The Victors

Very long story short, the oral appliace hasn't worked as well for me the last couple years or more, making the downsides* less tolerable, so I finally decided to give CPAP a try after resisting even the idea of it since I was diagnosed in 2011. I've been on it about three weeks and the results are promising enough that I don't think I'll ever wear a mouthguard again.

I actually sleep fine with the mask. It took a little trial and error to find a particular mask design and pressure settings that actually get rid of the apnea, but I've had almost two weeks now of AHI <1 and I definitely feel more refreshed during the day. Unfortunately it hasn't eliminated all daytime sleepiness yet and I was surprised to learn that many users don't feel the full benefit until weeks or even many months after starting the therapy. That was a little discouraging - I still tend to fall asleep in front of the TV at night and I don't want to do that anymore. But I know what well-rested feels like from the early years of oral appliance use and I want that again.

*I have a permanent underbite (which is hopefully correctible) from many years of wearing the appliance (which extends my jaw quite far) and not doing the daily jaw repositioning, which is time-consuming and can be uncomfortable. I was also regularly waking up with very dry mouth multiple times a night needing a drink of water, which seemed counter to the goal of getting a long continuous deep sleep.