Humidity
Your Natural Snooze Button

Whether you live in a dry climate or experience harsh winters, having moisture present in your air is essential for a good night’s sleep. Humidifiers work by redepositing moisture into the air that has been lost due to hot or cold temperatures. Specifically, the use of a humidifier in the bedroom is a natural way to ease sleep complications and help you drift off to a peaceful slumber.

Due to their production of moisture, humidifiers aid your respiratory tract by keeping the mucous membranes wet. Properly moistened mucous membranes decreases your chance of both irritation and inflammation. When our mucous membranes are dry, we can experience difficulty breathing, an increased chance of nosebleeds, and leaves asthma sufferers at an increased risk of complications.

While humidifiers help decrease the chance of the complications listed above, they increase your chance to heal faster while fighting a cold or flu. Our bodies heal while we sleep, so needless to say, quality sleep is crucial in our recovery. Dry air works against us by not only increasing mucous production, but dries out the excess production – this is where that stuffy nose comes in. Moistening the air around us keeps our mucous membranes well lubricated, allowing us to expel phlegm and breathe easier. Additionally, humidifiers keep our skin hydrated while we sleep. This helps us stay asleep and prevents us from waking up to sudden, painful itching.

Another added benefit that aids a common sleep annoyance, especially to those around you, is snoring. According to the Sleep Foundation, there are roughly 37 million American’s who are frequent snorers – that statistic doesn’t include those of us listening to it. Snoring occurs when the sinus membranes are dry, once our sinus membranes get too dry, they struggle in producing moisture on their own. Dry sinus membranes don’t allow air to move freely within our respiratory system and results in a pulsation, better known as a snore.

Maintaining or creating moisture in the air while asleep largely impacts the quality of sleep you’ll receive. Running a humidifier at night will greatly reduce your tossing and turning, allowing you and yours to have a sound sleep.