More than once, the question has come up from one of my Jewish patients: Can I use my CPAP on the Sabbath?
Most Rabbis agree that it is alright to use medical equipment such as CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) that your doctor has determined is medically necessary for treatment of your obstructive sleep apnea. By using your CPAP every night, you are lowering your risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke, obesity, diabetes and dementia.
Many CPAP machines now turn on automatically when you put on the mask and turn off when you take it off so there are no on/off switches to use. One example is manufactured by Res Med. Ask your sleep doctor about prescribing this type of CPAP machine if that makes you feel better.
Also, another way to be observant is to use a timer such as the type people use to turn lamps on and off- when they are away from home. Rabbi Kreisman of Skokie, Illinois recommends this to members of his temple.
One of our staff sleep physicians at Northshore Sleep Medicine, Dr Irina Trosman, is Jewish and she feels strongly that her Jewish patients should feel comfortable using their CPAPs on the sabbath and high holidays and that they should not feel that they have gone against their traditional religious beliefs.
Mazel tov!
Sleep Apnea is very much a life threatening disease, so the restrictions don’t apply! Compliance is appallingly low for patients Jewish or otherwise.
Therefore, one should not put encumbrances around the machine, as this would promote non-compliance (which is literally deadly).