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Comment by alanfalcon | Hacker News Reader

Similarly, my CPAP changed my life for the better. I went from constantly tired to being a productive member of society again.

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Or just sleep on your side like other primates

I was always a side sleeper. My CPAP has made a significant difference in the quality of my sleep.

Genuine question, can you elaborate on the supposed relationship between sleep orientation and CPAP?

Parent is being facetious about this but is also overly simplifying the issue.

You can think of your airway as tube of cartilage and soft muscle. As we age (there are also other contributing factors) this tube may be narrowed or collapse under the weight of adjacent tissue. Excess weight (more adjacent tissue), alcohol consumption (more tube muscle relaxation) also contribute to the narrowing/collapsing of this tube.

The airway tube has the least amount of pressure from adjacent tisue when you are on your side. And the highest amount of pressure when lying on your back.

What parent is dismissing is that Positional Sleep Apnea is a fraction of all sleep apnea cases. I.e. his solution of sleeping on the side would 100% resolve sleep apnea for a fraction of all sleep apnea patients but certainly not everyone.

Source: Did contract work for a sleep apnea startup.

Thanks!

To keep with the 'tube' analogy, a CPAP machine creates a positive air pressure in the airway, which in practice pushes the tube's inner walls outwardly and prevents a collapse or narrowing of the tube.

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