Every day for the past few weeks I’ve woken up with dry, itchy skin; chapped lips; a sore throat and a bloody nose. I’m not sick. I’m just parched. I use a humidifier in the winter months. Can’t sleep well without it – but it broke. Don’t judge, but the humidifier I used was shaped like a penguin. It did a fine job of keeping my husband and me comfortable at night and neither of us woke up feeling like we were on vacation in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Sadly, my penguin died. But they say that when one door closes, another one opens. I’m not sure if that’s the appropriate expression, but on the day my penguin went to the great Galapos Islands in the sky, I received an email from a Honeywell rep asking if I wanted to receive a free Honeywell humidifier for review.
Look guys, I’m a writer. I’ve been able to make a living writing but, believe me, it’s all hustle and grind so when the opportunity for swag, especially swag that I use and live by comes along, I’m on it. I chose the humidifier I wanted and I waited. And I suffered. At the end of February, the temperatures where I live were in the mid 20s by day and dipped into the teens at night. Some days were sunny; on others, it snowed. Snow = bad, especially for my delicate nasal passages and throat. But it was my skin that drove me crazy. It became so dry, it began to flake. I work from home so, yeah, the house’s lack of humidity took its toll no matter how much lotion I used or how often I applied it. The dry air also caused my husband to snore louder than usual which kept me awake most nights. I’d lie in bed, listening to the harsh sounds emanating from the man I married and I’d try to remember that I loved him but, I resorted to violence – poking, prodding, pinching and kicking him in an effort to get him to roll over and stop that infernal sound. I wanted that humidifier!
So a little about humidity in the house …
According to the website, HealthLiving.today, low humidity accounts not only for the ailments I’d been suffering but may also result in dry eyes when dry air evaporates the tears in your tear ducts. The site adds that there’s even a name for cracked, itchy skin that’s the result from low humidity. It’s termed “winter itch” and it is more than a beauty concern. “Without a firm layer of skin protecting the body’s internal system, you run greater risk of getting sick and transmitting the illness to others.” In addition, says HealthLiving.today, when the balance of moisture in the human body changes, the body will pull water from a convenient source, that is, the skin. This may lead to dehydration and complications from it. (I always keep a bottle of water on my nightstand but even as my husband’s snoring, my dry throat and chapped lips kept me awake, no amount of water alleviated my discomfort. I was still parched.)
That’s only part of the story. I haven’t found any evidence leading to this conclusion, but it’s my opinion that dry air ages our skin. And no amount of moisturizer seemed to help. It merely disappeared and afforded only temporary relief.
And low humidity isn’t only bad for us. It’s bad for our pets, our houseplants, our wood floors and furniture and our paint jobs. If low humidity can cause our furniture and floors to crack, imagine what it’s doing to our skin and hair! (Just look at my little Sophie, above. She has hair as opposed to fur and it’s loaded with static electricity due to the dry air in the house.)
I received my Honeywell QuietCare® Cool Moisture Humidifier last week and put it on immediately. (It’s not called QuietCare for nothing, by the way.) My husband and I felt the difference instantly! The air felt cooler, moister, more comfortable. I slept great that night and woke up without a bloody nose, itchy skin and a sore throat. My cough disappeared; my husband’s snoring was, well, he still snored, but it was light enough for me to sleep through. My moisturizing lotion didn’t disappear the moment I put it on, my eyes didn’t bother me and my scalp didn’t itch.
The Honeywell line of humidifiers is worth checking out. Not sure which one will work for you? The Honeywell site is loaded with information so you can make the best purchase for your needs. From the Honeywell site: “A fan blows moisture off a saturated wicking filter helping it evaporate into the air more quickly. The moisture output is invisible, since the water is evaporating off the filter. It is not possible to over-humidify, since the air will not absorb any more moisture than it can hold.” As I reported above, my husband and I felt the change in the air immediately.
Aside from the few weeks between the demise of my penguin humidifier and the receipt of my new Honeywell QuietCare Cool Moisture Humidifier, I haven’t slept without a humidifier in years. It is an inexpensive apparatus that’s worth its weight in water, which on a dry winter day, is a hot commodity indeed.
Convinced that you should have a humidifier in your home? (You should!) Try these:
Honeywell QuietCare Cool Moisture Humidifier, $59.99.
Honeywell Cool Moisture Humidifier, $44.99.
Honeywell MistMate™ Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier, $29.99.
Check them all out to decide which one will work best for your home. I chose mine based on the size of my bedroom.
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