I don't know a lot bout it to be honest, but I know it's very serious. First time I heard about it was in a weight loss show, where an obese guy said he has it and can only sleep in a chair and assisted by an oxygen mask. After that, I've seen many are dealing with and also how serious it is.
It's possible it's not justified in every case due to the machines and the supplies being a good business, but I think those cases are rare.
Must be terrible to have these panic attacks. I hope you can deal with it and have quiet nights.
I used to have them quite frequently. I have only had one since I started using my CPAP machine over a year ago now. Which is much better. My wife loves it because I snore less now and I am much less tired than I used to be. I was hoping it might give my metabolism a kick start, but that doesn't seem to have happened yet :P