Several years ago I was told that I needed one of these after completing a sleep study. I brought it home and tried to use it. It was loud, never seamed to seal correctly and was a pain to sleep with. After a half hearted attempt, I easily moved on without it within weeks.

My wife had told me for years that I'd gasp for air throughout the night. Yeah I also scored some, but I felt like it was no worse than anyone else's and just wrote it off.

Now skip ahead to December of 2020, I was in full fledged heart failure and had to be rushed to the ER two days before Christmas. I'm not sure how they came to this conclusion, as I was pretty out of it, buy the put me on a Bi-Pap machine during my hospital stay to relieve pressure on my heart. So when I got released I had to go through a home sleep study and it was determined that I needed to go back on the C-Pap immediately. When I was first tested and first received the machine I was having over 50 interruptions to my sleep per HOUR! Within a week that number was under 10 and within a month or so it was below 5. Now my sleep interruptions are regularly 2 or less per hour. I don't snore and wake-up rested. The new machine is silent, the mask seals great (the machine gives me a daily scorecard that includes the seal) and it is comfortable to sleep in.

 

I said all of that to get to this. There is a stigma about having a C-Pap and wearing the mask/head gear to bed. While it does eliminate snoring that is but a by product, it improves your health significantly. So if you've been told you snore more than normal, if you wake up more tired than when you went to bed...then maybe you should talk to your doctor about being tested. Just the strain off of my heart has been worth it, everything else is just an added benefit.

I'm sure other C-Pap users can give similar testimonials. 

Don't be ashamed, get the mask and finally get a good night's sleep.

I’ve had my CPAP for about 10 months now. I snored a little before, but not a whole lot. Both my dental hygienist and primary care doctor suggested I get a sleep study done. Sure enough, they said I had sleep apnea. 

I was hesitant to go on the machine because I was sure there was no way I could sleep with it. And the first couple of nights I couldn’t. I honestly think it was a mental block. 

Prior to going on the CPAP, every weekend I would take 3-4 hour naps on either Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes both days if my schedule allowed it. I would also wake up having to use the bathroom anywhere between three and six times per night. Since being on the machine, I haven’t taken a single nap over an hour, and I usually only wake up once or twice a night. 

I still play with different masks to see if I like one style more than the other, but I still have a few to try. 

Ive been using a CPAP for 5 years. For many years prior to getting mine, I never dreamed, and had such a hard time in the morning, I would leave an hour early for work, just so I could take a nap before walking in. Lunchtime  had become nap time. All of that went away when I started using a CPAP. My father was a very heavy snorer and I’m convinced apnea was a leading cause of his death.

I just got a new machine and it is much quieter and easier to use than my old one, not that the old one was a big problem. The worst part of using a CPAP for me is cleaning it.

 

My machine is really quiet. The only time you can hear it is if it's on and I pull it away from my face. 

I too hate cleaning it @rjs4470. I've considered getting one of those sanitizer deals where you throw everything in a bag and it cleans it, but those seem to have mixed reviews. 

My wife thinks I need to have a sleep study done.  She's never said anything about me stopping breathing, but says I snore like the proverbial freight train.  (I've already had a doctor say I've got a deviated septum, but nothing has ever been done about it.)  The main thing that's kept me away from doing an in-lab study before was the costs.  Our insurance at the time didn't cover it.  But, we've got a different provider now, so maybe?  Any of you do an at-home study?  My understanding is that they're much, much cheaper.

Also, any of you sleep on your side?  I do for probably 95% of the night, so I'd be worried about something that'd get knocked out of place when I laid on the my side.

31 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

My machine is really quiet. The only time you can hear it is if it's on and I pull it away from my face. 

I too hate cleaning it @rjs4470. I've considered getting one of those sanitizer deals where you throw everything in a bag and it cleans it, but those seem to have mixed reviews. 

So with my first machine I got the SoClean 2. And it did a great job of keeping the machine from picking up funny smells, which I always got even when all I did was clean by hand. However, the cleaners that use ozone, are apparently harmful to the machine and causes the rubber and seals to degrade quickly. Plus, ozone can be toxic to humans. These machines also can void your warranty. So with my new machine, I got one of the UV cleaners. I've only had it a month, but it seems to be working. As a bonus, you can use it to sanitize anything in your house. Unfortunately, even with these cleaners, you'll still have to break the machine down and clean it by hand every so often.

8 minutes ago, CincySportsFan said:

My wife thinks I need to have a sleep study done.  She's never said anything about me stopping breathing, but says I snore like the proverbial freight train.  (I've already had a doctor say I've got a deviated septum, but nothing has ever been done about it.)  The main thing that's kept me away from doing an in-lab study before was the costs.  Our insurance at the time didn't cover it.  But, we've got a different provider now, so maybe?  Any of you do an at-home study?  My understanding is that they're much, much cheaper.

Also, any of you sleep on your side?  I do for probably 95% of the night, so I'd be worried about something that'd get knocked out of place when I laid on the my side.

I did my study onsite, and at the time my insurance covered nearly all of it. That would not be the case now though. 

I am a side sleeper, and have had no issues with the hose being in the way

9 minutes ago, CincySportsFan said:

My wife thinks I need to have a sleep study done.  She's never said anything about me stopping breathing, but says I snore like the proverbial freight train.  (I've already had a doctor say I've got a deviated septum, but nothing has ever been done about it.)  The main thing that's kept me away from doing an in-lab study before was the costs.  Our insurance at the time didn't cover it.  But, we've got a different provider now, so maybe?  Any of you do an at-home study?  My understanding is that they're much, much cheaper.

Also, any of you sleep on your side?  I do for probably 95% of the night, so I'd be worried about something that'd get knocked out of place when I laid on the my side.

I did an in-clinic study, luckily my insurance covered it. It was awful to be honest. They had me hooked up to a billion things and I'm like, yeah of course I didn't sleep well. ?

I sleep all over the place. Both sides and stomach mostly. The mask I use, the hose actually attaches at the top of my head and can rotate, allowing me to toss and turn at will and still be able to keep it on. 

This is the mask I use: 

3 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

This is the mask I use: 

That's similar to my mask. But my mask has the hose coming out of the front. 

9 hours ago, CincySportsFan said:

My wife thinks I need to have a sleep study done.  She's never said anything about me stopping breathing, but says I snore like the proverbial freight train.  (I've already had a doctor say I've got a deviated septum, but nothing has ever been done about it.)  The main thing that's kept me away from doing an in-lab study before was the costs.  Our insurance at the time didn't cover it.  But, we've got a different provider now, so maybe?  Any of you do an at-home study?  My understanding is that they're much, much cheaper.

Also, any of you sleep on your side?  I do for probably 95% of the night, so I'd be worried about something that'd get knocked out of place when I laid on the my side.

My Insurance completely covers it as long as I use it. Doctors office submits reports on use to Insurance. 

I'm a side sleeper and sleep on my stomach, I have no problems with my mask at all. 

I've been using one since 2005.

I keep a prescription at Best C-Pap Price based out of Louisville. You have to have it to get masks, at least the one I use. I have 2 ResMed AirSense 10s, the second I purchased out of pocket a couple of years ago for $589. I will not try to go without one, I don't care whether the insurance picks it up or not. I literally cannot sleep without one.

 

I am a side sleeper. I occasionally pull the hose loose, but I can count on one hand how many times that has happened in the last 16 years. 

I wear a full face as well. Fisher & Paykel Flex Fit HC431. I can't do nose pillows. This thread reminded me that I need a new one. Thanks. 

I initially did an in-clinic sleep study, but when my 8 year old model started going south, I had to do a new sleep study to get a new one. It was one of those in-home jobbies and I refuse to do one of those again. I was miserable the 2 nights I had to wear that apprentice. 

I clean and disinfect mine by hand every Saturday morning. I was taking it to Mease Countryside Hospital to have a thorough cleaning once every six months. I don't know what they did with it there, but it they cleaned, tested, and repaired it, if necessary. They curtailed that during COVID and I haven't checked back with them.