Are you or someone you know living with asthma? If you are, then you understand that sufficient humidity in the environment is necessary for proper breathing. When the air is overly dry, certain symptoms are likely to emerge. When the air is overly humid, certain symptoms will also emerge. In this post, we shall find out the best humidifier for asthma.
How do Humidifiers Ease Asthma Symptoms
Asthma is a long term condition. You’ll need a doctor’s prescription to treat it. Still, you can use humidifiers to ease the condition. To get the best results when using a humidifier, you need to research extensively and choose your gadget depending on where you intend to use it. One important factor to remember when you own a humidifier is: your gadget should be well maintained for you to enjoy perfect results.
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Asthma and its Effects in the Breathing System
Asthma affects different parts of the breathing system. This explains why suffering rapid flare-up can be life-threatening. When this happens, there will be a narrowing of the breathing muscles. Further, the suddenly congested airways, as well as a high percentage of thick phlegm, can cause breathing difficulties in asthmatic patients.
Do you experience frequent asthmatic attacks? Are you considering a humidifier? Ensure that the gadget you choose is not only maintained properly, but it should also be well maintained to minimize the number of asthma attacks in the home.
Once you relieve the discomfort inside your dry throat, mouth, and nose with humidity, you give asthmatic patients peace of mind. They also forget about the frequent flare-ups. Humidifiers, however, may not be appropriate for you is you suffer from severe breathing problems.
How do Humidifiers Function?
Humidifiers are specially designed to provide moist air at the required temperature. This is one of the most effective methods of ensuring that the airways are free. What’s more, it’s a natural method which makes it even more effective.
Many asthma victims rely on over the counter medication and nasal sprays to regulate their symptoms. These methods, however, come with various health effects. Humidifiers for asthmatics can be the most ideal solution for you if you’re looking for the ideal relief.
How to Know the Right Humidifier for Your Needs
Currently, the market is afloat with various models of humidifiers. Choosing the right gadget, therefore, can be an arduous task. If you are looking for a humidifier, conduct extensive research before finally purchasing your preferred gadget. Some of the things to check are the benefits, and vapor delivery methods. Let’s take a comprehensive look at the common types of humidifiers available in the market today.
Steam Vaporizer
At some point, the steam vaporizer was the most dynamic humidifier in the market. However, today, technology has come of age and many of the manual ways are getting phased out. Still, the steam vaporizer is a popular humidifier capable of heating the water to boiling point. It’s this steam that is circulated throughout the room.
Steam vaporizers are among the most effective humidifiers for asthma. This is because they create a warm and humid environment that asthmatic people require. However, you should understand that they come with a heated tank. If you choose this humidifier for asthma, clean it regularly to avoid the build-up of germs, and other toxic substances.
Warm Mist Vaporizer
The warm mist vaporizer is similar to the steam vaporizer. It’s designed to produce a warm mist, especially if you want the temperature in your home to remain within exact levels. The gadget cools the steam to ensure that it’s at the right temperature when released in the air. Warm mist vaporizers are ideal for asthma when used together with a central air and heating solution.
Cool Mist Humidifier
Cool mist humidifiers can operate in various ways. Some models come with a rotating disk, a wick system, or a fan that distributes mist across the air. Other advanced models utilize ultrasonic frequencies to convert the water into smaller molecules.
A cool-mist humidifier generates a cool mist to cool the air. These gadgets have no heating element which makes them more energy efficient. The effectiveness of different types of humidifiers depends on various factors. These include the desired humidity temperature and the size of the room where the gadget will be used.
How Viable is Your Humidifier of Choice?
Cool mist humidifiers are ideal for use in a bigger area. Steam humidifiers, on the other hand, are ideal for use in smaller spaces. If you suffer from asthma you need to read through the gadget’s packaging details.
This way, you will figure out what each model offers. You can opt to install a humidifier on your central furnace. This can be an effective and easy way of adding moisture to the dry air as it leaves the furnace’s exhaust. This cuts down the need to purchase and maintain different units in your home.
Maintain Your Gadget Effectively
For a humidifier to be effective to people suffering from asthma, it needs proper maintenance. Poorly maintained humidifiers are likely to become breeding places for viruses, mold, and other harmful bacteria. If you experience breathing complications, these factors can worsen your situation. Here are some of the tips to be aware of if you suffer from asthma.
Use Distilled Water
Unpurified water may contain harmful pollutants. If you have a humidifier, ensure the water you pour in the reservoir is either purified or distilled. This is a sure way to protecting your humidifier from damage.
Maintain Cleanliness
Empty your humidifier when you’re not using it. Remember to rinse it thoroughly as well every day after use. When storing the unit, make sure it’s as dry as possible to avoid the build-up of harmful substances.
Choose a Humidifier that has UV Lights
Some of the advanced humidifiers available in the market today come with UV lights. These prevent the growth of harmful substances such as mold and fungi. The UV light comes in handy especially when you have to leave the unit in an operational mode for long periods. Remember, the more you heat the water, the higher the chances of contamination.
Avoid overdoing it
Humidifiers are beneficial to people who suffer from asthma. As they try to maximize their experience, users may want to use the gadget throughout. Remember, excess humidity just like dry air may affect people who struggle with breathing complications. Make use of the humidistat or hygrometer to establish the humidity in each room.
Experts opine that humidity levels stretching above 45% is overly high and unsafe. Such levels can result in the development of mold and fungi if not controlled. Choosing the ideal humidifier for your surroundings and practicing proper maintenance enhances the benefits of humidifiers for asthmatics.
Which are the Best Humidifiers for Asthmatics?
The different types of humidifiers in the market are categorized depending on how they operate. However, all of them execute the same role, which is to ensure that the air isn’t overly dry. The common types of humidifiers are steam vaporizers, evaporate, impeller-driven, and ultrasonic humidifiers.
The impeller-driven and ultrasonic humidifiers are specially designed to produce a cool and nice mist. The ultrasonic humidifier operates silently since it makes use of ultrasonic waves which facilitate its operations. Steam vaporizers operate by heating water using an electrical element which vaporizes it to produce a warmer air.
Evaporative humidifiers utilize a fan. Remember, you need to clean your humidifier thorough to prevent the growth of mold and other toxic substances. Here are some of the best humidifiers on the market today.
Honeywell GermFree HCM350W
The Honeywell GermFree HCM350W is a cool-mist humidifier specially designed to operate in sizable rooms. It utilizes a wick as opposed to spraying mist in the room. This eliminates the damp feeling you’ll often experience with cheaper humidifiers. This unit operates quietly and features an antimicrobial UV light which purifies the water to prevent white dust. The filter can last up to two months.
URPOWER Humidifier
The URPower humidifier is an ultrasonic 5-liter humidifier that operates silently. It’s ideal for cool humidification and can continuously run for between 14 and 17 hours continuously. Of course, this depends on the speed setting. This unit comes with an inbuilt filter which eliminates the need to replace it every now and then. This gadget will automatically shut down once it runs out of water.
Honeywell HUL520W MistMate
The Honeywell HUL520W MistMate is portable and ideal for use on the go. This unit is an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier that features a 0.5-gallon reservoir and comes with advanced technology. The gadget can operate non-stop for up to 20 hours. You can easily turn it on and off using its knob.
This unit doesn’t come with a filter which means you should use distilled water to prevent the production of white dust or residue in the water reservoir. This unit comes in a compact size which makes it ideal for temporary placement.
Finally
If you or anyone in your house suffers from asthma, you need to adopt robust measures to guarantee sufficient humidity in the air. Humidifiers can help you achieve this. What’s more, there are numerous humidifiers on the market today and you can get one that meets your needs for affordable prices.