Great points made on this post with the diabetes comparison. Compliance to CPAP is a huge issue. I was diagnosed in my late 20ies and I am now 57. I struggled with CPAP in the beginning and I still struggle with CPAP. I was not compliant for a good 10-15 years. Then I learned about the dangers of choosing to not to comply. When I was first diagnosed, no one ever told me the dangers of Sleep Apnea. The Doctor just said, you have sleep apnea and gave me a prescription to take to the medical supply to get a CPAP. The only thing I was aware of is that it stopped my snoring. Once I became aware of the all the underlying diseases that could be prevented by being compliant to using my CPAP, I decided that it was worth being inconvenienced to wear the mask. I still struggle every night. I put it on with good intentions only to find it somewhere else when I wake up. I work on it diligently and am always trying new things to be compliant more hours of each night. That being said, I believe the issue is lack of awareness for both Sleep Apnea and Diabetes as to what your life will look like if you choose not to take treatment. Most people are aware what happens if you choose not to take treatment with the C-word. Awareness is going to come through more education to the general public to create the same fear. People are most times more motivated by fear than pleasure. Those with Sleep Apnea could change the statistics if we were more vocal in our own circles of influence bringing it up in conversations and not being afraid to chat about and share the symptoms. Many may recognize themselves inside your story. We must make it a topic of conversation to raise awareness. I will many times refer someone to this site to take the surveys and see if they recognize themselves in working through the questions.
