Golden Bachelorette Winner Chock Chapple Stars in Sleep Apnea Campaign

Interestingly, Chock Chapple, winner of season 1 of ABC’s hit dating show “The Golden Bachelorette,” has sleep apnea and uses an Inspire implant. Over the course of the show, Chapple shared lots about his life as he vied to win the heart of the Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos. However, we didn’t hear about Chapple having a sleep apnea diagnosis during the show. This information came to light recently with Chapple starring in a sleep apnea campaign for the company Inspire.

Inspire manufactures a hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) implant used to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea patients who cannot use a CPAP machine, and Chapple has shared recently about his experience with the implant as part of Inspire’s ad campaign, “Chock’s Secret.”

What is Sleep Apnea and How is it Treated?

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder where the throat becomes blocked or collapses repeatedly, causing disrupted sleep. Symptoms like daytime sleepiness, snoring, or gasping for breath during sleep, morning headaches, and mood changes are common. Sleep apnea is often treated with a CPAP machine that delivers pressurized air through a mask to keep the airway open during sleep. However, CPAP is not the only treatment available for sleep apnea.

If you would like to learn more about all the currently available FDA-approved treatment options, including the hypoglossal nerve stimulator implant Chock Chapple is using, check out our free PDF guide, Sleep Apnea Treatment Options Toolkit. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment that works for every person with sleep apnea; as HGNS implant recipient and patient advocate, Karen Wolk, explains in the treatment options toolkit:

What works for me might not work for you. That doesn’t mean either treatment is more important. It’s not a cookie-cutter thing; it’s a ‘choose your own adventure.”

– Karen Wolk

How Does the Inspire Implant Work?

Inspire is a device that uses technology called hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) to move the tongue clear of the airway during sleep using small electrical pulses. The procedure is offered by specially trained ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons, also called otolaryngologists. A generator unit, about the size of a pacemaker, is placed by a surgeon in the chest, and a tiny wire runs up to the hypoglossal nerves in the tongue. After the initial procedure, the patient returns to their provider to have the device turned on and the electrical pulses calibrated to the correct levels. A remote unit is then used each night to turn the device on at bedtime and turn it off again in the morning.

In April 2021, Chock Chapple had his implant procedure and has been delighted with the results.

With Inspire, my oxygen levels stay steady, my heart rate drops to a healthy level, and I wake up refreshed,” he said. “I don’t snore anymore. I feel like a whole different person.”

– Chock Chapple

Who is This Sleep Apnea Treatment Option Right For?

Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator implants aren’t right for every patient. There are two implants currently available in the USA—the Inspire implant and the brand new Genio implant made by a company called Nyxoah. Both of these therapies require that a patient has first tried CPAP and been unable to use it. If a patient is deemed to be doing well with CPAP therapy, they are not eligible for a hypoglossal nerve stimulator implant. Both these options also require a patient to be diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and is not available to those with mild sleep apnea.

If you cannot use CPAP and are interested in learning more about hypoglossal nerve stimulator implants, it is important to find a specially trained ENT surgeon who offers the procedure. Sleep specialists who diagnose sleep apnea can often make a referral for their patients. After your referral, the two implant options currently available have different requirements and different procedures for implanting them.

The Inspire implant requires a drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE), where the surgeon uses a scope to observe how the airway collapses during sleep. The Genio implant does not require this DISE procedure. The surgical placement of the Genio is done under the chin without the need for a separate generator device implanted in the chest, as with Inspire. Instead, with the Genio HGNS option, the rechargeable power source is a removable unit attached under the chin with a disposable adhesive patch.

Sleep Apnea Treatment: Learn More

If you have any questions about your eligibility for an HGNS implant, consult with your board-certified sleep specialist or see an ENT surgeon who offers the procedure.

Learn more about all the different treatment options for sleep apnea, including the hypoglossal nerve stimulator implant used by Chock Chapple, at: https://project-sleep.com/sleep-apnea-treatment-options/.

More About Sleep Apnea: