Benefits of Humidifiers for Sleep and Health

Saying goodbye to summer means bidding adieu to beach days, pool parties, and cookouts every weekend. It also means that the naturally high humidity that helped keep us comfy while we sleep is about to be replaced by crisp autumn air and the punishingly cold winter months.

You can crank up the heat to keep toasty inside, but that can lead to low moisture levels and dryness that exacerbates asthma or allergy symptoms. All you wanted was a little relief, but instead you get dry skin, a scratchy throat, and unwelcome nosebleeds to ruin your day. No bueno.

That’s where having a home humidifier comes in handy. This simple and relatively inexpensive appliance offers many benefits of humidifiers, not only for your general health but for improving your quality of sleep too. 

That’s why we created this handy guide to outline the most important benefits of a humidifier, as well as how to choose the best humidifier for your home. Check it out below!

Why Humidifiers Can Improve Your Sleep

Running a humidifier in your home works wonders in terms of improving the relative humidity of the air and making things feel a touch comfier, but what does that mean for your sleep?

Breathe Easier

Dry air wreaks havoc on our nasal passages and throat, causing common cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, and even nosebleeds when things get especially arid.

Humidifiers work to combat these uncomfortable feelings by increasing the amount of moisture in the air, so you breathe easier and actually relax when it’s time to lie down for the evening.

Reduce Snoring

It’s not a coincidence that many CPAP machines feature built-in humidifiers to deliver humid air to the patient during CPAP therapy. That’s because humidified air protects your throat and nasal passages from irritation and, in turn, may reduce the frequency of snoring.

A cross-sectional study in Sleep and Breathing¹ gave credence to this theory, determining that “an increase in relative humidity was associated with a decrease in the snoring index.” So, for regular snorers, switching on a humidifier before hitting the hay may provide some relief from snoring and contribute to more restful sleep as a result.

Creates a Comfy Sleep Environment

You dim the lights, set the thermostat to a cozy temperature, and slide beneath your sheets, but how can anyone be expected to relax in a room that’s so dreadfully dry?

Dry air irritates your throat and nose, but it also contributes to itchy skin, chapped lips, dry eyes, and staticky sheets. All of these factors combined are enough to drive anyone mad when they’re supposed to be drifting off to dreamland.

Humidifiers add some much-needed moisture to the room, which may make things much more comfortable and encourage more restful sleep.

Humidifiers and Skin, Hair, and Eye Health

Humidifiers don’t just promote better sleep; they also turn regular old sleep into “beauty sleep” by offering the following benefits to your skin, hair, and eyes.

Prevent Dry Skin and Chapped Lips

Do you get insanely itchy during the winter months? Like, feverishly scratching your skin raw for a modicum of relief itchy? 

We know what you mean, and indoor dryness may be to blame. According to the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology², “low humidity and low temperatures lead to a general decrease in skin barrier function,” which may lead to dry skin, skin irritation, and “increase the prevalence and risk of flares in patients with atopic dermatitis.”

You can (and should) slather on the balm or lotion to soothe your skin, but the National Eczema Association³ recommends running a humidifier while you sleep or for a significant portion of the day to replace the moisture in the air.

It’s not necessarily the solution to every skin problem, but it’s often a simple and straightforward way to relieve these pesky symptoms and restore a little peace to your life.

Support Healthy Hair and Scalp

Dry air takes its toll on your skin, but it doesn’t stop there. Your scalp is equally susceptible to the ill effects of indoor dryness, meaning you may be left with brittle hair or an itchy, flaky scalp if you’re sleeping in a dry room night after night.

Adding moisture back into the air using a humidifier helps keep your hair supple while reducing scalp irritation. So, if you’re trying to keep those luxurious locks through the winter, you’ll want to consider having a humidifier on every evening while you sleep.

Reduce Eye Dryness

Do your eyes get super dry when the weather’s cold outside? It’s common during the winter months, and the culprit is—you guessed it—indoor dryness. Let’s break down why.

Basically, our eyes have this protective layer on the outside called the “tear film.” The tear film keeps your eyes feeling moist and comfy while also protecting you from environmental irritants, allergens, and infections. 

According to Cornea⁴, your tear film evaporates quickly in an environment with low relative humidity. In fact, researchers noted that “tear film parameters observed after exposure to a desiccating environment for 1 hour were similar to those of the dry eye patient,” so it doesn’t take long before that dry air takes its toll.

The solution: Turn on your trusty humidifier and keep that relative humidity where it should be at a comfy 40 to 50 percent. Your eyes will thank you—especially if you’re already prone to dry eyes from wearing contact lenses or staring at screens all day.

Respiratory Health Benefits of Humidifiers

You’re going to have a harder time getting to sleep if you’re dealing with unpleasant feelings like those, but that’s not all. According to Respiratory Medicine⁵, “cold temperature and low humidity were associated with increased occurrence of [respiratory tract infections].” 

So, you won’t just feel sick; you may actually get sick too!

Running a humidifier provides some level of protection against this, decreasing your chances of contracting a respiratory tract infection while simultaneously combating symptoms such as sinus irritation, congestion, and indoor allergies.

You’ll still want to stay in that sweet spot of 40 to 50 percent relative humidity, as too much humidity may have an adverse effect on your health⁶. As they say, everything in moderation.

How Humidifiers Benefit Your Home Environment

You’re not the only one who can benefit from a humidifier. Your entire house may actually benefit from a higher moisture levels in the following ways:

• Wood: Furniture, flooring, and even musical instruments are especially sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Low moisture levels often cause the wood to warp, crack, or shrink, resulting in damage that requires repair or replacement.
• Plants: Ever notice how moist the air in a greenhouse feels? Plants love lush habitats, and your home is no exception to the rule. Humidifiers improve indoor air quality, which gives houseplants what they need to thrive.
• Static Electricity: It comes as no shock that dry environments increase the prevalence of static electricity, meaning sparks will fly as you slide into your sheets if your room is too dry. Often, you’ll get a small, insignificant shock and see your hairs stand on ends, but some electronics may be affected if you’re especially unlucky.

Choosing the Best Humidifier for Your Bedroom

Choosing the right humidifier for your bedroom may seem like a daunting task. That’s why our team of experts here at Sleepopolis put together this list of the best humidifiers to make things more manageable.

First, you want to decide which type of humidifier you’ll want to use:

• Cool-mist humidifiers disperse a cool mist of water vapor in order to moisturize the air. They’re further subdivided into evaporative humidifiers, which use a fan, and ultrasonic humidifiers, which rely on vibrations to get the job done.
• Warm-mist humidifiers boil water to produce steam, which makes them effective at killing bacteria and slightly good at heating the room a little too. It’s recommended to exercise caution when using these around children and pets, however, since boiling water can cause serious injuries if it spills.

Once you’ve decided what suits your needs and personal preferences, you’ll need to calculate the square footage of your bedroom and check it against the specs indicated on your potential humidifier’s packaging and/or manufacturer’s instructions to see if they’re a match. It’s okay if it’s not a precise match, but you don’t want too great a discrepancy or you risk your humidifier being ineffective or, conversely, too effective by adding too much humidity to the space.

Smaller bedrooms may benefit from a compact model, like the Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier, whereas large bedrooms need a little more oomph, like the kind you’ll get from the Vornado Lucerna 3 Alchemy Ultrasonic Humidifier.

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