Why Distilled Water Is Vital for Sleep Therapy Equipment

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In the United States, millions of adults^[1] use sleep therapy equipment to treat disordered sleep^[2]. These devices improve sleep quality and, ultimately, overall health^[3]. Many people also use a humidifier^[4], which, although not essential, can greatly aid comfort. Indeed, many modern sleep therapy devices have built-in water chambers. Although such machines typically operate without water, many users prefer to add it in order to enhance their sleep therapy experience^[5]. It's crucial that the reservoir is emptied and refilled every couple of days. It's also important that people use distilled water — this article explains why.

What Is Distilled Water?

In brief, distilled water^[6] is among the purest forms of water. The distillation process removes contaminants and impurities, such as bacteria^[7], viruses, fungi^[8], parasites, chemicals and metals, as well as minerals^[9] and electrolytes^[10] naturally found in water.

Although not commonly consumed, distilled water is often used in medical and scientific settings, because of its purity. This extends to sleep therapy equipment.

Why Do People Use Water in Sleep Therapy Devices?

The addition of water to sleep equipment humidifiers increases the moisture content of the breathed air. This can aid comfort and encourage therapy adherence^[11].

Benefits of humidification may include:

• Reduced mouth and throat dryness
• Fewer headaches
• Less coughing and sneezing
• Reduced nasal and sinus congestion

Key Reasons to Use Distilled Water in Sleep Therapy Humidifiers

Use distilled water for your health:

Most manufacturers recommend using only distilled water in sleep equipment water chambers. This prevents pollutants and pathogens from entering the airstream. Using tap water in sleep therapy equipment can be especially dangerous^[12], making using distilled water particularly crucial in areas with poor water quality. Impure water^[13] can lead to infections, inflammation, allergies and soreness in the mouth and throat.

Use distilled water for the longevity of your sleep equipment:

Moreover, distilled water also lowers the risk of equipment damage. Minerals in regular water can build up over time and cause hard-to-remove scale^[14] to form on sleep therapy equipment. Using distilled water lengthens the life of the reservoir and other vital components.

Benefits of Using an At-Home Water Distiller

An at-home water distiller provides a convenient solution to ensure you have distilled water readily available for your sleep therapy equipment. Here are five benefits of using an at-home water distiller:

1. Cost Savings: Buying distilled water can be expensive, especially when you need it regularly for sleep therapy equipment. An at-home water distiller allows you to produce distilled water at a fraction of the cost.
2. Convenience: With an at-home distiller, you can create distilled water whenever you need it, eliminating the need to purchase and transport heavy bottles from the store.
3. Quality Control: Making distilled water at home ensures you're using pure, uncontaminated water for your sleep therapy equipment. You control the distillation process and can ensure consistent quality.
4. Reduced Environmental Impact: By distilling water at home, you reduce plastic waste from buying bottled distilled water. This is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option.
5. Versatility: Besides sleep therapy equipment, distilled water has many other uses, including for steam irons, humidifiers, and medical devices. Having an at-home distiller allows you to access pure water for various purposes.

Some of our favorite countertop at-home distillers are available at SoClean Trusted Partner, H2O Labs. The Model 300 is lightweight with an easy-lift handle but you can save 15% on this and other select countertop distillers for your home atH2O Labs with code SOCLEAN. Offer ends 5/31/24.

What If Distilled Water Isn't Available?

Sometimes, especially when traveling^[15], finding distilled water can be challenging. In an ideal world, people should take suitable water with them. Furthermore, manufacturer guidelines typically recommend using distilled water.

That said, research^[16] indicates that using alternative water sources for a few days usually has no adverse effects. Potable tap water should be a last resort —but unsanitary water is a definite no — with bottled water, filtered water or boiled water preferable to plain tap water if distilled water isn't available.

Users should also keep in mind that they can switch off the humidifier setting and operate their sleep equipment water-free, even if just temporarily until they can access suitable water.

To sum up, distilled water is vital for good health and machine longevity when using sleep equipment with humidification. An at-home water distiller offers an easy and cost-effective way to access distilled water for your sleep therapy needs and beyond. Ensure an endless supply with a home countertop distiller from H2O Labs! Save 15% with code SOCLEAN. Offer ends 5/31/24.

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References

1. National Council on Aging – Sleep Apnea Statistics and Facts You Should Know
2. Mayo Clinic – Sleep apnea
3. National Library of Medicine – Are we underestimating the lifelong benefits of therapy for obstructive sleep apnea?
4. Verywell Health – Using a Humidifier with CPAP
5. SoClean – Our Top Hacks for Improving Your Sleep Therapy Experience
6. Healthline – Purified vs Distilled vs Regular Water: What's the Difference?
7. Cleveland Clinic – Bacteria
8. Utah State University – What Are Fungi?
9. National Library of Medicine – Natural mineral waters: chemical characteristics and health effects
10. WebMD – Distilled Water
11. Respiratory Care – Effect of Heated Humidification on CPAP Therapy Adherence in Subjects With Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Nasopharyngeal Symptoms
12. Healthline – Sleep Apnea: Tap Water Can Be Dangerous to Use in CPAP Machines
13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – (Mis)perception and Use of Unsterile Water in Home Medical Devices, PN View 360+ Survey, United States, August 2021
14. Water Quality Association – Scale Deposits
15. SoClean – A Guide to Holiday Travel with Sleep Equipment
16. Journal of Travel Medicine – Travel with CPAP machines: how frequent and what are the problems?