You did everything right, Lisa, right up to the point where you removed your parachute. Then you fell.........hard. That's a metaphor, obviously, but...............it's apt even as an analogy.

Nobody here will dispute that you became uncomfortable, and the only solution you felt was quick and satisfactory would be a short interval without your 'parachute'. But.............you know what happened.

John mentioned PAP therapy, a therapy that has saved millions of lives over the past 35 years or more. I think you should be evaluated formally for obstructive sleep apnea, or if you were diagnosed already, you are not getting the treatment you need today. Something has changed if you are using a PAP machine and you still can't sleep on your back, although PAP therapy can't overcome collapsed airways and a tongue that relaxes and sags back into the airway, which happens most often on one's back.

If you need more oxygen, there are two solutions: avoid supine sleep positioning, or use a CPAP machine that is the right one for your 'flavour' of apnea, and that is set to deliver you the correct pressures. Note that a CPAP machine can include O2 sat detectors and also oxygen delivery if it is helpful/necessary. Even if you aren't going to use a PAP machine for therapy, you can get oxygen in a bottle and use a cannula under your nose.