40 yr old Husband with severe sleep apnea- a few questions

[Haileys Mom]

For years, I urged him to get a sleep study, as I could hear his breathing would be interrupted with episodes of silence, as he stopped breathing for short periods of time. Otherwise, he has always been very healthy!

After an endoscopy to dx gerd, the anesthetist came into the room and told him "I'm glad you told me you have an appt to get a sleep study for obstructive sleep apnea, because I can tell you definitively that you have it, and a severe case of it. While under, you got very close to needing a breathing tube..."

Fast forward to him getting the results of sleep study:

He has a severe case. His pressure is at 18 and he was told it may be a good 12 months of wearing the c-pap until he starts feeling real relief. He does feel better, but not so much that he notices a drastic improvement yet. He also has a stressful job and has always worked at least 10-12 hours a day for over 20+ years, so sleep was always a issue. The dr says they normally do not see severe cases like this unless the patient is super morbidly obese, which at 6'4" and 260, he is not terribly obese. Plus, even at lower weights, he had the apnea.

1) What would cause this in someone who is otherwise healthy? And, why so severe?

2) Does anyone have any suggestions or tips?

He was told if he left this go, it would've enlarged his heart and caused so much strain on the heart muscle that he may not have lived to see 50! That really opened our eyes.

Any info is welcomed. Thank you for reading.