Or alternatively, they need the noise, but cannot tolerate rhythmic noise. A CPAP machine to me isn't disturbing because of the noise -- if anything I would prefer some noise to drown out the mild tinnitus. It would be disturbing because it would be a fairly repetitive noise, and my brain would very quickly lock onto it and not allow itself to relax and let me sleep. Even a lot of 'random noise' videos on youtube end up being repetitive enough to trigger this.
I had a friend stay with me for a week or so, and they use a CPAP machine. Due to the poor sound insulation in the house, I could hear the machine from the guest bedroom to mine. It was one of the few times when I had to find some really long-form content on youtube to leave it playing all night on the tv in my bedroom to drown out the repetitiveness of the CPAP machine. For the first few hours of the first night I ended up waking up two or three times an hour because of the repetitive sound of the machine before I realized it.
I had a friend stay with me for a week or so, and they use a CPAP machine. Due to the poor sound insulation in the house, I could hear the machine from the guest bedroom to mine. It was one of the few times when I had to find some really long-form content on youtube to leave it playing all night on the tv in my bedroom to drown out the repetitiveness of the CPAP machine. For the first few hours of the first night I ended up waking up two or three times an hour because of the repetitive sound of the machine before I realized it.