Good luck. I never could get used to the damn thing, so I go without it. Which usually means about 5 hours of very interrupted sleep each night.

 

I'd like to hear more from you guys who feel that you benefit from your CPAP machines. I've apparently have two types of sleep apnea, and have recently got a machine to sleep with. I don't feel any benefit when I use the machine, and I am claustrophobic to boot. As it is now, I wouldn't even consider packing it on a bike trip. If I can fall asleep with the machine on, I take it off during the night ( I do lots of things when I'm asleep, such as walking and talking ).

How long did it take you guys to start feeling a benefit from sleeping with the damn things ?

 

I've had my (the same machine) CPAP for at least 10 years and it still works fine. I've replaced the masks twice, I believe.
I use the "nasal pillows" with straps that hold it in place.

If I travel alone I usually leave it at home bit I think in the future I'll start taking it with me 100% of the time.

I rest so much better and fell a lot better after using it.

WHen I took my "sleep test", at that time I was the LOUDEST snorer, and had the most leg movements of anyone they had ever been tested!
I was virtually "running all night"!

When I use it, I sleep better as does my wife, and anyone within hearing distance of my snoring.

Then there's also the chance of not waking up that you have to consider.

 

I had sleep problems for years. My wife would tell me I quite breathing for extended periods while sleeping. I became very fatigued, gained a lot of weight and would fall asleep if I sat down for more than a few minutes. I tried to avoid meetings at work because of the probability that I would nod off. I fell asleep at traffic lights more than once.

One day I was at the doctor for some routine thing like a sore throat, and he was doing a screening for sleep disorders. He asked me several questions and I answered "yes" to all of them and and referred me to a sleep study. I went to the sleep disorder center and they hooked me up with a bunch of electrodes to a machine and I went to sleep. Less than 30 minutes later they woke me up and told me that in 30 minutes of sleep I had nearly two dozen "episodes" and they hooked me up to a CPAP machine. The rest of the night there were no more episodes.

That was about 12 years ago and I have used the CPAP every night since. The very next day I awoke feeling more refreshed than I had in probably 5-7 years and I no longer nodded off at the drop of a hat. I cannot describe the improvement in my quality of life since I went on the CPAP. Yes, it's a pain in the ***, and I can't go camping anymore because I need a wall outlet for my CPAP, but I like staying in hotels better anyway.

I have a horrible memory now at 53 years old and I think it is from being sleep-deprived for so many years. Sleep apnea is no joke.

 

slhanks4, that is pretty much exactly the same as how my diagnosis went.

I have been in the process of being treated for almost 3 years. I have been using the CPAP for years and has helped alot but not completely. I am still having problems just not as severe. The doctors have been trying find the right course of treatment for a while not but have yet to nail it down. They recently switched me from a CPAP to an APAP and have been trying it out but still doesnt seem to be the right course. I am getting really tired of living with the side affects of this disorder, the headaches, sleepiness, memory loss, weight gain, depression, high blood pressure etc.

As far as traveling with my CPAP i take it everywhere i go that I know will have electrical hookups. But when i go on overnighters on the bike i rarely sleep where there is electricity since i mainly am camping or just rack out at a roadside park along the route, so i just leave it at home. I sure wish the battery packs that they make for these would work well, so far have heard nothing but bad things about them. And the fact that they are illegal in Germany. Oh well, maybe someday.

Those of you who stated that "sleep apnea is no joke" couldnt be more right. This is a very serious condition with very serious and potentially deadly side effects.

 

I've been using the CPAP about 2 months. The doc told me I needed to use the machine a minimum of 4 hours a night or the insurance won't pay for treatment. I'm not a good sleeper and typically live on 5 hours a night so that doesn't leave much room for error.
The first few weeks were rough. That damned mask was not my friend and ended up on the other side of the bedroom a few times. It's getting better. I'm getting used to it and the quality of my sleep has improved. I'm hoping to eventually get off the meds too.

 

I did the sleep study...severe obstructive apnea...paid cash for the machine and let my insurance pay 80%... bought one for my wife...we both snore and now bot sleep better...My machine is about 6x6x4 i guess...small enough to pack..i just stuff it in a pair of jeans or somtin...Now when i travel with friends and share rooms i choose who i stay with because if others snore i don't sleep...Before i started using the cpap i would fall asleep in the car at a stop light...REALLY....honking horns would wake me up...

 

Its not a joke, I lost a second cousin because he refused to use his CPAP.
I got real good about using the machine a month, using the machine on average of 7.5 hours a night, having real deep sleeps, and started having dreams, good dreams.

Funny story: I use the nostril pillows, I got up close the wife and she commented my exhaust air stunk to get away, then she pulled the covers up over her nose only to find out that I had just ripped one. She said thats alright, she knew where the air intake was and she was going to catch me asleep and fart in the air intake one night.

All joking aside, sleep apnea is a killer. Its the stop breathing which is the worst part. During my sleep study, after 2 hours I had something like 70 times I quit breathing, O2 level dropped to 65%, nurse woke me up said that I flunked, put a mask on and the rest of the night only had a handfull of attacks.

Some of this sleep apnea is B.S. as far as supplies. The place where I picked up the CPAP, They had me set up on getting supplies through them at 3 month and 6 months. Kinda pricey though. 150.00 for 3 month supplies and 450.00for 6 month supplies. Didn't realize it untill I got home they had my address wrong to where to send supplies. Since then found a place that I can get supplies online an a fraction of the original cost.

 

CPAP supply stores are a freaking joke ripoff...And we pay for it too....Damn $500 machine and mask they sell or rent and get about $2000.00 i know they have to make money but DAMN....Some of our nursing homes rent these things for $250-$400 a month...Somebody is making money...

 

I have been using a CPAP for many years and can't sleep without it. It is a hassle taking it along when I fly. I pack it in my checked luggage if possible, if not, I carry it on and have to slide it out of the case just like a lap top when going through the tsa check point area. I did an elk hunt in Montana a couple of years ago and had to go without. You can bring battery packs when no electricity is available, but they have weight restrictions when packing in on horse so I didn't sleep too well for the next 10 days. I have not packed it for an overnighter on my bike yet put will probably be doing that this summer for the 110th. They really have come a long way on the CPAP machines as far as size goes. I think I may start shopping for a more compact unit.