If you haven’t got a humidifier in your home, you really need to invest in one right now. This is because the air in your home is naturally dryer than usual during the winter, and using indoor heating only increases this effect.
Dry air makes your respiratory system work harder, and can worsen existing medical conditions. This causes your nasal passages, skin, and hair to dry out. You might also experience continual thirst and suffer from cotton mouth. Yet another symptom could be coughing fits from breathing in the dry air while you sleep.
Further Problems Caused By Dry Air
• Wood furnishing and flooring may shrink, crack and break.
• Dry eyes and sore throat
• Dry nasal passages hurt and even bleed.
• Colds and flu become more common.
• Chapped skin and lips are common.
• Allergy symptoms are exacerbated.
• Asthma symptoms worsen.
• Skin may itch all over.
A humidifier can help to alleviate all of these problems by dispersing moisture into the fair in the form of a light, invisible mist. Here are 12 reasons why you need a humidifier in your home:
1. It’ll Help You Avoid Colds and Flu
A 2013 study concluded that higher humidity levels in the home correlated with lower instances of cold and flu. The reason for this is that the effectiveness of airborne flu is hampered by higher humidity levels.
The study found that 75% of virus particles released into a room kept at a relative humidity level of 23% were still infectious one hour after the commencement of the experiment. In contrast, only 14% of the released particles were still infectious after one hour when the relative humidity level in the room was set at 43%.
The inactivation of the infectious particles commenced just 15 minutes after they were released, and maintaining a humidity level of 40% and higher inside a room was found to be the most effective way of preventing incidences of cold and flu.
2. Can Help You Ease Nasal Congestion
If you do actually catch a cold or flu, you’ll be more comfortable in your home if it has a higher humidity level. Humid air helps reduce congestion because dry air causes mucus to thicken and dry out, preventing it from flowing out of the nasal passage just as it should. This leads to complications such as a stuffy nose, sore throats, and painful sinuses. You can mitigate these negative effects by using a humidifier so that the air in your home is warmer and moister when it enters your respiratory system.
3. You’ll recover Faster from Illness
Should you suffer from asthma, or if you have a cold, you’ll recover more quickly if you have a humidifier in your home. It’ll help to keep your nasal passages well-lubricated and will help you heal faster.
4. You’ll get Better Sleep
Sleeping in an environment with dry air will likely make you wake up with a scratchy throat, dry nose or even a headache. Using a humidifier in your bedroom will allow you to get better sleep and wake up feeling more refreshed.
In addition, a humidifier will help your bedroom feel warmer, which also facilitates better sleep. What’s more is that it will reduce snoring due to factors such as dry nasal passages, throat, and mouth. If you’re one to wake yourself up while snoring, a humidifier will go a long way toward solving your problem.
5. Any Allergies You Suffer Will Be Reduced
The symptoms of allergies such as hayfever can also be alleviated with a humidifier. Make sure you equip yours with an anti-microbial, air-purifying filter to reap the greatest benefits.
6. It Can Help to Prevent Dry Skin
Dry skin is yet another problem that tends to present itself in winter, particularly on the face, lips, and hands. Wrinkling and cracking can become a problem, and dry air in your home can also exacerbate any existing skin problems.
Investing in a good humidifier can help you feel more comfortable in your skin, as well as improving its appearance and helping to counteract the signs of aging.
7. Your Scalp and Hair Will Be Better Protected
Your hair is made up of collagen, which needs moisture to retain its elasticity and flexibility. A lack of moisture in the air will make your hair dry, brittle and dull. It also affects your scalp, as well as the rest of your body. Your scalp might become itchy and flaky, and you could even develop dandruff. Keep the air in your home at an adequate humidity level by using a humidifier to mitigate all of these ill-effects.
8. Your Pets Will Be Healthier and More Comfortable
Pets will love you for investing in a humidifier, because it will help alleviate any allergies they may have and purify the air. A good humidifier can help you save on future veterinary bills.
9. Your Houseplants Will Also Love You
Plants have been scientifically proven to improve wellbeing, but they obviously need taking care of. In addition to needing water from the soil that they’re planted in, they also need to pull water from the air. Just as human skin dries out due to dry air, plants’ leaves suffer the same effects.
A humidifier will help to maintain the ambient moisture within your home, and your plants will be healthiest and happiest with a relative humidity level of 40-60%.
10. Save Money on Utility Bills
More humidity equals more warmth. Air at a lower temperature with a relative humidity level of 50% will actually feel much warmer than it really is. If you keep your thermostat at 67 degrees and the humidity level at 50% by using a humidifier, the temperature will feel like it’s at 70 degrees.
This will allow you to save money during the day and even at night by setting your thermostat to a lower temperature than you normally would. Maintaining the heat and humidity in your home in this way will also use far less energy than a furnace.
11. Static Electricity Will Be Reduced
When there’s a lot of dry air in your home, static electricity can build up in the textiles found around it. This can lead you to experiencing a substantial shock every time you walk across your living room carpet. A humidifier in your home will reduce the amount of static electricity substantially, and prevent you from getting an alarming shock.
12. Keep Wood Furniture and Woodwork Intact
Dry air in your home can cause doors, moldings, floorboards and wood furnishings to shrink, crack and split. Setting up a humidifier in your home will ensure that any wood in its interior will remain structurally strong, safe and attractive.
Images by Deposit Photos.
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