CPAP -Constant positive air pressure.
I have written a coupleof times about my sleep apnea. Well last week I got a new upgraded CPAP machine. It is wonderful to wake up and be awake. I joke about how when I wake up, it still takes my head about another hour to wake up. It is my wonkie head and I am in like a fog. I wake up and I am awake, wow is all I can say, what a difference.
I have read about and heard about people abandoning their CPAP machines because they are to hard to get used to. YOU ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE. Stick with it and you will get used to it and it is so worth it. Yes, it can take some doing to get used to it but I have been wearing mask for 7 or 8 years now and if I lay down for a nap it feels strange if I do not have the mask on.
What does it feel like wearing one of the masks. Well imager riding in a car traveling down the highway doing 100 kms per hour or about 65 mph. Stick your head out the window facing into the passing wind and breath. The inhale is very easy as the force of the passing air just pushes the air into your lungs. It is the exhale that can be a little more difficult Now imagine breathing like that all night lone.
Does it take getting used to, for sure. Is it worth the effort absolutely. Do not give up on it or go back to it is you already have. You will not regret it.
Dying mans daily journal 
Yaknow, you’re right. I hear of more people hangin’ up the mask and never really sticking through it to reap the rewards…..I hope this reaches some of them. Clearly it’s a huge benefit when you do stick it out and keep yourself in a new habit.
My BF started using one a few years ago. He tried it for about 6 months but had troubles. His sleep doctor was less than helpful so he abandoned the device. Then his MD reinforced that he should be using the CPAP and recommended a different sleep doc. The new doc re-evaluated his situation, prescribed a brand new high tech machine and a better mask and voila. He loves it. He looks a bit like a giant mosquito with that contraption on his head, but we both sleep better since his snores no longer shake the rafters. He seems to feel a lot more alert and less depressed.
My Husband has used a C pap machine for a few years now when he first started they gave him a half mask one that only when over his nose but he hated that and so did I because when he was sleeping he opened his mouth and wow a blast of air came out it was loud and he didn’t get any sleep then they changed him to a full mask and wow what a difference! He loves it and I love it knowing that he is sleeping safely and he is now breathing all night rather than stopping breathing every few minutes and waking up suddenly and never getting a goods night sleep. He wears his mask even when he lays down for a nap. Don’t give up their are several different masks that can be used and pillows make a big difference as well in making you comfortable in the position you normally sleep. Stick with it as Bill says it really does make a big difference in your quality of life.
I have slept with one for the last two years and I am a new woman. I had a spinal fusion in my neck and could no longer sleep on my stomach and that is when I discovered I had sleep apnea. I would wake up gasping from a sleep. When I went to the sleep clinic I stopped breathing 150 times in two hours. I love my machine and literally could not live without it. I was 45 at the time, it definitely takes some getting used to but, it is well worth it!
I’d love to know the evolutionary history that got us to CPAPs.
When I got my machine, it was astonishing. I realized I hadn’t had dreams in about a decade. Amazing what REM sleep can do for your outlook on life.
My mom has used a CPAP machine for the past few years and I know it has helped her quite a bit. I did have to chuckle when I read the title of this post, though. I have a habit of misreading things at first glance, and I thought at first that it was called “The wonders of CRAP.” 🙂