Patent ID: 7904176

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: an electrode device, which comprises: an electrically-insulating cuff, configured to be placed around a nerve of a subject; and electrodes mounted in the cuff; and a control unit, configured to: drive the electrode device, during stimulation periods, to apply to the site a current during “on” periods that alternate with low stimulation periods, the “on” periods having on average an “on” duration equal to at least 1 second, and the low stimulation periods having on average a low stimulation duration equal to at least 50% of the “on” duration, wherein the current applied on average during the low stimulation periods is less than 20% of the current applied on average during the “on” periods, and drive the electrode device to provide rest periods, which alternate with the stimulation periods, during which rest periods the current applied on average is less than 20% of the current applied on average during the “on” periods, wherein the rest periods have on average a rest period duration equal to between 1 and 50 times a cycle duration that equals a duration of a single “on” period plus a duration of a single low stimulation period, and wherein the cycle duration is between 10 seconds and 10 minutes, and wherein the stimulation periods have on average a stimulation period duration equal to less than two hours.