I air dry my pillows, chamber with no problems. CPAP changes sleeping habits. I miss smelling the clean sheets, sigh. And snuggling. But the payoff of not being sleep deprived is worth it.
DH also got a SoClean machine. Worth every penny! He was not cleaning his mask and tubing daily (and I wasn’t volunteering for that task). The SoClean makes it easy – he sets the timer for noon and voila!
Wow, @poetsheart. How did you function during the day?
Honestly, CountingDown, I have no earthly idea! Since my diagnosis, I’ve read sleep apnea has been implicated in the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes (Which I also developed in middle age), high blood pressure (ditto), and stroke. Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, and problems concentrating have also been linked. Check, check and check. Even links to clinical depression have been noted, though to be honest, I’ve battled that particular gnarly beast since adolescence. I’ve never seen literature implicating sleep apnea in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. I surely hope it has no strong correlation because I fear an Alzheimer’s diagnosis more than virtually any other. My H’s next oldest sibling is in the late stages of this cruel thief, and one of my first cousins was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s two years ago. I’m convinced my oxygen starved brain, owing to years of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea, has probably already suffered significant cognitive decline.
@Creekland
Two other issues that can be related to sleep apnea are the need to urinate during the night (the body interprets low blood oxygenation as chemical impurities and puts the kidneys into overdrive) and erectile dysfunction. So if he had either of those he may lessen them with cpap.
On top of all the usual benefits (snoring, afib control, etc) my H used to have severe psoriasis–like huge patches all over. Psoriasis can be stress-activated, and since getting the cpap, his is almost entirely gone. It is miraculous.