In 2010, when I was 18, a sleep study confirmed what kids at sleepovers and camp, and my freshman-year dorm mate who slept with headphones blaring heavy metal, already knew: I snored, and very loudly.

Every night, millions of people stop breathing without knowing it. Not once, but sometimes hundreds of times. Their remedy? A mask, a hum and the steady whisper of pressurised air. It’s not glamorous, ...