[heleninboodler]

I had it for years and had no idea, but had occasional nightmares about choking, so my wife suggested I get checked out. Eventually I got checked out and diagnosed, but didn't take it particularly seriously until I picked up a logging pulse oximiter which would show me my blood oxygen level overnight, and even give me a little vibration to wake me up if I stopped breathing long enough for it to drop below 80%. I don't wear it frequently, but when I do, it buzzes and wakes me up all night long if I'm not wearing the CPAP. If I do wear the CPAP, it's fine. [aside: I'm not sure what brand it is, but it and its software looks exactly like the one at getwellue.com, so I'm assuming those are at least the same OEM. The only thing I hate about it is that it uses a usb-micro connector for the charger, and the cable is so short I had to time travel back to 2003 to find a longer one.]

The blood oxygen level dropping so low so frequently is what finally motivated me to take it seriously. Your heart goes into overdrive when that happens, and it's not good for you long term to be going at 90bpm all night. It increases your blood pressure too. I actually feel fine if I don't use the CPAP, but having concrete data showing it's probably taking its toll is very useful.