Recommended listening: Sleeping Sickness by City and Colour
I’ve written a few times about getting diagnosed with sleep apnea and starting CPAP therapy. You can read my posts in reverse order starting here
My Facebook memories prompted me this week that five years ago I was getting my first sleep assessment.
The Past
Back then it was hard for me to accept my snoring was so serious I needed to wear this contraption. Spoilers, whenever I nap spontaneously I always wake myself up with my snoring. So. It’s a thing.
I took a long time to get used to donning and keeping on the mask. I credit my friends who shared lots of wisdom with why I stuck with it.
Neutral is a good word
I honestly feel neutral about the CPAP and slip it on quickly before bed. It’s done wonders for my sleep hygiene as I can’t do anything else but go to sleep once it’s on. I’m also wearing my handy dandy night guard 2.0. It’s bigger, it’s on the top instead of the bottom and meant to not let me indulge in grinding.
I do not get fussy about the maintenance. I wash it when it looks like it needs it. The prescribed maintenance of rinsing everyday is way way too much for me to keep with. And. I’ve had no problems from being slack with the washing.
The Gross Stuff
The one downside is when I get a cold. Apologies for the gross analogy but it basically becomes the mucas equivalent of a cotton candy ( aka candy floss) machine. The pressure wrecks havoc as I cough and gag on my own bodily fluids, you know, because I have a flappy throat.
Is five years of compliance remarkable?
I was curious how many people stay using their CPAP on the regular. Most information I found said one third to half of people stop using it after one year. So. Here I am committed to doing this thing every night.
The Wins
I am more rested. I no longer have chronic black circles under my eyes. No, I did not magically lose a bunch of weight and “get my life back” like the prescribing doctor claimed I would. My hair is really thick and shiny, more than it’s been in decades. I feel generally rested and good. I sleep like a champ. It is worth it.

And of course, the real win is reducing my risks of heart attack and stroke, turns out having enough oxygen is way important!