Buying a CPAP Machine in France
France has several routes to CPAP equipment — medical supply stores, pharmacies, hospitals and online retailers — and they differ considerably in price, support and reimbursement. Here's how each works and what to expect.
Your buying options in France, realistic costs, how reimbursement works, and the differences between machine types.
Where to Buy a CPAP Machine in France
Four main routes, each with its own trade-offs:
Medical Supply Stores
The widest selection, with trained staff who can fit and adjust masks in person. Usually the most expensive option, but the hands-on fitting is genuinely valuable if you're new to therapy.
Pharmacies
Some pharmacies stock CPAP equipment. The range is narrower, but a pharmacist can usually help with basic mask fitting and questions.
Online Retailers
Better prices and far wider stock, particularly useful outside major cities. Fitting support happens remotely, so check what the retailer offers before ordering.
Hospitals
Some hospital departments sell equipment directly, though this is uncommon and the selection is typically limited to a few models.
A note on prescriptions: CPAP machines and their accessories are medical devices. In France, a prescription from your doctor is what opens the door to reimbursement and to the home-care provider route — and most suppliers will ask for one. Regardless of where you buy, your pressure settings should come from a sleep study and be set by a clinician, not chosen by you.
What Does a CPAP Machine Cost in France?
Price depends on the brand, the model and the features. As a rough guide:
- Fixed-pressure machines sit at the lower end of the range.
- Auto-adjusting (APAP) machines cost more, reflecting the algorithm and additional sensors.
- Machines with built-in humidification and connectivity occupy the upper end.
- Accessories are separate. Mask, tubing and filters are rarely included in the headline price — budget for them, or look at a bundle where they are.
Comparing several suppliers, in-store and online, is worth the time: the same machine can vary substantially in price between them. Bundles that include a mask and tubing are often better value than assembling the same setup piece by piece.
Reimbursement through Sécurité Sociale
Part of the cost of CPAP equipment may be reimbursed through the French national health insurance system, depending on the severity of your condition and the treatment prescribed. The rate isn't fixed — it varies case by case.
France also operates a home-care provider model (prestataire de santé à domicile), under which equipment is supplied and maintained rather than bought outright. Whether that route or a direct purchase suits you better depends on your diagnosis, your prescription and your mutuelle. Check with your doctor and your insurer before committing either way — the answer differs significantly between individual cases.
Types of Machine Available in France
Four categories, prescribed according to what your sleep study shows:
Standard CPAP
- Delivers a constant flow of air at one fixed pressure
- Simplest and generally least expensive
- Prescribed for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea where a single pressure works throughout the night
Auto-CPAP (APAP)
- Adjusts pressure automatically through the night based on your breathing
- Useful when pressure needs change with sleep stage or body position
- Often more comfortable, since it doesn't hold maximum pressure all night
Bi-Level (BiPAP)
- Two pressure levels — higher on inhalation, lower on exhalation
- Prescribed when exhaling against a fixed pressure is difficult, or at higher pressures generally
- Also used in certain respiratory and neuromuscular conditions
Adaptive Servo-Ventilation (ASV)
- Adjusts pressure support breath by breath to stabilise breathing
- Prescribed for central sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea and Cheyne-Stokes respiration — not as a first-line treatment for obstructive apnea
- Reserved for specific diagnoses and used only under medical supervision
What Actually Differs Between Machines?
Beyond the pressure mode, four things separate one machine from another:
- Fixed versus auto-adjusting pressure. Auto machines cost more but many users find them more comfortable, since pressure only rises when it's needed.
- Size and portability. Bedside machines prioritise a large humidifier and screen; travel machines trade both for weight and packability.
- Noise level. Modern machines run around 27–30 dB, which is quiet enough for most bedrooms. Older units are noticeably louder — worth checking if you or your partner sleep lightly.
- Humidification. Most current machines have an integrated heated humidifier, which reduces the dryness and nasal irritation that leads many people to abandon therapy early.
No single machine suits everyone. Which one is right depends on your sleep study results and your clinician's assessment.
Is CPAP Oxygen, or Just Air?
CPAP delivers room air — roughly 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, the same as you're breathing now. What the machine adds is pressure, not oxygen. That pressure holds the airway open so it can't collapse during sleep; it's set high enough to prevent obstruction, but not so high as to be uncomfortable.
This is a genuine and common misunderstanding: CPAP therapy and oxygen therapy are entirely different treatments. Oxygen therapy uses a concentrator to deliver air with a raised oxygen concentration, and is prescribed for conditions such as COPD where blood oxygen is persistently low. CPAP treats a mechanical problem — a collapsing airway — not an oxygenation problem.
The two can be combined. Where a patient needs both, supplemental oxygen can be introduced into the CPAP circuit via a connector, but this is done strictly under physician supervision and requires a separate prescription for the oxygen.
Worth clearing up: BiPAP is sometimes confused with oxygen therapy. It isn't related. BiPAP simply means the machine delivers two pressure levels — a higher one when you inhale and a lower one when you exhale. It contains no oxygen component whatsoever.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the muscles at the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open, despite continued effort to breathe. The result is repeated periods where breathing stops or drops significantly — apneas and hypopneas. Each can last from a few seconds to over a minute, and they can recur dozens or hundreds of times a night.
Common Symptoms
- Loud snoring
- Pauses in breathing during sleep, often noticed by a partner rather than the person affected
- Choking or gasping awake during the night
- Excessive daytime tiredness despite a full night in bed
Many people with OSA are unaware they have it. Diagnosis frequently follows a partner noticing the pauses.
Contributing Factors
The airway collapse can be linked to obesity, a larger neck circumference, a small jaw or narrow airway, or enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Structural factors such as a deviated septum play a role in some cases, as can reduced muscle tone in the throat. OSA is also associated with hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis is usually made through a sleep study — typically polysomnography in a sleep centre, which records brain activity, eye movement, muscle activity and airflow. Home sleep testing is also used in suitable cases.
CPAP is the standard treatment, providing the constant airflow that keeps the airway open. Other approaches include weight loss, positional therapy to avoid sleeping on the back, oral appliances, and surgery in selected cases.
Untreated OSA affects quality of life and carries real long-term health consequences. If you recognise the symptoms above, speak to a doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a prescription to buy a CPAP machine in France?
Will Sécurité Sociale cover the cost?
Is a CPAP machine bought abroad usable in France?
What's the difference between CPAP and APAP?
Can I use CPAP if I also need oxygen?
How long does a CPAP machine last?
Please note: this guide covers purchasing options and is not medical advice. CPAP therapy requires a diagnosis and prescribed pressure settings from a doctor or sleep specialist. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, seek a sleep study before purchasing equipment — a machine without the right settings won't treat the condition. Reimbursement rules change; confirm current terms with your doctor, your CPAM and your mutuelle.
