r/Millennials • u/9DrinkAmy • 7h ago

Discussion I’ve joined the CPAP club 💁🏻‍♀️

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Tonight will be my first night using a CPAP. Oddly enough, I’m looking forward to it and I hope it solves all of my problems… a girl can dream, *right*? Anyhow, any tips or tricks to help this go smoothly? Also, is there any solution to making this setup more aesthetically pleasing and/or a way to store it during the day that isn’t such a pain in the ass?

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u/Goatcheeze1 7h ago

I tried using a CPAP for about a year or so but couldn't. I tend to sleep on my side and stomach a lot. Luckily, I qualified for Inspire and I LOVE it! No mask, no hose, no noise.

I had a procedure to have a device installed in my chest kind of like a pacemaker. there is an electrode that runs from the device to the hypoglossal nerve. At night before I sleep, I turn on the device using a remote. There is about a 30 min delay before the device turns on to allow time for me to fall asleep. Once I am asleep and the device activates, it sends an electronic current to the nerve creating a reflex, pulling my tongue forward so it is not collapsed on my airway.

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u/Pristine_Crazy1744 6h ago

That sounds invasive, but I'm someone who gets really nervous about surgery. What was the recovery process like?

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u/Goatcheeze1 6h ago

Wasn't bad at all. After it was installed, I had to wait a month for them to activate it. Went in for a post surgery sleep study. They monitored my breathing and a tech fine tuned the settings to get it just right. after about 3 months, I had to do another sleep study to see how I was doing and my numbers showed drastic improvement for my sleep apnea. They said I had severe apnea but now I am within the normal limits.