Portrait of Sophie Alderton, JavaSleep contributor
JavaSleep Contributor

Sophie Alderton

16 pieces published
A photorealistic close-up of a modern CPAP machine resting on a dark wooden nightstand…
CPAP May 2026 · 5 min

Starting CPAP Therapy: What the 4-Hour Number Actually Means

There is a number that will follow you for the next ninety days, whether anyone tells you or not: four hours a night, on 70 percent of nights.

By Sophie Alderton · Read →
A close-up photorealistic shot of a modern CPAP machine on a wooden nightstand at…
CPAP May 2026 · 5 min

What Sleep Apnea Insurance Actually Pays For: The 70% Number, Explained

There is a number that quietly decides whether your insurance keeps paying for your CPAP machine, and most newly diagnosed patients have never heard it: 70%.

By Sophie Alderton · Read →
A close-up still life of a steaming white ceramic mug of black coffee on…
Sleep Apnea May 2026 · 5 min

If I Have Sleep Apnea, Is My Morning Coffee Making It Worse?

The question gets asked, almost in a whisper, in every sleep clinic waiting room: if my airway is already collapsing at night, am I sabotaging myself with the cup I drink at 7 a.m.?

By Sophie Alderton · Read →
A photorealistic overhead shot of a person lying awake in bed at 2 a.m…
CBT-I May 2026 · 6 min

Tinnitus and Sleep: Comparing the Three Remedies People Actually Try

There is a specific hour — usually around 2 a.m., usually after the third failed attempt to get back to sleep — when the ringing stops being a sound and becomes a kind of weather.

By Sophie Alderton · Read →
A quiet suburban footpath photographed in soft early morning light, empty pavement stretching toward…
Me/cfs May 2026 · 5 min

The Walk That Cost Me Three Days: Living Inside the Physiology of ME/CFS

On a Tuesday in late March I walked 1.2 kilometres to the corner shop and back. Flat footpath, mild morning, no hills.

By Sophie Alderton · Read →
A close-up photorealistic shot of a sleep study patient lying on a clinical bed…
Sleep Apnea May 2026 · 5 min

What a Sleep Study for Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea Actually Involves

Most people show up to their first sleep study having counted the wires in a stock photo. Twenty-six is the number that gets stuck in the head — sometimes more, depending on the lab.

By Sophie Alderton · Read →
A close-up photorealistic photograph of a modern CPAP machine sitting on a wooden nightstand…
CPAP April 2026 · 4 min

Sleep Apnea Treatment by Severity: What an AHI of 15 Actually Buys You

The number to know before you walk into a sleep clinic is 15. That's the apnea-hypopnea index — events per hour of sleep — at which Medicare and most private US insurers will cover a CPAP without…

By Sophie Alderton · Read →