Sorry I meant sleep gadgets like cooling pads, not referring to medical devices

I recommend editing your post to clarify.

Indeed but for completeness CPAPs is not the only available therapy out there nowadays.

Specifically for patients with _positional_ sleep apnea there are wearables (actual medical device not welness) that stop the patient from sleeping on their back, and hence stop the positional obstruction.

These wearables are way less cumbersome and invasive than pressure devices.

Also- sleep apnea can be exacerbated by weight, so losing weight ("good habits") can actually help with the root cause

CPAP for me was life-changing.

I had sleep apnea when I was young, skinny and sporty. Then I got old, fat and sedentary and of course it got worse. I was falling asleep while driving.

I tried a CPAP machine and could not stand it for more than 10 minutes. However my apnea got worse so that I actually did not want to fall sleep because I did not want to wake up choking and gasping for breath. Literally a nightmare.

So I forced myself to stick with the CPAP the whole night through and woke up refreshed and alert. I cannot live without it.

Becoming disciplined enough to use the CPAP every night was a real struggle for me. Ironically, what ultimately helped me was starting to take modafinil during the day. Taking that as a stimulant in the day gave me enough energy in the day that I could make good decisions about other things that influence my sleep (exercise, sleep discipline). Something of a virtuous circle for me.

CPAP has only partially helped me. I don't feel as tired, but I still feel tired all day.