#12, with regard to your earlier post about being thankful for being able to breathe on your own at night:

1) are you sure you can? What proof do you have?
(*I ask, because I had silent apnea - only observable thru instrumentation)

2) time will tell.
(Risk of apnea increases with age, decreased metabolic level, etc.)

I only bring this up because the Dx of sleep apnea really caught me off guard. My wife's a physician, I've run cardiac rehab and pulmonary rehab programs - and we never suspected because I did not snore. It turns out the TMJ trauma on active duty prohibits snoring, just as it causes sleep apnea. The reason none of the drugs (testosterone, metformin, lisinopril, etc.) worked was that they were the wrong drugs. The DRUG I needed was O2.

Don't get me wrong. CPAP sucks. (or BLOWS) But asphyxiation in your sleep is worse. If you or anyone you know is pumping the energy drinks to stay alert, or has excessive daytime sleepiness - help them find out if they have sleep apnea. It's a real killer.

You probably wonder why a medical person is on an electronics Q&A site? This was a top hit for CPAP power management with alternative source. (AND I may be a PhD, but I also started building computers when you needed punch cards to program them - and never got out of touch. Hell, I may even have a back door into your system!)

 

I allowed this necropost because it seems to be a useful addition and as the author points out is likely to be useful to someone searching the topic. #12, I agree, I see your point.