I know it sounds scary, but the CPAP really helps my mg! I was diagnosed with mg in 2000 and sleep apnea in 2002. I too was hesitant to use a CPAP because I thought it might tire my lung muscles.

However, the opposite is true. When my breathing is labored (even during the day), I put my CPAP on. It rests the lung muscles because it does a lot of the work for you. The muscles used for breathing fill the lungs; when you breathe out, the lungs are not using near as many muscles.

When I have had breathing emergencies and ended up in the er, they have used a bipap on me, but I really didn't notice a lot of difference in comparison to my CPAP.

I would suggest you try several types of headgear to find the one that works best for you and it will take a couple of nights to get used to having the thing on, but I can't sleep at all without it now.

Good luck and don't let this get to you! I promise it will help rather than hurt