I've been diagnosed anywhere between mild to moderate sleep apnea. I
/need/ a CPAP. I can no longer sleep at all without it. Some people with
mild apnea, in the absence of other sleep problems, don't need a CPAP.
You are not in this category! I like the constant pressure models with
the "ultra mirage" mask. Try the CPAP, try a couple of different masks
(nose, full face, nasal pillows), and get your pressure titrated.

BTW- my sleep apnea is moderate, and the tests didn't show it all the
time because I could barely sleep during them (surprise).

When my sleep problems started (maybe even longer ago than I realise,
now that I think about it in a slightly different way), I noticed that
my wife had mild-moderate sleep apnea as well. She's now using CPAP and
feels wonderful. Far better results than I have had!!! I wouldn't have
noticed had I not been awake. She's always been 'sleepy' and just
thought it was normal, like she was at the extreme end of the bell
curve. We bought a used CPAP and humidifier for her and it's great.
Which reminds me: do not use passive humidification! It's cheaper, but I
don't even know if they make CPAPs anymore without some level of active
humidification.

I have had sleep apnea since I was a child and my paediatrician was
concerned about it. I didn't get treatment until I was in my 20s. It
didn't matter how skinny I was: same sleep apnea, same mask pressure
(+/-0.4cm).

Had I not been treated I would not have survived some of the hospital
stays where I've been unconscious or some of the surgeries under
general. I would have continued to get throat infections at times when
my immune system had been ablated, with disastrous results. When my body
was under strain that normally causes multiple organ failure or at least
damage, I made it through with none. I can't credit all of this to the
CPAP, but I hate to think what it would've been like without that bit of
extra healing power we get from sleep.

I said something similar to my doctor recently...not as
diplomatically...after another 3 nights awake hehehe

I don't mind only getting 4-5 hours of semi-fragmented sleep so much
now, because it's SLEEP! I'm hoping someday to get back to the nine
hours a night my body needs given the strain it's under.

Have you tried progressive relaxation therapy? It won't help all through
the night, but I found that done early on it gives a nice bit of mental
relief for a couple of hours, and that's a couple of hours more relief
than I would have had otherwise. There are various brands/methods, the
basics should be detailed online.

You too, Paul. I hope you're able to grab a few hours when you can.

Ari