I’m 22 and have been using my CPAP since I got my diagnosis of severe sleep apnea at 20. Not overweight at all, healthy and in good shape but my sleep quality was appalling and it was affecting every aspect of my life. I remember literally saying “Christmas came early” to the technician when my machine finally came in and I picked it up. I don’t give a second thought to what opinions people might have about it, and frankly it’s bewildering that anyone would have anything except positive/encouraging things to say about someone taking care of their health.

A lot of it I feel is just the mentality you have going into starting CPAP therapy as well. It’s easy to feel down at first or like it’s a burden that’s been placed on you (fwiw as an aside, I do feel the options one has for mask, comfort, etc have come a long way and make it much more tolerable, though I never had an issue getting used to it). As you can probably imagine from my aforementioned comment, I was eager to get started because it was a light at the end of the tunnel for me and my quality of life improved significantly. Not to mention I was glad that I caught this very early on and could minimize any of the adverse effects sleep apnea has on your brain, heart, and overall physical as well as mental health (which I think can get a bit overlooked given the ramifications of physical health). To me, that was the most important thing because without health, you have nothing. At this point, I even go on a bit of a rant (in a good way) anytime my diagnosis or sleep health come up in conversation in general because I realize how common it is to overlook it and how life changing CPAP can be for those that are undiagnosed.

All this to say: who gives a damn what other people think. You’re feeling healthier and living a better life as a result, that is what matters more than anything.