Did you know that using a humidifier has some serious health benefits? It’s true! From helping with skin and snoring to keeping your room clean and safe, humidifiers can do it all! However, make sure you’re using one correctly, or it can all be for naught…
Reduce Germs
Most people don’t know that humidifiers can actually help you from getting sick. That’s right! It does so by adding moisture to the air, because most diseases – especially the flu – survive better in drier conditions. A 2010 study actually showed that rooms with humidifiers decreased the influenza virus survival rate by 17.5%.
Meanwhile, another, 2013 study found that if one keeps their indoor humidity above 43%, the infectivity rate of many diseases, including the flu, drops by an average of around 50%.
Not only can humidifiers make you feel better on the inside, but also look better on the outside!
Better Skin
As you probably already know, dry air pulls the moisture directly from your skin. The result? Dry, itchy, irritated skin. However, humidifiers can turn this process around and “get your skin glowing again,” explains Dr. Debra Jaliman, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine.
And that assertion is backed up by data! A Japanese study from 2008 found that using a humidifier to make the air humidity over 44% resulted in noticeably less dry and irritated skin! So, if you’re looking for better skin, a humidifier might be the way to go.
Alleviate Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Are you someone who really needs their beauty sleep? Well, then, you might want to invest in a humidifier! They can help loosen mucus, which in turn helps unblock your airway. “The more open your airways, the less snoring,” Dr. Andrew Stiehm, a pulmonologist at Allina Health’s United Lung and Sleep Centre, explained.
Since snoring is often common among people with sleep apnea, it is not uncommon for humidifiers to be added as a part of an apnea solution, along with continuous positive airway pressure treatment (CPAP) machines. After all, a 2010 study found that those who used both a CPAP machine and humidifier had less stuffy noses and better sleep than those who used just one or the other.
Stay Safe
While there are many benefits to using a humidifier, it’s important not to overdo it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping the humidity level in your home below 50%. Too much humidity can lead to an increase in mold, as well as trigger both asthma and allergy symptoms. So, if you’re planning on picking up a humidifier, you should also buy a hygrometer, which measures the moisture in the air. Some high-end humidifiers even come with build-in hygrometers and thermometers!
Meanwhile, also make sure to maintain your humidifier properly. Dirty, uncleaned humidifiers can accumulate germs and bacteria, which can result in worse health instead of better. However, as long as you keep your humidifier correctly cleaned, you can enjoy its many health benefits.