Did you know that studies have found that an estimated 40% adult men and 24% of adult women snore?
If you've grown tired of your significant other continually complaining about how you're snoring is keeping them up at night, it may be time for you to consider switching up your sleep routine.
It's common for people who snore to experience a lack of patience, exhaustion, a compromised immune system, slow metabolism, low leptin levels, and depression.
What if we told you that you could fight your snoring by investing in a humidifier. Does sleeping with a humidifier turned on really help stop your snoring? Yes, it does!
If you're interested in learning more about how a humidifier can help stop your snoring habit, we've created a complete in-depth guide to help you better understand. Keep reading to learn more!
What Is a Humidifier?
When your home's humidity levels are too low, it can wreak havoc on all areas of your health. A humidifier is a machine that emits a vapor or a mist into the air to increase humidity levels. Using a humidifier in your home can help to fight against these common health problems:
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Dry throat
- Hay fever
- Chronic runny nose
- Nosebleeds
Keep in mind that a humidifier will only help solve these health problems if a lack of humidity in your home is what is causing these conditions.
What Causes People to Snore?
Snoring is caused when there are particles of air that are vibrated, the triggers the sound of snoring. Another common cause of snoring is when the palate in the throat are vibrated by turbulent airflow, which can trigger snoring.
When our heads are laid down to sleep, there's a section of muscles in the back of our throats that becomes constricted. Since the same level of air is still being inhaled, there's an increase in the vibration in the tissues that are surrounding the narrowed hole in your throat.
Depending on how you're sleeping, as well as the state of your physical health, the narrowing of these muscles can be located in your throat, your mouth, or your nose!
How Humidity Levels Affect Snoring
When the air in your bedroom is dry, it causes the nasal membranes and your throat to dry out. Not only does this limit the airflow that you're inhaling, which results in your throat tissues vibrating, but it will also increase how congested you are.
How to Test Your Home's Moisture Levels
If you're unsure whether the air in your room is dry or not, you can test the moisture levels in your home. A simple test using a hygrometer, a device that measures the moisture in your air, will let you know if your home needs humidifying or dehumidifying.
Moisture levels in your home should be between 30% and 50%. If your home's moisture levels are below 30%, this could explain why you are having problems with snoring.
Can a Humidifier Really Help With Snoring?
Yes, a humidifier can really help you with your snoring problem. It's important that you're aware that a humidifier will only help with your snoring problem if the problem isn't caused by any type of underlying health condition, such a sleep apnea or obesity.
If you discovered that the air in your home is too dry, the first step that you want to take to fix your snoring problem is to add more humidity into your bedroom.
They are in your bedroom becomes too dry, it can cause the tissues in your throat and your mouth to become irritated. If they become too irritated, it can cause them to begin to swell, which will further constrict your areas while you're sleeping.
Plus, not many people are aware that the dryer the air is in your home, the more likely that it is that the air you're breathing in is full of dust, dander, and other allergy triggers.
What Are the Different Types of Humidifiers?
There are only two types of humidifiers that you find in the market. These are warm mist humidifiers and cool mist humidifiers.
Both of these types of humidifiers will add moisture to the air in your home. There isn't one model that would be better at alleviating the symptoms of snoring that you're experiencing. There are some differences that you should be aware of between the two models to help you purchase the best type of humidifier for your personal needs.
Cool Mist Humidifiers
This type of humidifier will add moisture to the air using cold water. There are two main types of cool mist humidifiers that you'll find on the market, which are ultrasonic humidifiers and evaporative humidifiers.
Ultrasonic humidifiers use high-frequency vibrations to create microscopic droplets of water. Once there are enough droplets of water dispenser, the humidifier will release the mist into the air.
Evaporative humidifiers use a fan, a water reservoir, and a wick filter. The humidifier will pull the water through the wick, and a fan will blow on the wick, creating small droplets of water that will later be released into the air.
Cool mist humidifiers are more popular than warm mist humidifiers because they don't pose the same serious risks that warm mist humidifiers pose if they are knocked over. Plus, it takes less energy to run a cool mist humidifier in comparison to a warm mist.
If you live in a warmer climate, a cool mist humidifier may be a better option. This is because a cool water humidifier can help to cool down a room come out so you may not have to depend on your air conditioning or fans as heavily.
However, cool mist humidifiers easily develop the growth of fungi, mold, and bacteria. This means that they must be regularly cleaned to ensure that they aren't damaging your indoor air quality. Also, the wick filters on some types of cool mist humidifiers will need to be replaced frequently.
The fan on some model options for cool mist humidifiers tend to be noisy, which could disrupt your sleep.
Warm Mist Humidifiers
Warm mist humidifiers operate with a heating element inside of the machine that boils the water that's located in the reservoir to admit the steam into your home. There are several unique advantages to using a warm mist humidifier in comparison to a cool mist humidifier.
Warm mist humidifiers don't use a fan, so they'll be quieter to run and won't make too much noise to interrupt your sleep. Plus, warm mist humidifiers don't have a filter, so you can operate them without having to worry about changing the filter.
Thanks to the heating element inside of a warm mist humidifier, you are also going to have to worry about the development of mold and bacteria inside. If you live in a colder environment, a warm mist humidifier may be a better option for you over a cold mist humidifier, because they can help to heat up the room that you're in.
Plus, many people add FDA approved incense and inhalants into the reservoir of their humidifier to make the room smell pleasant.
However, a warm mist humidifier is it more expensive to run than cool mist humidifiers because of the need to run a heating element. Plus, there is an increased chance of young children are pets being injured if the humidifier is knocked over or if the cord is tripped on.
Plus, there is an increased chance of young children are pets being injured if the humidifier is knocked over or if the cord is tripped on.
What to Consider When Going to Purchase a Humidifier
Before you invest in a humidifier, there are several things that you should consider before you decide to purchase a specific model. These points to consider include:
Size
When you're investing in a humidifier, you want to think about the size of the room that you're attempting to add more moisture into. Small humidifiers are great if you're looking for a machine that allows you to move around your home easily and won't take up too much floor space.
However, the size of the humidifier will also dictate the size of the reservoir. The larger the tank, the more water that the humidifier will be able to hold, and the longer the mist output will last before you have to refill it. Depending on the model that you select, some humidifier models will come with an automatic shut-off feature if the water tank does go dry.
Safety
If you have children in your home or people that are immunocompromised, you'll also need to consider the safety of the humidifier that you purchase. This is because for a humidifier to function properly, they will need access to water. As a result, it's very easy for humidifiers to accumulate fungi, bacteria, and mold if they aren't properly clean.
Thankfully, certain types of humidifiers are a lot easier to clean in comparison to other models available. Plus, humidifiers that release a warmest using heat don't develop the same types of bacterial growth and mold growth in the units, unlike their cold mist counterparts.
However, warm mist humidifiers can be dangerous. If you have young children or pets, warm mist humidifiers boil water to release warm vapor into the air. This means that there is an increased chance that your pet or child may suffer a burn injury if the warm mist humidifier isn't put up out of reach.
Climate
There are only two types of humidifiers available on the market. Some models release cool vapors and there are others that release warm vapors.
If you've noticed that you only struggle with snoring during a specific season, such as the winter, you want to think about the season that you're going to be most likely using this device during.
This means that if you're going to be using a humidifier in the winter, you'll want a warm mist to be admitted into the air.
Noise
Using your humidifier at night is a good idea if you're only looking to solve the problem hot snoring. This means that you also want to consider your humidifier's noise level if you're going to be using it at night. The machine should be quiet enough not to interrupt your sleep.
A great tip to keep in the back of your mind is that humidifiers that use fans are a lot louder than humidifiers that don't use any type of fan.
Replacements
You should also consider the possibility of when you have to replace your humidifier. While small humidifiers are cheaper and easier to replace, if you invest in a larger humidifier, you may only have to replace parts every few years.
Before you invest any specific model, do some research to see how often the filter systems on the humidifier will need to be replaced.
You should also check to make sure that the replacements are readily available on the market and won't cost too much money to replace.
Understanding the Benefits of Sleeping With a Humidifier
By having a solid understanding of the benefits of sleeping with a humidifier, you can bring relief to your nightly routine. If you or your partner are looking for solutions to a snoring problem, a humidifier can make a huge difference.
You should be aware that dry air can contribute to developing a snoring problem. However, if the snoring problem continues, you should consider seeing a doctor, as it may be a sign of a serious health condition.
Are you interested in investing in a high-quality humidifier? Check out our shop today!
Leave a comment