Do humidifiers help with sleep apnea and snoring?
Before answering this question, let us know: how does humidity affect your sleep? Incredible but true. Excessively high and low humidity levels. In your bedroom, they play an important role in controlling your sleeping patterns.
High humidity in your bedroom can be a major cause of poor sleep quality. As the excess moisture present in the air hinders the evaporation of moisture by your body. It makes you feel sweaty. Hot and uncomfortable all night.
What’s more! If you suffer from mold allergies. High humidity levels can cause significant problems while you sleep. By encouraging mold growth.
Dry air or lower humidity levels indoors can also make you feel uncomfortable while you sleep. Since it dries out your nasal passages and skin. That is why humidifiers filterless are also recommended if you suffer from it.
Especially during excessively cold winter nights. You are more likely to catch a cold. Flu or other allergies if the air inside is too dry and is making it difficult for you to sleep.
Obviously, excess moisture. As well as the dryness of the air. It can be a major cause of restless night sleep. If left unchecked for a long time, it can lead to sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, snoring, and many others.
What are sleep apnea and snoring?
Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which a person’s normal breathing is interrupted during sleep. This can be in the form of one or more breathing pauses at the time of sleep.
Due to this condition, an affected person may experience repeated interruptions of breathing during the night. In a chronic condition. These stops and starts can occur more than 20 to 30 times in an hour. Which greatly disrupts the sleep pattern.
Types of sleep apnea
There are mainly three types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Central sleep apnea
- Complex sleep apnea
Sleep apnea can lead to less restful sleep that leaves you feeling fatigued the next day. If it is not treated. It can also cause problems like excessive daytime sleepiness or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Causes and symptoms of sleep apnea
Sleep Apnea is usually caused by obstruction of the nasal passage, which reduces the flow of air to the lungs. In some extreme cases. The air passage is completely blocked, which can even cause death while sleeping.
Some of the main symptoms of sleep apnea are:
- Loud snoring.
- The long pauses in breathing. Drowsiness and panting during the day.
- Nighttime awakenings or insomnia, snorting or choking during sleep.
- Waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth.
- The Depression.
- The irritability.
- The bad mood and forgetfulness.
The sad thing is that the disease often remains undiagnosed because the most prominent and common symptoms occur at the time one is sleeping.
Snoring vs. Sleep Apnea: What’s the Difference?
Sleep apnea and snoring. Even though they are common sleep disorders. Both have their own symptoms and health impacts.
Sleep apnea is a serious disorder in which a person’s breathing is interrupted while sleeping. In this condition. All parts of the body (including the brain) stop receiving a sufficient supply of oxygen. Chronic conditions can even lead to death while sleeping.
Snoring, on the other hand, is not as serious as sleep apnea. Since it is just the harsh bass sound (produced by the nose or mouth) during sleep.
This occurs due to partial obstruction of breathing during sleep. The narrower the airways become while sleeping. The higher the vibrations and the louder the snoring sound.
Does a humidifier help with sleep apnea?
Control the change of seasons. Outside temperature and humidity are out of your reach. All you can do is install a good humidifier in your home that can handle optimal humidity levels in all seasons.
Studies have shown that installing a good quality humidifier in bedrooms has been found to be highly beneficial for people suffering from disorders such as sleep apnea and snoring.
As the humidifier controls and manages the humidity level of your bedroom at around 30-50%. Also, it makes your skin and airways relax to enjoy the most comfortable night’s sleep without any disturbance.
Choosing the best humidifier for sleep is important to creating a healthier sleep environment in your bedroom all year round.
But nevertheless. When you are in the market to choose the best humidifier for snoring. There are many varieties and styles available. Which makes it challenging for you to choose the most prominent one.
A whole-house humidifier can be very helpful for you and your family members. Since it can make your whole house more comfortable. Choosing a portable humidifier for sleep apnea may be a better decision as it allows you to add and control humidity levels within your bedroom while you sleep.
Some of the smartest humidifiers today come with features like remote control and Bluetooth along with Wi-Fi, Alexa, and Echo Dot compatibility. This portable size humidifier allows you to control your device even when you sleep at night.
Considerations when choosing your sleep device
When choosing the best humidifier for snoring and sleep apnea. Make sure you don’t go after models that come with bells and whistles (like a humidifier with diffusers).
Although they are good for relieving some allergies. They can’t do anything for sleep disorders like snoring and sleep apnea. When choosing between the humidifier or the vaporizer. Your decision should depend on your budget and your home.
In general, vaporizers are comparatively expensive and use more energy to run. Due to the heating element they have. It can be risky to operate them near your pets and children.
The advantage is that they produce the warm mist of hydrated air that is soothing to the respiratory tract. Irritation of the throat and mouth.
Device setup and use for sleep disorders
It doesn’t matter what type of humidifier you choose for sleep problems. It is good to start the device an hour before going to bed. This will help improve the sleep environment in your bedroom so you can breathe all night comfortably. You can place your unit near your bed on a nightstand or shelf for maximum benefit.
CPAP machine with a humidifier: Help?
The use of a CPAP machine is one of the most recommended treatments to relieve chronic sleep apnea and snoring.
But since the air that comes out of the CPAP is dry air. It can dry the patient’s nasal tract. These machines are therefore risky for patients to use in certain cases. By adding a humidifier to the CPAP machine. Moisture is added to the air flowing through the nasal passage.
The hydrated air that is breathed in acts as a soothing agent to release all the inflammation, which helps to breathe freely. Due to the varied demand of users. There are different CPAP machines available in the market.
Some of them come with pre-installed humidifiers. While others need an additional humidifier to be installed. If your doctor has prescribed a CPAP treatment method. It is good to opt for a CPAP machine with a humidifier. Since it can relieve all conditions relatively faster.
Do not forget to consult your doctor and check if it is beneficial for your specific condition or not. In general, sleep apnea and snoring are due to partial or complete nasal obstruction.
It can affect a person at any age and if left untreated. It can lead to an increasing number of health problems. Like high blood pressure. Cerebrovascular accidents. Heart failure and diabetes.
Fortunately, the problem can be easily addressed by providing a better sleep environment. The humidifier plays an important role in managing the conditions. So why not install one in your bedroom to sleep better and let your partner sleep peacefully.
