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Comment by Melatonic | Hacker News Reader

What are the best highly portable options for sleep apnea?

I suspect I have a very mild case ( my mother has a more severe one but is also extremely overweight ). I do not really snore and often wakeup feeling quite refreshed. But I know partners have also told me that I occasionally in certain positions sound like I have labored breathing and will wakeup gasping for air.

My problem is that I also enjoy backpacking and mountaineering quite a bit and a CPAP is never going to work with that. I know there are a lot of bullshit mini passive devices out there that do not really actually help - is there anything truly portable and lightweight I can bring with me?

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There are a number of small units, the hose+mask will end up taking the majority of the space, which is annoying but not sure of an easy way around that. (Maybe short hoses?) Resmed airMini is pricy but very small, needs an external battery, Philips makes a portable unit that’s a bit larger and has an optional integrated battery. You’d likely need a solar charger for backpacking. Humidification is probably the biggest trick - there are in-line moisture exchangers that help a lot, but if you have dry mouth issues it’s hard to beat a water chamber. Suppose you could boil water on a camp stove for use as well.

Def recommend try to get a study if you can find/afford it. I have a mild case, but getting used to CPAP was still life changing. That said, I find sleeping on my side is enough to avoid most symptoms for a few nights, and if I’m camping I stick to that (there are tricks for preventing back sleeping if it’s an issue).

Oral appliances are a commonly used, lightweight alternative for travel.

Any good examples? When I was looking into this a few years ago most of them did not have favourable reviews by doctors and individuals. Do they still require batteries or are they passive?

These are passive devices. Some examples include Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP) devices, SomnoDent, Prosomnus, and others.

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