Hi beenSnorin,
CPAP is the most effective and least invasive of all the various treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. It is the first treatment of choice because, for most patients, it will reduce the AHI(Apnea/Hypopnea Index) to less than 5, which is considered to be ideal. Most folks without OSA normally have apneas at that level each night. Most CPAPpers lose their snoring (if they snore at all) completely. The trick in adapting to CPAP is to find ways to make oneself comfortable with this entirely new way of sleeping.
Our brains resent change from what it interprets to be the norm. We have been going to bed and settling into sleep at night for a number of years before our sleep apnea has been diagnosed. Our brains are deeply tied to this routine and are quite offended by the interruption that CPAP brings. Our chore, as CPAPpers, is to convince our brains, via repeated experience each night, that this is the new norm. We will sleep this way because we must, to avoid a slew of other serious health problems. And...eventually...we will sleep this way because this is the new norm and this is just the way we sleep now. We may even come to like it.
After 6 years of CPAP, I love it and can't even imagine sleeping any other way. I like the way it makes me feel in the morning when I wake up. I like the way my machine adjusts so beautifully to my natural breathing. I like being able to sleep without the thunderous snoring which disturbed my husband so much. When I catch a cold or flu, I love the way my nasal pillows mask clears my nasal passages and makes it easier for me to fall asleep and to stay asleep.
It may take from a day or two, to months to adapt to CPAP. Everyone is different. When committed and resourceful in finding ways to comfort one's therapy, the adjustment period is made much simpler and shorter. When I started using CPAP, I found it very useful to repeat this thought to myself: "My CPAP machine is really my very best friend and will be for the rest of my life. My body is going to love this. My brain will not at first, but that's OK. I'm going to continue anyway until my brain accepts that this is the new norm." And then, I just followed through with what seemed like endless troubleshooting over masks, hose and other needful adjustments.
I fiddled and I fussed and spent money, but it all paid off and within 3 weeks my therapy was humming along. I've never looked back. I believed then that I couldn't afford to and I still believe that. Everyone is different. What works for one may not work for another. It's trial and error.
Today, I have a snuggly for my hose and I extend my hose over my head with a hose buddy (one for my bed at home and a Travel hose buddy for the road) so that I can turn freely in my sleep without getting all tangled up. I gave up sleeping on my stomach. I have two lovely bedside stands that exactly meet the level of the top of my mattress so that I don't get rainout (condensation that can occur in an unheated hose). I use a dab of AYR gel, available at any drugstore) in each nostril before masking up to enhance the nasal pillows seal and to prevent sores from developing...and on and on. I found quite a few helpful hints on the Forum, which was then run by the ASAA (American Sleep Apnea Association). That Forum has since disbanded, but the site has an incredible array of very useful information.
Anyway...I wish you well on your sleep apnea journey. Keep checking in...there is always something new to learn (or so I'm finding). Take care.