This is less of an issue with an aPAP, imo, but there’s still the issue of paying for the machine out of pocket, regardless.
You still need to have a professional diagnose your condition. You could need a BiPaP or have Apnea caused by your CNS.
Whenever it comes to sleep and sleeping, I think of it like this. You spend 1/3 of your life asleep, so spending money on that is important.
Not to mention all of the chronic health problems Apnea can cause or exacerbate, up to and including sudden cardiac death
I cannot overstate how much better I feel, particularly in the mornings, after being diagnosed with Apnea and using a cpap at night. I honestly don’t think I would make it to 60 without it.
I was on that same track. Seriously, there were lots of mornings where I just felt like ass, even when I’d gone to bed plenty early. I was diagnosed about 4 years ago (and I’m 57).
I can’t believe its been half a year since I started using CPAP. It’s really been a battle to get used to it. It took a long time for me to be able to fall back to sleep after waking up in the middle on night unless I took it off, and some night I’d take it off without even properly waking up.
But I’ve been sleeping full nights almost every night for a couple of months now. I even went back to sleep in the same room with my wife after many months sleeping in another room, and she was happy to report that I’m not making a racket anymore. For sure I also feel much better and not as tired as I used to be.
I’m really happy )
Great to hear. I know I rely on mine.
Same hear. I just live in dread of a power outage. I’d be boned then.
Yup. don’t know how I would sleep without it. I love it, and I basically got used to it after 1 night. Much better sleep with it.
Been almost two years for me and I have to reiterate the other opinions here. Though I’ve gone through a recent spell of letting the noise of it bother me and a few nights of taking my full face mask off close to sunrise and losing out on a few hours of quality sleep.
Disagree. You can buy a CPAP without a prescription from, for example, Apria.
You don’t say?
What items require submission of an Rx to ApriaDirect?
A Federal law requires we have a valid prescription on file before shipping your CPAP equipment or device, so you will need to submit an Rx to us when ordering CPAP equipment or a CPAP machine with ApriaDirect. If ordering online, you’ll be prompted to send us your prescription. If ordering via phone with customer service, an agent will ask you for your prescription
have you guys seen this?
I did see those. It’s over 300 dollars. I use vinegar and water, as suggested by the place I got the machine from which is pennies.
I didn’t see any research that says this is really better that traditional cleaning, but I also replace my stuff pretty close to the recommended replacement schedule.
I use dish soap as was recommended to me by the medical supply place that I got it from.
I am a nose only guy, so it keeps clean between weekly scrubbings.
The worst thing now is that my jaw is pretty slack and my mouth opens up when I sleep. I get the worst dry mouth ever. I have a chinstrap but it is super uncomfortable. I wear it, but I often end up tearing it off in the middle of the night.
I have a So Clean and while it is pricey, it’s also very effective. You do have to get used to the smell of ozone when you first use the mask after a clean but that’s not really an issue for me. Being better than traditional cleaning is really not the point of a So Clean. What it’s really about is about convenience and it is far more convenient than traditional cleaning. Also a lot of people get sick because they sluff off on proper cleaning, this helps you to avoid that.
I mean is it even much of a risk?
In fact, there are currently zero—yes, zero—case reports by doctors found in the scientific literature of CPAP machine use contributing to an increased risk of upper respiratory infection like sinus infections or pneumonia.
With all due respect, and I know So Clean says this in their advertising, I think that’s bullshit. I mean, seriously, you’d have to go months between cleanings or leave your mask in a litter box or something. I typically cleaned my mask once a week and frequently went two, occasionally more. You don’t have to clean the thing every day.
Incidentally, my favorite cleaning product is Ivory liquid, which leaves a really pleasant scent behind.
So not to ride too hard on SoClean and anyone who uses it. I would say do what you are comfortable with. It’s your body, your sleep, and your comfort. It shouldn’t hurt to use their machine, but if you’re asking if it’s necessary, the answer is basically no, it’s not necessary. If it makes you feel better though, and you have the funds, and it will give you peace so you sleep better, well the entire point of these systems is to sleep better.
I suspect insurance won’t pay for it, if that’s a consideration.
The most imortant thing in my experience is to use distilled water if you are using humidity. This stops the build up of minerals within the machine and tank. When I travel is the only time I use tap water.
When I’m being good, I clean the whole shebang once a week, typically on a Sunday morning (it helps that I’m not a churchgoer), with warm water and dishwashing liquid.