CPAP users' experiences

Does any fellow meatheads have any experiences with a cpap machine or can you suggest alternatives?

My snoring started when I bulked up to 110kg (I was getting chubby), in early 2020. I cut down to 95kgs and my sleep got a lot better.

I have gained 35kg in 4 years. I am pretty lean now with visible abs at 107kgs, 180cm, 27 yo. In the last year I started snoring progressively more. I occasionally wake myself from snoring and feel as if I was gasping for breath.

I am thinking of cutting for 2 months just to see if my snoring dissipates again, although I will be doing my first bodybuilding show this year and really want to compete at heavyweight. So I would need to bulk up to 110kg again before starting my cut. So I have 2 contradictory goals at the moment.

Long story short, CPAP's are very expensive and I don't even know if I would be able to sleep with that contraption on my face. I also don't want to risk R14k to find myself not being able to use it.

Any anecdotal experiences would be appreciated.

Do you roll around alot while sleeping? Are you comfortable on your back? or do you side sleep etc?

Those machines are hard to sleep with, but once you get used to it they seem to help.



Have you maybe looked at getting surgery?

Hi Obelix,

I have not had a look at surgery since this has only recently become a problem.

I generally don't sleep on my back and when I do (like on the couch) I snore much more obscenely. So I generally sleep on my sides.

This was the first summer I have ever had hay-fever. So when I sleep, one of my nostrils is generally clogged.

Life changing, you don't even know you have it on. Can roll around no problem, I'm restless and no issue. Fixes so many issues that deprived / good sleep provides..

Thanks 00pump! Do you have any suggestions for specific models/masks and suppliers?

Thats good to hear, My uncle had one a few years ago and hated it. But that was a few years ago and the machines must have changed.

Hi Bro

Here's the research from a medical point of view:

Surgery may help for some people and can be a permanent fix in a minority of patients. Mostly the condition returns, or you may end up having to get a CPAP machine anyway.

You can get a good quality machine for around R5000, and it really is life changing, especially taking into account that you are a big man with already low bodyfat levels.

I hope this helps. None of my patients have looked back after starting on CPAP.

That helps a ton Builder!

I'v been web searching machines and the majority were priced R10k and upwards. I have no idea which ones and quality and which ones are not.

Do you possibly have any recommendations on makes and models which are reliable?

The best idea I can give you, is go to your GP and ask him/her to order one for you. If your doctor isn't a shark, you'll get it at cost. As far as quality is concerned, there's not a lot of difference, so I'd rather be concerned about comfort.

Great advice sir. It is anyway time for me to get some vitals checked again, so I will have a chat to the GP about a CPAP as well.

Much appreciated!

What medical aid are you on? If referred to a neurologist and they run the tests on you it's all covered. I think you get 1 machine every 3 or 4 years and your mask and filters comes our of savings.

I use the Resmed Airsense S10 and a F20 mask as I breath through my mouth allot so I need a full face. Super light, easy to keep clean, it has powerful magnet clips making it easy to attach / detach.. Going to the bathroom as night is piss easy, you just press two little things by the pipe and it's off and leave the pipe under your pillow when you go for a piss the machine will turn off / go super low and when you come back push in and it will turn itself back on..

What's nice with these newer machines is they don't ramp up high until it picks up you asleep, I think by the pressure in which / rhythm you breath back into the mask, I can't remember exactly. Then all the data is stored with Resmed and easy for them to hop on and remote tune the pressures, etc. I think I've used it now for about 8 years. I even went as far as to get one of those little batteries from Resmed (also covered by medical aid) so if we go anywhere and the electricity is off or camping or whatever I use the battery. I've gotten to the point that I can't even fall asleep without my machine.

Great info 00pump and much appreciated. I have a combined plan with Affinity, so I am covered for the doc visits and scripts from dispensing doctors. The mask and filters will be out of pocket though.

Resolve the allergies would be a start. Also have a look at a deviated nasal septum / broken nose as that would also contribute to the snoring .
The CPAP machine would help but might not take it away if the above contributed.

Rent a CPAP machine before buying one

I wasn't aware that one could rent them, that is great advice. I don't have a deviated septum (never had this issue prior to going past 105kgs). Although I have been punched in the face a lot, lucky I never suffered a broken nose.

This is super late, but thought I'd share my own 2 cents. My nose has broken quite a bit, so my septum is poes thick, swollen and deviated. I can only breathe through my mouth as a result so the full face mask works wonders and like Pump was saying, it ramps up and fully kicks in once you're asleep. I've got the Airsense 10, autopap - hard to get used to, took me 3 months, but it's gotten way better! Highly recommend

Certainly takes its time to get used to, however impossible to live without once you used to it.

Excuse my ignorance here....

but , apart from going to a doc, How can one see which apnea you have?

Like, am i retarded and forgetting to breathe?
does my body have too much loose skin and it cant breathe?

Also, would buying one off FB marketplace be as disgusting as i think it could be?

It's easier when going the DR route. A neuro can authorize the whole situation, so medical aid covers the test, device, consults etc.

The test normally just determines what is the best pressure for you. As you go along you kind of work this out yourself, due to how you feel, dreams, are you still waking up a few times / to little pressure, etc, there is quite a few variables like your blood pressure in the mornings, heart and so forth.

If you buy these more advanced devices you can set the pressure to start off quite slow and ramp up as needed and they store data on a SD card and some in the cloud and you can get feedback on that data.

The machine wouldn't be that 'miff' as you can buy filters for them as you will buy a new mask, I buy a few a year. However without it going through medical aid initially I'm not sure if they will cover the masks? Also they replace the machine every x years / 3 or 5 I can't remember offhand.

There is many reasons why one has apnea, it can be excessive weight / skin / large tonsils, nasal issues and so forth.

Just make sure if you do decide to buy a second hand machine make sure supplies are easy to obtain for it.

Most people who supply masks allow you to go to then and test out masks / sizes / preferences and so forth before you buy one that is compatible with your machine.

Nasal or full face masks come down to your breathing habits, I would like it if I could use a nasal but I need a full face as I breath mostly with my mouth.

Hope that helps

Definitely see a doc. Don't mess around with sleep apnea as it greatly increases your risk of heart attack. A good mate of mine with severe sleep apnea died of heart failure in his sleep at 39. Nothing else was wrong with him besides his blood pressure and being a big guy.

Pump bro did your sleep apnea improve when you downsized?

Very true, serious side affects.. don't go untreated.

Mine has somewhat, but my tonsils are pretty large so unless I have them removed, I'm still stuck with it, and I have a large nose but deviated septum, so that might need to be fixed too. At least the weight induced portion is not a factor anymore.

I have two machines, one next to my bed and one in a bad with a battery, ready to rock and roll if I'm staying out somewhere. Take MA's advice!