Do you often have a hard time getting to sleep at night? Do you feel like your sinuses are dry and irritated? Do you snore at night? Getting a humidifier can be the best step you could take to eliminate your snoring and sleep better. Explore some of the benefits of getting one here.
Snoring is a harsh or hoarse sound that comes from the back of your neck when you are asleep. It usually happens when you are breathing, which can be caused by several factors, such as weight, smoking, etc.
Snoring can be disruptive to your daily routine. You may not have realized it yet, but you could be feeling tired all the time and feeling sleepy during the day. The reason for this is that your snoring condition may be keeping you up at night, preventing you from having a full night's sleep.
What are the Symptoms Indicating Snoring Problems?
It can be a little hard for you to notice your snoring problems, but we cannot say the same for your partner. However, if you look carefully, you may see some minuscule symptoms that can be used to confirm that you have a snoring condition.
You could be showing several symptoms that may be used to indicate your snoring condition. Some of these symptoms are:
- Breathing pauses at night.
- Daytime sleepiness
- Daytime fatigue
- Restless sleep
- Morning headaches
- Sore throat in the morning
- Gasps or choking at night
- High blood pressure
- Loud snoring
- Low attention spans and difficulties concentrating.
Snoring is often associated with sleep apnea, although not all snorers are necessarily affected by the condition. Most snoring cases are usually caused by physiological conditions, like for instance, when your throat's back muscles collapse into the airway restricting regular airflow.
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However, the are other snoring cases that are caused by other factors such as allergies, cold weather, dry climate, and dry weather, etc. that are responsible for causing nasal congestion and throat irritation. Humidifiers could be a great option when dealing with these conditions.
You should probably still be aware that humidifiers can’t eliminate your snoring condition by themselves. It would be best if you instead used them as a complementary addition to your other treatment options, such as anti-allergens and making your home dust-free.
What is a Humidifier?
By today’s standards, a humidifier is an electrical appliance that adds moisture to a room or building’s air to make it less dry. Humidifier therapy helps treat dry skin, lips, and can even alleviate symptoms caused by cold or flu.
There are four types of humidifiers; evaporators, impellers, steam vaporizers, ultrasonic humidifiers, and central humidifiers. These humidifiers produce two types of mists: cool mist and warm mist and are classified as either console or portable. Console units are meant to moisturize one room or the entire house and often have wheels for more effortless movement.
Portable humidifiers are great for when you want to travel.
Types of Humidifiers
Cool Mist Humidifiers
Cool mist humidifiers add moisture to the air using cold water and are either ultrasonic or evaporative.
Ultrasonic: They disperse water into the air using high-frequency vibrations that form a mist.
Evaporative: These types of humidifiers use a cold-water reservoir, a fan, and a wick filter where the water gets drawn through the wick and is dispersed using a fan.
These humidifiers tend to be the most popular option, but they have their advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- The humidifiers use cold water hence reducing the risk for scalding.
- They require less energy to operate.
- The cold water can help bring down a room's temperature.
Cons:
- They can develop mold and bacteria if they are not cleaned properly, which may cause more respiratory complications, especially if you have allergies.
- Their wick filters will require constant replacement.
- Evaporative humidifiers use a fan for dispersing, and they can be loud.
- Ultrasonic humidifiers may deposit white dust, water minerals, on your surroundings, especially if you don't use distilled water.
Warm Mist Humidifiers
Warm mist humidifiers, as the name suggests, use a boiling mechanism to heat the water and then disperse it in the air.
Pros:
- Warm mist humidifiers don’t use a fan which makes them convenient to use for your snoring problem, especially when you’re sleeping at night
- Boiling the water eliminates bacteria, and this makes it more hygienic.
- They don't require filter changes.
- Some of these humidifiers come with absorption pads that help remove water minerals.
- The warm mist can help heat the room slightly, which makes them great for winter.
- Warm mist humidifiers can be used to disperse medicated aromas such as mint which can help alleviate your flu symptoms.
Cons:
- Warm mist humidifiers pose a risk for scalding, especially if children are involved.
- Warm mist humidifiers require more energy to operate.
How Can a Humidifier Help Reduce Snoring?
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Preventing Colds
Have you ever noticed that you start to snore, or you find yourself snoring more when you have a cold? While this may not be necessarily true to all people, most people have found a relationship between snoring and having a cold.
If you are genetically predisposed to have a small throat, then the chances are that getting cold will trigger or worsen your snoring condition. However, when you get a cold, your airway is restricted even further, and this causes you to snore at night.
You may not notice this, maybe because your snoring may not often be that loud. However, combined with other treatment methods, humidifiers are a great way to ease your snoring problems.
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How Do You Get a Cold?
Most colds come about when your nasal cavity is exposed to dry air. Now, this is bad since dry air robs the nasal cavity of moisture, making it dry. A dry nasal cavity is more prone to irritation and breaking. When the nasal cavity's skin breaks, it provides a conducive place for microbes to thrive.
How does your body react to this invasion? Your body's defense system, the white blood cells, also known as lymphocytes, attack the microbes, and destroy them. The nasal cavity then secretes mucus that is used to get rid of the dead microbes and prevent reinfection.
If the mucus secretions are too much, then they may obstruct your airway, especially if it's small, and not only make it difficult for you to breathe and sleep but also cause you to snore. The best way you can tackle this is to use preventative measures like a humidifier, for instance.
Using humidifiers, especially in your bedroom, is an essential preventative measure for your snoring condition, especially during the winter season or if you live in a dry area.
What you Should Consider When Purchasing a Humidifier
Noise
If you plan to use your humidifier at night, you should consider the amount of noise the humidifier produces since it can affect the quality of sleep you get. Humidifiers that use fans are generally louder than those that don't.
Size
The bigger the humidifier, the bigger the area where it can disperse moisture. It would be best if you considered where you want to use your humidifier, single room use, or for the entire house before you purchase one.
Quality
Purchase high-quality humidifiers that work well and won't need any replacements any time soon. You should also ensure that your humidifier's replacement parts are easy to find if needed.
Safety
Purchase humidifiers that are safe to operate and take measures to ensure that they do not form a hazardous environment for you, your children, or your pets.
Climate
Since humidifiers produce either cold or warm mist, you should purchase one that fits your needs. If you have a snoring condition that’s triggered by allergies, you should buy warm mist humidifiers since they are more sanitary.
How do you Use a Humidifier to Control Snoring?
If you need to use a humidifier as a solution for your snoring problem, then you should follow these simple steps to get the best results.
- Switch the humidifier on about an hour before you go to bed to allow some time to moisturize the air and make it more conducive for your sinuses.
- Position your humidifier at least five feet from your bed.
- It would be best if you didn't switch it off during the night, allow it to run throughout the night for the best results.
If your local climate is humid enough, then you won't need to use a humidifier. You can also forgo using a humidifier during wet seasons like the summer. If your room becomes too humid, the conditions might encourage the growth of mold and mildew, which can worsen your condition.
Purchasing a humidifier is not a guarantee that you'll stop snoring, but it may help. You should first assess and find out if your snoring problems are brought about due to breathing in dry air. If, however, you find out that the condition is brought about due to something else, then you should first address that issue. Have yourself checked by a physician to help you determine the actual cause of your condition and then work on resolving the issue.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, buying a humidifier is a positive lifestyle change and a significant first step. You should try and incorporate more positive life changes to help you get better and healthier. Do some exercising to bring your weight down, quit any negative habits, and you'll be feeling fit in no time.
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