the Curmudgeon takes the CPAP on it's first road trip.

First trip with the breathing machine, otherwise known as the CPAP. Guess it went okay although it is a bit of a hassle to lug another case plus the distilled water jug. The alternative is no longer an option, and it gives me something else to complain about.

Johannes Brahms – “A Symphony is No Joke.”

Minimalistic design that only has four parts Forehead support designed to easily flex to the needed position for a better fit

Air vents designed for quieter and gentler air diffusion to reduce noise

"Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the most common form of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  OSA occurs when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway as you sleep.  This causes you to stop breathing many times during the night. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour.  PAP supplies a steady stream of air that blows gently into the back of your throat.  When it is properly set, a PAP unit provides just the right amount of air to keep your airway open.  This allows you to breathe normally as you sleep.  The level of air pressure needed is different for each person.  A CPAP study at a sleep center will determine the level that is right for you." from UCLA sleep disorders center (see more here)


 "Sleep Apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep. When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, you’ll often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep.  As a result, the quality of your sleep is poor, which makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness."   National Institutes of Health

Bottom line, if you want to keep breathing, and you are accused of snoring, best to get yourself checked out or go sleep with the dog.

Celebrities with the disorder include:

Rosie O'Donnell was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2007, and she discussed her sleep problems on The View. "I didn't know that I had it, but I suspected," O'Donnell said on the show, adding that she had been a little embarrassed about the issue because of the well-known connection between sleep apnea and excess weight. She underwent a sleep study and found out that she had more than 200 micro-awakenings (waking events that you might not even notice or remember) a night and once stopped breathing for about 40 seconds.

Shaquille O'Neal 

Nicole Alexander, the 7-foot-1-inch retired basketball legend's former girlfriend  actually noticed that Shaq would snore deeply through the night and sometimes stop breathing.

Roseanne Barr

In an episode of her reality show "Roseanne's Nuts" called Life's a Snore, Barr attends a sleep clinic to address her snoring problem, where she receives a diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Reggie White   The late Reggie White, a National Football League Hall of Famer who led the Green Bay Packers to a win in Super Bowl XXXI, had also been diagnosed with sleep apnea. In 2004, he died of the rare lung disease sarcoidosis at age 43, and it's possible that his sleep problems contributed to his early death. White's wife, Sara, co-founded the Reggie White Sleep Disorders Research & Education Foundation in his honor. The foundation's goal is to raise awareness of sleep disorders and make CPAP machines available to those in need.

Thomas Edison: About eight hours of sleep a night is the ideal for most people. But Thomas Edison is rumored to have worked and slept in alternating fits and starts, sleeping only four hours a night and taking frequent power naps during the day. This lifestyle of napping, working, and sleeping in short spurts multiple times a day is sometimes referred to as polyphasic sleep. Other notables who followed a similar pattern are Leonardo DaVinci, Nikola Tesla, and Napoleon.

Jerry in 1968

Jerry Garcia  the lead singer of the Grateful Dead, Garcia also had sleep apnea.  Jerry passed away in 1995 from a heart attack that his doctors say was exacerbated by sleep apnea. If Jerry were with us today, he’d probably go for something like the AirFit P10 Mask System, which is one of the quietest and lightest masks around and would accommodate that amazing mane of curly white locks and really good vibes.

Even with the CPAP, my sleep pattern is more like Thomas Edisons (polyphasic sleep).  My sleep therapist seems okay with that though he would prefer that I get a straight, uninterrupted 8 hours.  Both he and I are resigned to the fact that it ain't going to happen.