Great article. Sleep apnea can lead to right heart strain....leading to right sided heart failure called cor pulmonale as well. Glad you trusted the doc on this one haha.
Also, I think Afrin is a great product, but you are also bringing great awareness to the rebound effect (which can be very physically dependent). It is okay to use for colds for 3 or 4 days, but try to keep it at that if you ever need it again.
Cheers to fresh sleep!