It’s odd how most of us take our immediate atmosphere for granted, don’t you think? Generally speaking, we pay little attention to the air we breathe, even though it sustains life and enriches the world with essential gases like oxygen and nitrogen, among others.
We probably pay so little attention to it because It has no shape or obvious form. Since we can’t see air or reach out and touch it, we tend to forget it is such an essential part of our life. But a lot is going on in the atmosphere around us, and for the most part, we are oblivious to it.
Aside from those essential natural gases we desperately need, the surrounding air contains incredible things like microbes, pollen, dust particles, aerosols, and neon.
You can’t see any of it because the whole thing is quietly going about its business, totally unseen, asking for very little in return. But all those things and more are all around us, contributing to the quality of the air you breathe – both good and bad.
Enriching
The idea of giving our immediate air environment a little support seems like common sense, you might agree. After all, you switch on a light when a room is dark, and when the air is cold, you turn on a heater. When you think of it that way, it seems perfectly reasonable to inject a little moisture into the air when it gets dry.
By using a humidifier, this invisible blanket of air surrounding us suddenly becomes something you begin to notice by virtue of how enriching and soothing it is. Just like a light source or a heater, a good humidifier simply acts as another layer of support, a benefit of modern life that enriches our space and helps make things more comforting.
But what exactly does a humidifier help with? Like most people, you probably have a vague understanding that humidifiers take dry air and make it more humid. But there are other excellent reasons to introduce a humidifier to your home.
Let’s look at some of those reasons, starting with the main consequences of dry air and how it might affect us.
Symptoms of Dry Air
We all know that overly humid air can present health issues, but dry air also offers a very real list of problems, including:
- Sore throat
- Dry or even itchy skin
- Dry eyes
- Sore, scratchy throats
- Dry nasal cavities
- Chapped lips
In addition to those unpleasant symptoms, dry air can cause more alarming health issues, such as an increase in airborne viruses like common colds or flu, enhanced asthma, and escalated allergies.
Let’s take a look in more detail and explain how a humidifier is so effective in facing those common issues and more.
Money Saving
Most people do not realize this, but humidifiers, believe it or not, will make a difference to your heating costs. Moisture in the air helps retain heat, extending the time the air remains warm in your home. Humidifiers help distribute warmth more evenly, resulting in less drafty areas.
In turn, your heating system will work less strenuously to distribute heat around the room. Aside from the distinct cozy comfort this provides, your heating bill will reduce slightly because of it.
Moisturizing Benefits
If a cozier living space coupled with reduced energy bills aren’t good enough reasons, you might be interested to know that a humidifier serves as a moisturizer for our skin. During the winter months, many people suffer from dry skin without even realizing it – a humidifier helps push back against dry skin by helping to keep your skin hydrated.
Guard Against Dry Throat & Sinuses
One of the most common culprits of this is dry air. There is a common misconception that an increase in humidity can increase blocked and stuffy nasal passages, but the opposite is true. Moist air delivered through a humidifier enhances nasal fluids – just slightly – reducing the risk of an awful stuffy nose.
For the same reasons, anyone who suffers from an occasional nosebleed will likely see a dramatic improvement through reduced incidents.
Nasal Filters
Again, most people are unaware this is even a problem – but the defensive strand-like filters in our nasal passage do not work as efficiently when the air is dry. Introduce a little humidity, and those strands will perform far better, preventing more air pollutants from reaching your airway, resulting in improved breathing.
Reduced Snoring
Around half of all adults suffer from snoring to various degrees, causing a lot of restless nights for both the snorer and their partners. Anyone experiencing this common problem can reduce the intensity – or sometimes even eradicate it – by sleeping with a humidifier in the room.
Reduced air moisture causes airways to tighten, while the nose becomes congested. Humidifiers will increase airborne moisture, resulting in better-functioning airways, less snoring, and improved sleep. What’s more, the results are usually immediate, with most sufferers noticing a significant reduction in snoring on the very first night of use.
Further Benefits
Humidifiers can also help in ways you might never have previously imagined. Static shocks, for example, are often reduced because dry air conducts static electricity more efficiently. Symptoms of general sickness are alleviated by ensuring a better atmosphere, more conducive to recovery.
Even your houseplants will benefit by introducing much-appreciated humidity to their environment, affording a more natural state for them to thrive!
Make a Difference!
Switch on a humidifier, and you will notice an almost immediate difference in your comfort and general well-being, and there is a good reason they have become so popular of late. In an era where air quality isn’t doing too great, a humidifier helps underpin our immediate surroundings by offering some much-needed serenity in our air.
Hopefully, this post helps you to understand how and why a humidifier is such a useful, practical, almost rewarding instrument of the home that delivers gratifying results. Introduce one to your surroundings, and you won’t be disappointed.
