ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – For those who struggle with lack of sleep, the University of New Mexico Health System and Sciences is providing a new way to treat sleep apnea.

High blood pressure, heart, and lung issues are just some of the impacts of sleep apnea, a condition where people have trouble breathing while they sleep.

“There’s been a device for many years called a CPAP that many people are familiar, which is a positive pressure device that a ‘not-surgical’ treatment, but some people can’t use that for whatever reason,” said Dr. Noah Syme, head and neck surgeon at the University of New Mexico.

A big issue with the current treatment is that most people who wear it to sleep find it highly uncomfortable. Dr. Syme is hoping to change that with the newer “inspire therapy” device.

“It’s all internal, and it’s portable. The battery does have to be replaced eventually, but it has a 10-year battery life,” said Dr. Syme.

After an eight-year wait, Dr. Syme performed the first two surgeries at UNMH in June. In the surgery, he made two incisions, one under the jawline and the other on the chest. He then put in a device that looks similar to a pacemaker into position, which charges a wire.

“We place the wire in the neck around a nerve, and it’s the nerve that moves our tongue that helps us protrude our tongue. Because one of the things that happens with sleep apnea is the tongue falls to the back of the throat, and that’s how that upper airway gets closed,” said Dr. Syme.

While this treatment was first introduced in New Mexico two years ago, the recipients were extremely limited due to insurance. Now, it will be accessible to a much larger crowd.

“For me, that’s sort of the reason why I’m at the university is so that we can treat everybody regardless of what their insurance status is,” said Dr. Syme.

Potential patients do have to meet certain requirements including being diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea. Which is determined by a sleep study. You also need to meet a certain weight-to-height ratio or BMI. Finally, you must have already tried and failed the CPAP treatment.

“It’s important to me because it’s not just a new shiny thing to do, but it’s a thing that I think people really respond to well,” said Dr. Syme.

Dr. Syme stated his first patients have healed well and their devices will be activated on July 26, one month after the surgery.

Josh’s Saturday Evening Forecast

Very active weather has moved into New Mexico this afternoon. Storms will continue to drift off to the south and southwest as they continue to develop through this evening. Storms are capable of very heavy rain. A Flood Watch is in effect for much of New Mexico through Sunday night as well for a large portion of the state. Flash Flood Warnings have been issued as well for the South Fork and Salt Fire burn scars and surrounding areas. Burn scar flash flooding continues to be the biggest concern this weekend, but any strong thunderstorm could also drop heavy rain and cause flash flooding elsewhere.

Another active afternoon is likely on Monday as temperatures will be cooler across New Mexico. We will start to see some slightly drier air move in around the middle of next week, but thunderstorms will continue to develop each afternoon across parts of New Mexico.

Roughly 450 miles from his Portales home, 11-year-old Adrian Abarca clutched a first-place trophy in a Dallas gym. Pride glowed beneath his blonde hair. 

Could you blame him? His sets helped Next Level Volleyball Club – based in Lubbock – to win a USA Boys Junior National Championship in late June. But in that tournament, which hosted 250-plus boys’ teams of various age levels from various U.S. states and Puerto Rico, Adrian’s mom, Jennifer, pointed out another reason for her son’s joy: The realization he wasn’t the only boy who played volleyball. 

“I think that kind of gave him some encouragement to keep going,” Jennifer Abarca said.

Boys’ volleyball is growing nationally, if not in Clovis or Portales.

Clovis and Portales High School don’t offer it. There aren’t any local, boys-only clubs at the high school level in either community. 

If Adrian wants to continue playing as he grows up, his best bet may be club teams in Amarillo or Lubbock – both nearly four-hour round trips.

Amy Hancock, a coach at Next Level Volleyball Club, said the low participation rates in Clovis and Portales is chiefly a byproduct of the stigma that volleyball is meant for girls – not boys. Jennifer said Adrian “is the only boy,” in one co-ed league in Portales. 

As a result, there isn’t anyone those like Adrian can look up to for inspiration. His mother said she doesn’t know any boy from Portales who has charted a volleyball course to the college level. 

Despite participation in the sport “jumping 56% in the past decade” at the high school level, according to the National Federation of State High School Association, boys’ volleyball remains dwarfed in relevance by football, basketball, and baseball locally. 

But Adrian said he doesn’t see being the only boy as a negative. Instead, it’s a source of pride. 

“I think it’s cool to be the only boy that plays volleyball in Portales,” he said. 

And despite the complications, the sport can afford opportunities that others can’t. 

A case of supply and demand, Hancock said the youth surge has prompted more colleges to field men’s teams. With player spots to fill, that means schools are offering more scholarship opportunities than ever before. 

Players don’t need to be generational – just good enough. A vast difference compared to football where floods of talented players go unsigned by colleges every year. 

Hancock said one player she coaches, “is going to be a part of a brand-new collegiate program in Minnesota” this year. 

“The programs are growing and there are scholarships and ways for boys to go to college to play volleyball, if they’re willing to just put it out there and go for it,” Hancock said. 

Local recruitment doesn’t hurt either. 

Set to spend the night, one of Adrian’s friends recently watched a sand volleyball practice from the sidelines. Adrian said he started to have “fun.” Getting to see the sport’s fast, pinballing energy and the unique camaraderie between teammates dispensed a sense of curiosity. 

“He was thinking about maybe joining,” Adrian said.