DETROIT (WWJ) – Have trouble sleeping? You may be interested in a new study being conducted by Henry Ford Health System.

Anyone who’s ever been awakened by a struggle to breath in the middle of the night or a mate who snores loudly may be familiar with the symptoms of Sleep Apnea.

At Henry Ford Hospital, Sleep Disorder and Research Center Director Dr. Thomas Roth explained that the study involves a pacemaker-like device that

Dr. Thomas Roth

regulates breathing and keeps the airway open while you sleep.

“It’s a device where a battery’s implanted and it’s run up and then it’s connected to a muscle, you know, a nerve, which stimulates the breathing,” said Roth.

The stimulation is timed to a patient’s own breathing pattern. The device automatically turns on when the patient is sleeping, and turns off when the patient is awake.

Henry Ford is the only medical facility in Michigan, and among the first in the country, to participate in this study, which is now underway.

For more information and to see if you qualify to participate, call (888) 975-3370 or go to www.SleepApneaTrial.com.