing
As you sleep, the implant continuously monitors your breathing cycle — detecting when your airway is at risk of closing.
-
03
Stimulation keeps the airway open
A gentle pulse moves the tongue forward with each breath, maintaining an open airway without waking you up.
-
04
You wake up refreshed
Turn the device off in the morning with the remote. No masks to clean, no equipment to set up for the next night.
Video courtesy of Inspire Medical Systems
Am I a Candidate?
Inspire is right for some — not all — sleep apnea patients
Eligibility is confirmed through a dedicated evaluation, not assumed. These are the common criteria reviewed during candidacy assessment.
Moderate to Severe OSA
Inspire is intended for adults diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea — typically an Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) between 15 and 65 on a diagnostic sleep study.
CPAP Difficulty
Patients who are unable to tolerate CPAP, have not had adequate results with it, or have made multiple attempts without success are often the strongest candidates for Inspire.
Airway Anatomy
A drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) is typically required to confirm there is no complete concentric collapse of the airway, which would make Inspire less effective. This is part of the formal workup.
BMI and Overall Health
While eligibility varies by individual, most guidelines consider patients with a BMI under 35. Overall health, surgical history, and other medical factors are also reviewed as part of the candidacy process.
Our Role
How ZYRA fits into your Inspire journey
ZYRA Sleep & Wellness is your sleep medicine home — before, during, and after Inspire therapy. The implant procedure itself is performed by a certified Inspire surgical partner, but we manage the full sleep care picture around it.
-
01
Sleep Medicine Evaluation
We review your sleep study, treatment history, symptoms, and goals to assess whether Inspire candidacy workup makes sense for you.
-
02
Candidacy Coordination
If you appear to be a candidate, we coordinate with our local Inspire-certified surgical partner and assist with pre-procedure evaluation and insurance authorization.
-
03
Procedure & Activation
The outpatient implant procedure is performed by the surgical partner. After a healing period of approximately one month, the device is activated and titrated by your sleep medicine team.
-
04
Ongoing Sleep Care
We continue managing your sleep health after the procedure — reviewing therapy data, adjusting settings, and following up to make sure you are getting the results you hoped for.
Common Questions
Questions about Inspire therapy
These are the questions we hear most often from patients exploring Inspire as an alternative to CPAP.
Schedule a ConsultationCPAP delivers a continuous stream of pressurized air through a mask to keep the airway open. Inspire works from inside the body — the implanted device senses your breathing and delivers gentle stimulation to the airway muscles when needed. No mask, no hose, no machine running beside you.
Inspire may be considered for adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who haven't had adequate results with CPAP or can't tolerate it. Formal candidacy also involves reviewing your BMI, airway anatomy, and results from a drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). Eligibility is confirmed through evaluation — not assumed.
The Inspire device is placed during an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia — typically lasting around two hours. Most patients go home the same day and are back to normal activities within a few days. Therapy activation happens about a month later to allow full healing.
Yes. Inspire is covered by most major commercial insurance plans and Medicare when medical necessity criteria are met. Our team will help verify your benefits and guide you through the prior authorization process.
We evaluate whether you are a candidate for Inspire as part of your sleep medicine care. If you meet the criteria, we coordinate a referral to our local Inspire-certified surgical partner for the implant. After the procedure, we remain your sleep medicine team — managing device settings, reviewing data, and following up on your progress.
Important Safety Information: Inspire is not for everyone. It is a surgically implanted system intended to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults who have not been effectively treated by, or are unable to tolerate, CPAP therapy. As with any surgical procedure, risks include infection, temporary discomfort at the implant site, and rare complications such as tongue weakness or numbness. Individual results may vary. For complete safety information, visit inspiresleep.com/safety-information or call 1-844-OSA-HELP. ZYRA Sleep & Wellness performs sleep medicine evaluation and candidacy assessment; the surgical implant procedure is performed by a certified Inspire surgical partner.