Here Is How To Control The Humidity In Your Bedroom

The quality of the air you breathe is a very important consideration for good health and wellbeing. Since you spend most of your time in the bedroom, the air quality and the humidity have to be of the right level. We shall explore how to control the humidity in your bedroom to keep you healthy.

The humidity level of your room can determine whether you have sufficient quality sleep or not because it can affect the temperatures. Humidity in a very simple definition refers to the dampness of the air; too much or too little of it is unhealthy because it can cause illnesses or trigger allergies.

Why is Humidity Important for Sleep?

When the air is too damp, the body struggles to regulate its temperature and you may have a hard time sleeping as is common during the summer season. Conversely, when the air is too dry as happens during winter or in desert environments, it will cause skin and sinus problems and difficulty sleeping.

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A good balance of humidity is important for overall health and wellbeing as well as the health of hair and skin. Ideally, the best humidity levels for your house are between 30% – 50%; if you are waking up at night sweating because it is too hot or because it is too cold, it could be a question of the room humidity.

In hot weather, the air tends to have high moisture content thus more humid, thus turning on your air conditioner reduces humidity by doing away with the excess moisture. Conversely, very little moisture content in the air means low humidity, as is often the case in cold weather. Running your heater or lighting a fire can make it worse because the heat will dry up the air leading to dry skin, chapped lips, nosebleeds or difficulty breathing.

How to Maintain the Right Humidity Balance

Use a hygrometer, to gauge the humidity levels and to help you control the humidity in your bedroom. The right level will prevent sleep problems and any other issues that may arise.

With an accurate measurement of air moisture content, you are able to decide whether to leave things as they are, or take steps to increase or reduce humidity.

The best way to control air moisture depending with whether there is low humidity or high humidity is to use a humidifier or dehumidifier respectively and are self-regulating by measuring air moisture levels and correcting accordingly.

A humidifier, which works by evaporating water from its filter to increase moisture content in the air, will vaporize less or more water depending on the room humidity level. A dehumidifier, on the other hand, works by getting rid it of excess moisture from the air to make it less humid.

What Low Humidity Means

Low humidity is common in cold the cold seasons or cold climates because cold air cannot hold water moisture. Low air moisture means dry air in your house and causes dry skin, dry nose and throat, and increases your chances of catching a cold.

Low humidity also has a negative impact on your home and furniture. It causes damage to wood and drywall by shrinking them. To make things better, use a humidifier to increase humidity.

What High Humidity Means

On the other hand, high moisture content in the air is not good. High humidity is the nesting ground for insects such as cockroaches which can mean illness and insect infestation.

High humidity causes peeling of paint and wallpaper, stains ceilings and walls. Molds will also grow in these conditions thus causing allergies and other health risks.

This is generally a problem of modern homes which are designed to be energy efficient by preventing energy loss, either by not allowing heat to escape or keeping the house cool and thus trap moisture as well.

The Bottom Line…

Now you know why humidity is important for good health and sleep. Without the right air moisture level, you cannot sleep well or get sufficient quality sleep, because it is not just a matter of feeling sleepy and laying on a comfortable mattress.

The portable or room humidifier is the most common one and can be moved from one room to another. It comes in two types- cool and warm mist. The cool mist has a wick to absorb water which is blown by a fan through a filter and as it passes it evaporates and is vaporized into the room. The warm mist humidifier has a heating element to heat water after which it is vaporized into the room. The water reservoirs for both must be refilled every 24 hours.

The other kind is the whole house humidifier, which is the most controllable but is expensive. It is added to the heater and then water is vaporized directly into the heated air and circulated throughout the house via the air duct system.

There are two ways to deal with high humidity, fans or a dehumidifier. Fans can be expensive, leaving the dehumidifier as the most cost-effective option; it is simply an air conditioner with both hot and cold coils.

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