Sleep study: CPAP machine

Like many people who have a Thyroidectomy, I suffer from exhaustion, low energy, and brain fog. My primary doctor believed the problem was sleep apnea. A test confirmed I have a mild case of it. The fix? Wear a CPAP device while I sleep.

I received my CPAP machine today. I went to a CPAP supply company to be fitted and to receive instructions.

The device blows air through a hose that connects to a mask that goes over my mouth and nose. My insurance company requires I wear it for at least 4 hours per night, and to be sure I do, the device talks via cell phone to the CPAP store.

The device has a humidifier that requires distilled water. This is so I am not breathing dry air all night long. To be sure I am not breathing cold wet air, or, the water condenses to the hose, the hose is heated. That also helps assure my face isn't blown with cold air all night.

The parts need to be regularly cleaned. I plan to clean the mask and the humidifier daily. The hose cleaning will get added to my Sunday night routine. The air filter gets changed monthly. All the different parts (mask, "pillow", hose, headgear, etc) are know as "supplies" and they get replaced at various frequencies.

There is an app I can load on my phone to see how I am sleeping at night. It will be interesting to compare that result to what my Fitbit says.

I asked the lady: what if there is a power outage, will I suffocate and die? She told me that she isn't aware of anyone dieing yet and believes I will get good at ripping the mask off in that situation. ...I am not sure how I feel about that answer...

I am really hoping this deals with the exhaustion because the exhaustion is impacting my quality of life. Either I sleep so much there isn't time to do anything, or, I don't sleep enough and spend the day in a daze.  I am ready to try anything, and if it means sleeping with a mask? I will do it!