But did you know that dry winter air also can make you vulnerable to illness? Breathing dry air can cause respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis and nosebleeds. Breathing dry air also can cause dehydration since body fluids are depleted during respiration.
Cold air is often dry air, and for many, especially those with chronic lung disease, that can spell trouble. Dry air can irritate the airways of people with lung diseases. This can lead to wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.
It's true, in low-humidity environments, your immune system defenses may be lowered and therefore, can cause you to be more susceptible to viruses and other illnesses. Overall, to help prevent the proliferation of viruses in your home, it's important to keep your home's humidity between 40-60 percent.
While it may seem counterintuitive, it is actually helpful to open the windows and remove the stale, dry air from your house. Open windows during the daytime to let the fresh air in. It will help you breathe easy, and your skin won't feel that dry and itchy. Plus, it will also improve your home air quality.
Do You Get Sick from Being Cold? While it's advice you've heard for years, Fecher says it's true, but not in the sense of catching a cold virus or the flu. “You can't get sick from being cold in general, whether you are outside or inside,” Fecher says.
Yes, dry air can cause sore throat by irritating the mucous membranes in the throat and making the tissues more vulnerable to infection.
Cold air can dry out the tissue in the throat and can cause severe irritation.
When humidity levels are extremely low, you lose more water vapor through respiration and the pores in your skin. This can cause chronic dry skin, chapped lips, a scratchy throat, and an itchy nose.
You can humidify a room naturally by placing indoor plants, bowls of water, or wet towels around the room. You can also take advantage of activities that produce moisture, such as showering or boiling water on the stove.
Breathing dry air can cause respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis and nosebleeds. Breathing dry air also can cause dehydration since body fluids are depleted during respiration. “Your sinuses will dry out,” says family medicine physician Daniel Allan, MD.
Without having to spend a dime, you can increase your home's humidity by placing a metal or ceramic bowl of water on top of your floor registers or radiant heating unit. The water will evaporate into humid air. On a sunny day, place a bowl or vase filled with water on your windowsills.
Super-cold air, wind, or water can make you sick. It's called cold stress. It can affect you in different ways, depending on climate conditions, how you're dressed, medical conditions you might have, and how long you're out in it.
Too little humidity isn't good for sleep either. Cold air holds less moisture than warm air. Air that is dry can lead irritated nasal passages, sneezing, coughing, itchy throat and may even increase suffering from colds and other viruses. This in turn can lead to more snoring and makes sleeping difficult.
Humidity that's too low or too high can cause problems. Low humidity can cause dry skin, irritate your nasal passages and throat, and make your eyes itchy.
First try a hygrometer, which is like a thermometer, except it measures moisture levels rather than temperature. Your home should sit somewhere between 30 and 50 percent humidity. If it's measuring below 30 percent, you may need to invest in a humidifier to remedy the dry air symptoms.
This DIY ice fan hack works surprisingly well and takes less than 10 minutes to make. Simply stick a bowl of ice water in front of your fan to help circulate the cooler air.
Let's talk about what humidity levels you should keep in your home year-round, and different techniques to do so. Ideal in-home humidity levels should hover around 45%. Anything under 30% is too dry, and over 50% is too high.
Low humidity causes static electricity, dry skin, lips and hair, scratchy throats and noses, and itching and chapping. Mucous membranes in nose and throat dry out, increasing your discomfort and susceptibility to colds and respiratory illness.