In my case, it took almost 12 months to receive my first CPAP machine, which then turned out to be refurbished. Initially, I had to visit a doctor, who had an available appointment in two months. He then referred me to a sleep laboratory (another two-month wait). After my sleep study, they sent me back to the doctor, who confirmed I had sleep apnea and said I needed to return to the sleep lab to test some settings—a further two months’ wait.

Then, after more than a month waiting for the next appointment, the doctor informed me that the settings they had tried were too low and wanted to send me back to the lab. I disagreed, but he gave me the prescription, and two months later, I received a CPAP machine with incorrect settings that didn’t help much.

Eventually, I purchased my own Philips Dreamstation Go because it automatically adjusts the pressure, and I’ve been sleeping well ever since.