You’ve been suffering from a bunch of seemingly unconnected symptoms that your doctor finally identified as sleep related. You’ve gone to a sleep clinic for an overnight study and now the specialist is telling you you have sleep apnea. They are writing out a prescription for a CPAP machine and showing you how to use it. While the machine itself seems very easy to operate, your head is still spinning with all these new CPAP supplies that you’ve been told to buy.
Take a deep breath and be happy that you have a diagnosis. Once you get your own machine home and start using it, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your sleep from the first night. While some of your symptoms may take awhile to disappear, you can feel confident that the machine is improving your life.
If you break down the supplies into categories, it will be much easier to understand them. The basic CPAP equipment will be prescribed by your doctor. It will include the machine itself and an appropriate mask to fit your face and the way you sleep. There may be additional head straps or gear to hold the mask in place. The next category of supplies are replacement parts and cleaning supplies. This would include back up batteries and new tubing. These will be determined by the machine you own. The final category is the optional accessories. These include travel cases and pillows that are designed to allow for the mask and tubing.