How Louise Went from Tired and Depressed to Refreshed and Connected

Louise shares the challenges that snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have had in her life. Louise’s bed partner complained about her snoring and how it interrupted his sleep, which made Louise feel guilty and depressed. We hear stories, like Louise’s, all the time.

 

Quite Tired and Depressing

Many patients feel tired and depressed like Louise. Tired because they aren’t getting a good night’s sleep and depressed because 1) they have tried everything and 2) they are keeping their partners up as well.

“So, I was finding it quite depressing. You know, when you feel like you haven’t had a good night’s sleep because you’re being told that you kept other people awake [due to snoring].”

This feeling is made worse by some patients thinking they did something wrong – which is simply not true. If you have good sleep hygiene and you still snore, then it’s a problem that is out of your control and needs addressing at the root cause. 

 

It Feels Alienating

Her snoring was so bad that she decided to sleep separately from her partner at night so that he could sleep better. This is also a common solution but does not get at the root cause of mild obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, and unfortunately can have an effect on the relationship with the bed partner.

“I decided to seek help when I found that I was sleeping in my daughter’s room, who’s moved out now. So, I was sleeping in a separate room from my partner and you start feeling like you’re kind of not in a relationship.”

The frustrating thing is that Louise was trying to fix her mild OSA and snoring but was getting nowhere. Again, this is common for most who suffer from mild OSA and snoring. 

 

I Tried All Sorts of Devices

Like many of our patients, Louise had tried all sorts of devices to help her sleep. What most patients try are devices that must be worn while sleeping. These can be cumbersome and uncomfortable.

 “I have tried lots of other things that I’ve got from the dentist that you have to wear at nighttime throughout your sleep, which can cause you not to sleep because they’re so uncomfortable.”

eXciteOSA® is the only daytime therapy for mild OSA and snoring. This makes it an ideal therapy for those patients that have a hard time wearing devices and gadgets to bed. So, Louise was excited to give eXciteOSA® a try. 

 

I Had to Give It A Try for Both of Us

Louise realized on holiday that she had to try something different. We hear this all the time with patients.

“I decided coming back from that holiday, that was it. I had to do something about it, especially when I woke up at nighttime and found my partner to be sitting up and with earbuds in his ears and stuff.”

That is a common image for our patients — waking up and seeing their partner awake or not there at all. It’s quite a bad feeling and one that patients want to fix. 

 

Results Rather Quickly

Of course, results will vary from patient to patient, but Louise was impressed that she noticed an improvement in her sleep quality after just a few days of using the device. In our clinical trial, most patients saw results after 4 weeks, so Louise’s result is atypical.

 “I couldn’t actually wait until I get up in the morning. I noticed within a couple of days. I’d wake up in the morning and I would feel like I had a good sleep.”

Although Louise’s situation was atypical, one aspect of her experience that is consistent with almost all other eXciteOSA users is that it allows for a more positive outlook on sleep. Louise tried many other mild OSA and snoring solutions, and none of them were able to give her that same sleep satisfaction that eXciteOSA does.

 

It’s Helped me Relax and Read More

While eXciteOSA has been clinically proven to treat mild OSA and snoring, the journey does not end after 6-weeks of daily therapy sessions. The habits that are built while using eXciteOSA are a valuable part of better sleep hygiene. For Louise, in particular, it helped her unwind before bed and catch up on her reading. It gave her a full 20-minute block out of her day that she could dedicate entirely to herself, which is not always easy to carve out with the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives.  

 “It actually helps me at nighttime as well to even relax a little bit. Whereas before I was on my phone, going through Facebook and Instagram … Now we’ll just pick up a book and I get stuck in the book for 20 minutes every night. So, it’s helping me to actually relax and sleep better as well.”

The journey to a better night’s sleep is something we’re committed to and that’s why we’ll continue to build our Sleep Better ecosystem that will bring together the best technology, advice, and clinically proven methods to help you sleep better.

 

Refreshed, Relaxed, and Connected: A Good Night’s Sleep

Unlike other methods to treat mild obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, eXciteOSA is a daytime treatment that targets the root cause of the problem. Other methods don’t target this root cause and always have to be used while sleeping. This puts a barrier between you and your partner, but thankfully Louise kept at it. Her consistent efforts made an incredible difference in her sleep quality, and also resolved the guilt she felt from keeping her bed partner awake at night.

 “It was a better relationship I had with my partner because you know, sleeping in the same room as him and then waking in the morning, asking him, how did you sleep? And he said, ‘Oh, I slept great! I didn’t hear you all night.’ So, for me it just makes you feel better and happier in yourself.”

We love these types of success stories because mild OSA and snoring take away a lot of freedom from patients, such as the freedom to be able to sleep with your partner.