Do You Need a Humidifier in the Summer? (And Benefits?)

Using a humidifier during summer sounds a little absurd. However, summer isn’t always affiliated with fun affairs and trips to the pool—most allergies are at their height in the summer. Besides, who would want to be humid during the hottest period of the year?

With all of the bugs and pollen rapidly moving in the air, it’s easy to see more runny noses than usual during this season. Furthermore, the constant use of an air conditioner can cause the air to become dry. If you already have allergy symptoms, dry air will most likely irritate you and, in some cases, lead to infection.

Should You Use a Humidifier in the Summer?

Using a humidifier indoors during the summer keeps the air cool and properly dampened and scales down the severity of seasonal allergies, which is devastating in the summer.

Humidifiers can prevent dehydration of the skin, nasal passages, and respiratory passages, which causes unpleasant conditions such as dry, itchy skin, and even nosebleeds.

Moreover, humidifiers can boost your feel better in the summer by keeping you comfortable while you work and rest.

When Can You Use a Humidifier in the Summer?

During the summer, when pollen and mold volumes are at their highest, use a cool-mist humidifier to offset the effects of air conditioning. A cool-mist humidifier treats nasal and chest congestion caused by the common cold, allergies, or a sinus infection.

Additionally, this humidifier helps you keep your home cool while maintaining the proper humidity level.

What is the Benefit of Using a Humidifier in the Room?

Humidifiers can be helpful to both adults and children when sleeping. Sleep itself assists in the healing, regeneration, and upkeep of our immune system. Introducing a humidifier in your bedroom can enhance the benefits that sleeping usually brings.

Below are some of the advantages of sleeping with humidifiers.

1. Air That is Not Excessively Dry Can Help in The Prevention of Colds And Flu

Viral colds and flu can make you feel horrible and disrupt your sleep. They can appear to spread from individual to individual with no evidence of decelerating throughout the cold months.

Fortunately, air with adequate amounts of humidity that is not excessively dry can reduce the infection rate of airborne viruses.

According to researchers, a relative humidity level of 40% or above reduces the infectivity of the influenza virus by around 14%.  Below  23% humidity, over 75% of the virus preserved its infectivity.

Higher humidity helps viruses attach to water vapor droplets and fall out of the air, rather than attaching to us and directly infecting us. This illustrates why the dry winter climate makes us highly prone to disease.

Furthermore, sleep deprivation has been related to our bodies’ immune systems–especially in lowering immunological activity. For instance, we are raising inflammation and decreasing immune reactions to Hepatitis A and influenza vaccinations.

2. Higher Humidity Assist in the Relief of Congestion

The presence of dry air can result in dry and thick mucus, leading to blocked nasal passages. You may get a sore throat, sinus pain, and stuffy nose. Humidifiers may assist by providing moisture to the region, which may aid in breaking up mucus in your chest and nose.

3. Cold And Flu Symptoms Can Be Relieved

If you are suffering from cold and flu, sleeping with a humidifier can help you recover quicker. It can aid in lubricating your nasal cavity, enabling you to breathe more efficiently and relieving congestion.

Besides, humidifiers can also help relieve a sore throat and, in some instances, sinus headaches, as well as recover your peaceful sleep. What’s more, cold and fever symptoms may be exacerbated at night since lying down puts you in a vulnerable posture.

Cold-dry air, along with your sleeping position, can influence how mucus builds up in the nasal canal, and a lack of proper drainage while lying down might cause mucus buildup and aggravate cold and flu conditions. A humidifier, which adds moisture to the air, may assist in easing discomfort.

4. Moist Air Aid in the Prevention of Dry Skin

Dry skin can be caused by dry air. It will be more prone to cracking and wrinkling whenever you have dry skin—this may be pretty distressing. Sadly, applying moisturizer and chapstick to rehydrate skin may not be adequate when you have dry air in your house.

However, One thing that can assist is to have sufficient amounts of moisture in the air so that your skin can absorb it.

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) and other skin disorders that produce itchy skin can disrupt sleep. According to the National Eczema Association, a compromised skin barrier combined with varying humidity levels might aggravate these symptoms.

A humidifier, in conjunction with creams, may assist patients in retaining skin moisture, reducing itching, and promoting undisturbed sleep.

5. It can help keep your hair and scalp healthy

When there is a shortage of moisture in the air, your scalp can also be dry and itchy like other parts of your skin. This may irritate your scalp and aggravate dandruff, and even your hair may also be impacted.

Because it is composed of collagen, your hair needs a specific quantity of moisture. If your hair is subjected to dry air for an extended period, it may be brittle and dry—appropriate humidity levels may aid this.

Can You Use a Humidifier With an Air Conditioner?

You can simultaneously use a humidifier and an air conditioner (if need be). In most areas, however, you won’t need a humidifier in the summer—it’s more commonly used in the winter when the air is naturally drier.

Although using them together has no harm, only use them together when it’s necessary. That implies you should only use the humidifier if the humidity in your home is low or for any other substantial reason.

Don’t leave the humidifier running all the time as it will stress the surrounding air condition. The two units will have to compete with one another. While the humidifier adds moisture to the air, the air conditioner attempts to remove it.

If the humidifier adds too much moisture to the atmosphere, the air conditioner will be more effective in neutralizing the condition.

Can You Leave a Humidifier on All Night?

Streaming a humidifier throughout the night can be beneficial because it moisturizes your skin, mouth, and throat. But you must ensure that the surrounding humidity level is less than 30%. Otherwise, it would negate all of the benefits of using a humidifier.

You should also understand all the safety precautions you’ll need if you plan to leave your humidifier running all night. Otherwise, the device will facilitate the spreading of mold and bacteria or, worse still, cause a fire.

A humidifier should be cleaned every three days or once a week, depending on how frequently you clean it. Simply unplug the device, empty the bucket, and you’re ready to go. If you use a humidifier every night, then you should consider the following safety precautions.

• Always ensure that your humidifier has some water before turning it on. Otherwise, the circuit may burn and damage the gadget.
• Use a hygrometer to check the room’s moisture levels. If the humidity level is above 55%, then you don’t need a humidifier.
• Never fill up your humidifier with tap water, as it can result in white dust, mineral build-up, and germs. Instead, use distilled, demineralized, or filtered water.
• Only use a cool-mist humidifier if there’s a baby in the room—it’s safer and boosts sleep. No worries about the humidifier toppling over and causing burns.
• Always be sure not to run a dirty humidifier having mold spots as it can make you sick. If you spot molds on a blanket, remember to wash them out; otherwise, the dampness will nurture the breeding of microorganisms.
• Always place the humidifier on higher spots and raised surfaces. This will it’ll be out of children reach, plus the mist will distribute further.

Frequently Asked Questions