Making happy memories around the world with a ResMed AirMini

I have loved travelling ever since I was a child. I felt perfectly at home wherever I was. I could fall asleep on any bed, any surface, and was considered the best person to go on a trip with by my friends and family! In fact, seven years ago, I took a whole month off to go on a yacht with my college mates. I loved every moment of that trip and still cherish its memories to date.

Adulthood hit me right after that trip and I started my first job a week after the trip. Being an intern exposed to the stresses of the workplace where I would constantly be handed one task after the other until it was time to go home. I would spend all my free time thinking about places to go to but would somehow feel tired all the time! 

I also woke up with a headache quite often, couldn’t remember things as well as I should have, and felt like doing nothing all day. On top of this, my roommate kept complaining about my loud snoring, which embarrassed me, and my last preventive health checkup revealed elevated BP readings twice a row. I was scared and extremely anxious about getting hypertension at 24 and wanted to know if there was a better way out than popping pills for life.

A visit to the doctor and a full night’s sleep

I went to my regular physician and explained my symptoms to him. I also told him about my coffee obsession and the number of cups I downed daily to stay focused. The only question he asked was “how well do you sleep each night?”. I told him I slept like a log until the alarm shook my house and made the sun rise. 

The doctor advised me a sleep study, as he thought I had a condition called Sleep Apnea—something I had never heard of before. I went for the sleep study the next day and discovered that I had to spend a night at the study centre. 

They attached electrodes to my scalp, chest, and arms and told me they would monitor me all night long for body movements, oxygen saturation and other body parameters while I sleep. I got my results the next day, and my doctor told me I needed a CPAP machine to address my sleep apnea.

CPAP? What’s that?

I had never heard of a CPAP machine. My doctor showed me this small shoebox-sized gadget with a tube connected to an oxygen mask-like contraption that blew air into my nostrils while I slept. It was a bit intimidating, but I felt I could give it a go after trying it out. I got a trial device from my doctor and took it home to use it for the first time. 

My first night with a CPAP machine

I will not lie to you. The first few minutes seem very weird. There is a gentle pressure in your airways as the machine pumps in air constantly. I thought I could not fall asleep with this contraption, and it did take me an extra 30 minutes to fall asleep, but I do not remember what happened next until I woke up. My roommate was still asleep, and I felt energetic even though my alarm had just rung. A funny feeling when you’re accustomed to waking up half-dead and dragging your body to the coffee machine for an early morning fix.

Many moons later—the urge to travel returns

Six months of using the CPAP machine each night later, I found that my blood pressure dropped to its expected values, my skin was glowing, I was happier than usual, and I felt more energetic than ever before. This made the travel bug crawl back into my head, and I started to make plans again. My partner suggested reliving the memories of my time on the yacht, but the very thought of spending a day away from my room—and my CPAP machine gave me shivers.

Enter ResMed AirMini—the portable dream machine

I went to meet my doctor again, who was very happy about my progress with the CPAP machine. However, he noticed that I was not as excited as last time, and I told him about the trip—and how I would feel without the CPAP machine. He smiled and told me that he had something that met my needs.

He took out a palm—or a small makeup-box-sized CPAP machine that works with mains and DC power outlets commonly found on yachts, airlines and trains using an additional adapter. I think I screamed because he laughed and told me I could take the machine for a trial run and see if it worked well for me during my upcoming 5-day trip. The ResMed AirMini™ AutoSet™ is a premium auto-adjusting pressure algorithm specially designed for female patients. 

In ResApp’s own words, “The AirMini™ AutoSet™ Travel CPAP Machine is the smallest ResMed machine available today, weighing only 0.66 pounds. This small CPAP uses a small 20W power supply to further minimize the size of the travel unit. Pair the machine with the AirMini™ by ResMed smartphone app to track therapy and adjust machine settings.”

A year of happier memories

I’ve since gotten married, went on umpteen trips with my former roommate—now husband, and have made the most fantastic travel memories—all thanks to the ResMed AirMini! This small device (and its elder sibling) helped me defeat my sleep apnea problems and lead a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life! I am more productive at work than ever before, and I think I have not had a better night’s rest than I did with my CPAP machine!

Thank you, AirMini! 

Oh, and did I mention that I got my machine through the super-friendly reps at Sanrai? If you have not heard about them yet, Sanrai is an innovative medical products distributor that is helping people around the world access gold-standard diagnostics and medical care no matter where they are! These guys helped me at every step of the way, answered the millions of noob-ish questions I had and helped me get a good night’s rest.