Dry indoor air problem. How does dry air in an apartment affect health? interferes with sleep and enjoyment of life

The human body is open system that interacts with the environment every second. Therefore, the parameters of the surrounding world greatly affect the health and activity of a person. One of the most important parameters for us is air humidity. Scientists and doctors have proven that the effect of dry air on breathing wears negative character... Also, dry air will dry out the skin and dehydrate the body as a whole.

Why is the air dry

Dry air is characteristic of a desert climate. But we do not live in the desert, but in temperate and northern latitudes. A hundred years ago, the problem of dry air did not stand. It appeared with the sprawl of cities and the construction of multi-storey buildings. The materials used actively absorb moisture from the air. Heating methods in winter and imperfect ventilation create a poor microclimate in rooms with extremely low humidity of about 30%. Additionally, the air is dried by electric Appliances... Newfangled ceiling radiators and wall radiators especially dry the air.

But dry air isn't always harmful. For example, dry air makes it easier to carry high temperature environment... And all this is due to the intense evaporation process, including through breathing.

The effect of dry air on the respiratory system

It should be noted that dry air has fewer contraindications than waterlogged air. But if the relative humidity in the room is less than 10%, this leads to serious disturbances in the functioning of the lungs, and has a bad effect on the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth. Leads to exacerbation bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Summer optimum humidity air is 60-75%, in winter 55-70%. But in modern concrete houses such moisture is not retained. In dry weather, humidity in spring and summer does not exceed 40%, during the heating season in autumn and winter it drops to 25-30%. Children suffer the most from dry air. And the younger they are, the more destructive the dry air is. Low humidity can lead to degeneration of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract - especially the nose. This leads to easier penetration of various infections and dust into the body. Other possible adverse effects are chronic rhinitis, frequent bleeding due to increased fragility of small vessels, especially during the heating season.

Even in perfectly healthy people, dry air makes breathing difficult, because less oxygen enters the lungs. The lungs begin to work in an unusual way. As a result, the state of health worsens, toxins accumulate in the blood, metabolic processes are disrupted. This is especially characteristic of throat infections, prolonged unpleasant perspiration without fever. The sore throat is attacked by sore throats.

As a result of dehydration due to dry air, the bronchial and ear-nose-throat regions are affected. The mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract lose their protective function. The thinnest vegetation covering them, called the respiratory epithelium, is destroyed. Adults to recover protective functions respiratory organs and improve overall well-being, it is enough to increase the humidity of the air with improvised means: air humidifiers, containers with water, wet rags on the battery. But for children more than 4-7 days in a dry room, it is dangerous to be, especially babies. Large-scale studies of Swiss scientists have shown that in kindergartens with 50% humidity, almost half the number of children sick with acute respiratory diseases and influenza than in ordinary dry rooms without additional moisture. Humidity of 50-60% is considered ideal.

Dry air from a winter street, heated in a room, like a powerful pump, pumps moisture from everything it comes into contact with, which means it takes moisture away from a person. At low air humidity, water from the skin, mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes actively moves into the environment. As a result, the protective moist layer in which they live is reduced. beneficial bacteria and our defenders are at work - antibodies. Skin, mucous membranes, vessel walls become brittle, bleeding, and vulnerable to infection. Children are especially susceptible to air humidity. The skin and mucous membranes of babies are very moist, delicate and sensitive. As a result, the loss of moisture primarily reduces the protective capacity of the respiratory tract, as a result of which respiratory diseases - rhinitis, bronchitis and even pneumonia - become more frequent.

In addition, dry air contains a lot different kinds pollutants. Dust particles, bacteria, fungi, spores, wool are the agents we fight with wet cleaning. In dry air, the content of these harmful particles is much higher, which also contributes to its harmful effect... Since the listed agents for many people are malicious enemies - allergens, it is obvious that dry air is the enemy of allergy sufferers! That is why, for the prevention of respiratory tract diseases, allergic diseases, it is recommended to maintain the humidity in the room at least 40, and preferably 50-60%.

The need to humidify the air is obvious for those who want to prevent and delay the appearance of wrinkles. Loss of moisture in the skin is the reason for its aging! Few people know that in an attempt to preserve beauty and youth with the help of protective and moisturizing creams, when used in conditions of low air humidity, we cause serious harm to the skin! When the relative humidity is insufficient, the moisturizer, instead of attracting moisture from the outside, draws it out from the depths of the skin, thereby making it even drier!

In addition, air humidity of 50% is simply the most comfortable. With such humidity, both children and adults feel comfortable, with such humidity, the day passes in activity and vigor, and the night passes in a calm, pleasant sleep.

The air we breathe contains many harmful substances: carpet dust, tobacco smoke, pollen, animal hair, dust mites, etc. These substances cause allergies and diseases of the respiratory system.

Effects:

Headache
Dizziness
Irritation of the nasal cavity
Nausea
Respiratory tract diseases
Allergy
Asthma
Pulmonary diseases
Skin irritation

You can turn an apartment into winter Garden by placing dozens of indoor plants in it, and when regular watering the moisture they give off may be sufficient to maintain an acceptable relative humidity. But given the limited living space in our apartments, as well as for aesthetic reasons, this method is not very applicable, and it will be much easier to install a small device that will not only increase the humidity of the air and purify it, it will maintain it at a given You level.

What devices are there for air humidification?

The most common types of humidifiers are steam, ultrasonic, traditional (cold steam) humidifiers, and air washers.

Steam humidifiers work on the principle of hot evaporation, like a kettle. This is another common way to saturate the air with moisture vapor, while humidification occurs with sterile steam, and all impurities settle at the bottom of the device.

In an ultrasonic humidifier, water from a tank is fed to an ultrasonic membrane that vibrates at a high frequency, where it is split into tiny splashes that "gush" over the membrane.

The air flow created by the fan blows the resulting cold steam into the room. With small dimensions ultrasonic humidifiers have high performance and can be suitable for large rooms.

In air washers, dry air is humidified by passing through rotating discs, partially immersed in water, from the surface of which moisture naturally evaporates. In this case, dust and dirt settle both on the discs themselves and on the surface of the water, and are easily removed from there during the cleaning of the humidifier under running water... An important advantage of air washers is their low operating cost due to the absence of consumables.

Relative humidity is a criterion for assessing the indoor climate, which is the percentage of water vapor in the air at the current temperature.

In the cold season, the optimum air humidity in the apartment is 35-45%. If the humidity is less than 30%, there is a threat to health.

How to measure indoor humidity?

To measure the humidity in the room, it is used special device- hygrometer. You can do without it if you use folk method: You need to bring a pine cone home. So, if the air in the room is dry, the bump will "fluff" its scales, and with a normal amount of moisture, they will be pressed against each other.

Why dry air is dangerous:

decreased performance (fatigue, apathy, drowsiness);
infections;
dehydration of the body;
dry skin of the face and hands.

How to deal with dry air:

ventilate the room, because the drier the air, the less oxygen it contains, due to which biochemical processes are disrupted in the blood, which is fraught with fatigue and weakness. To enrich the air with oxygen and maintain efficiency, you need to open the window after waking up and before going to bed for 5-10 minutes. If it is raining, it is better to put the window on micro-ventilation;
start houseplants- aloe, ficus, dracaena, etc. Several pots with plants should be placed in a room where a person spends most of the day. In addition, by regularly watering the flowerpots and spraying them from a spray bottle, you can also provide additional air humidification;
you can purchase a special humidifier for the home, which will help to avoid drying out the mucous membranes of the eyes and the spread of respiratory infections;
humidification of the air in the apartment can be organized with the help of grandmother's advice. So, vessels with water are placed in the room or wet linen is hung - the evaporating moisture will saturate the air.

How to get rid of symptoms caused by dry air?

regular wet cleaning will help get rid of the effects of heating in the form of dust, which is forced to circulate in the room by the air currents from the radiator. This is fraught with allergies, so wet cleaning will help get rid of unpleasant symptoms;
inhalation of dry air threatens to dehydrate the body, so you need to drink a lot of liquid (water, tea, juice, fruit drink): during the day, the required amount of water is calculated according to the formula 40 ml per 1 kg of body weight;
due to the low humidity in the apartment, the skin loses its elasticity and becomes tight. To minimize such manifestations, you need to take less hot shower and use soap. It is better to use micellar skin cleaners, and make the water in the shower warm, but not boiling water. You can also fight dry skin with thermal water, spraying it on the face, hands and neck several times a day.

Dry indoor air really "drains" the body, causes dehydration, poor performance, allergies, deterioration of the skin, susceptibility to infections. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the humidity, using, for example, an air humidifier in the apartment, air ionizers and other methods of air humidification.

Does the child often get sick, is he allergic, or for some reason the nose is stuffy all the time? The doctor advised to strengthen the immune system and you ran to the pharmacy for a new miracle drug? Or maybe the baby sleeps badly, is capricious and you think that all this is from teething or magnetic storms? Start with the simplest: check the microclimate of your home, in particular, the humidity of the air. It turns out that it is dry air that is a frequent cause of both diseases and feeling unwell in children.

1 lowers immunity

The mucous membranes of the nasal cavity are our first and very important barrier to bacteria and various viruses. It is the nasal mucosa that contacts a huge number of different microbes every second, but since mucus is constantly forming in the nose, it does not allow them to enter the child's body. This ability of the mucous membranes is called local immunity. But the nasal mucosa can protect against infections only if it is well moisturized, and if the nose dries up, the work of local immunity is disrupted. Then bacteria and viruses easily overcome the protective barrier of a weakened local immunity, and the likelihood that the child will get sick upon contact with an infection immediately increases. So the main enemy of local immunity and one of the reasons that a child is often sick is dry air.

2 promotes allergies

And dry air in the house is very harmful for children prone to allergic reactions... Not only does the mucous membrane of the nose and mouth dry up, which makes the body immediately more susceptible to various allergens, including dust. So also the dust itself in rooms where the humidity is very low, practically does not settle, but constantly hangs in the air. Plus, animal hair, plant pollen, small particles from clothes, any household items in the house are also added to it. And the child constantly breathes in all this. If the air was of normal humidity, dust and other allergens would settle on the floor faster and the baby would not breathe any nasty things.

3 keeps the nose from breathing

If the air in the house is too warm and dry and the mucous membranes dry out, then the body must somehow respond to this. His first reaction is that the nasal mucosa secretes a secret to protect itself from drying out. But since the air is constantly dry, the nose begins to secrete more and more secretions - as a result, a runny nose or nasal congestion appears. Moreover, the so-called snot may not exist - just a child either “grunts” his nose all the time, or sniffs at it. There may be another situation: at some point, the mucous membrane dries up completely, crusts form in it, which clog the nose even more. By the way, babies already have narrow and short nasal passages, and if puffiness, congestion or dry crusts are added to them, then it becomes even harder for the child to breathe.

4 interferes with sleep and enjoyment of life

The drier the air, the less oxygen it contains. And the lack of oxygen (hypoxia) primarily affects nervous system... In an adult, a headache often begins, concentration of attention decreases, and fatigue increases. Small children, due to lack of oxygen, become more irritable, more often naughty and sleep worse. So the child may not cry at all because of the teeth or a magnetic storm, it is just that hypoxia affects him. Difficulty breathing due to dry mucous membranes is added to the lack of oxygen - this is why the baby is either restless in sleep, or wakes up all the time, or cannot fall asleep for a long time. And very often the child drinks water or milk at night not because he is hungry, but simply his mouth is dry.

5 interferes with eating

How do babies eat? Suck on mom's breast
or a bottle, that is, their mouth is busy all the time.
And try to suck something if you have a stuffy nose, dry crusts or even snot in it. The baby begins to eat, and all the time he has to stop, you also need to breathe.
And mom doesn't understand why suddenly the baby
lets go of the chest, then pounces on it again. Thinks that the problem is in her (the breast gives the wrong way or the shape of the nipple is not the same), or in general
begins to fear that there is not enough milk. And all
simple: the child's nose is either dry or clogged.

6 what to do

The child feels most comfortable at a temperature of 20-22 ° C and an air humidity of 50-70%. But in winter, when the batteries are working at full capacity, the temperature in the house reaches 25-28 ° C, and the humidity drops to 20%. You can find out about this if you buy a thermometer along with a hygrometer: they will show both the temperature in the room and its humidity.
To create the correct microclimate in the room, you must:
- At least once a day, do wet cleaning in the baby's room (just wash the floor, it's not so much about cleanliness as about humidifying the house).
- Ventilate the room at least 4-6 times a day for 10 minutes. Humidity, if it's frosty outside the window, will not increase (at low temperatures outside, the air is also usually dry), but it will add oxygen.
- If the batteries are regulated, then do not turn them on at full capacity.
- Buy a humidifier and use it regularly. If this is not possible, then you need to humidify the air in the house. folk remedies: hang wet towels near the heating radiators (it does not last long, but this is at least something); place wide containers of water near the battery; just spray constantly clean water from a spray bottle.
- Moisten the baby's nose with pharmacy saline solutions. Soften and remove crusts in the nose.

08/02/2017 0 1,555 views

For a comfortable stay in a room, certain conditions must be maintained in it, including optimal humidity. And how to humidify the air in a room without a humidifier at home? This is quite possible if you know and use effective methods.

The harm of dry air in the apartment

The normal indicator of air humidity ranges from 40-60%. And not only an increase in the level, but also a decrease in it can negatively affect the microclimate of the room, as well as the health and well-being of residents. And if at high humidity and dampness, the risks of education increase, then a reduced indicator can lead to no less serious problems.

To understand why you need to increase your humidity level, you should consider the harm that a decrease in humidity can cause. Here are some of the challenges and risks:

Increased stress on the respiratory system. Firstly, due to excessively dry air, the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract suffer, which begin to become thinner and irritated, which causes symptoms such as a dry obsessive cough, perspiration. Secondly, due to low humidity, it may be difficult to excrete sputum and small particles that enter them during breathing from the lungs, which will lead to the development of bronchitis or even pneumonia.
Disorders of the cardiovascular system. The human body is largely composed of water, and it is part of the blood and other biological fluids, and is also present in all tissues. With a lack of fluid, the blood can thicken, which affects the work of the organ that pumps it - the heart.
It is especially important to ensure sufficient moisture for the newborn, because in the womb he was in a humid environment, and a sharp change in conditions can become serious stress and a real test for the body.
The mucous membrane of the eyes becomes thinner and depleted, which provokes the onset of symptoms such as dryness, cramps, redness, and severe discomfort. People who work at a computer or use contact lenses are especially susceptible to these manifestations.
Dry and flaky skin. The skin is in dire need of moisture and absorbs it not only from the body, but also from the environment. With insufficient moisture and water shortage, tissues will be depleted, lose elasticity and firmness, and age and wear out much faster.
Increased risk of nosebleeds. Due to the thinning of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity caused by excessively dry air, the capillaries will become more vulnerable and fragile, which can lead to their damage.
Brittle hair and nails. Their condition largely depends on environmental conditions, and with a moisture deficit, they can noticeably deteriorate.
Cooling of the body, significant heat loss. Dry air retains and retains heat very poorly, so in such conditions people can freeze faster and harder, especially in the cold season. In addition, a room with low humidity not easy to warm up to create comfortable atmosphere, which automatically increases power consumption.
Dry air can spoil interior elements. So, it provokes drying out and subsequent cracking. wooden furniture and some musical instruments, provokes significant electrification of synthetic materials, and also accelerates the wear of carpets and fur products, reducing their service life.
Household static voltage electrical appliances in conditions of low humidity prevents the settling of dust and other small particles floating in the air. The result is a feeling of dusty room.
Dry air affects pets, which also need moisture.
Particles of water contained in the air provide complete hydration of the ground parts of indoor plants. Therefore, at a reduced level of humidity, flowers can wither and dry out, shed their leaves and lose their decorative properties.
A decrease in the level of such an important indicator can provoke an exacerbation of allergies or chronic diseases.

How to tell if the air in the room is dry?

How do you know if you need to humidify the air? To do this, assess the level of humidity and identify its decrease. The most common problem occurs in winter time and is due to the active use of heating devices that stimulate accelerated evaporation and dry out the air in the room. But how do you know when it's time to act?

The state of health and well-being of the residents can tell about the change and deterioration of the microclimate in the room. Dry air often provokes an unreasonable dry cough and a sore throat, dry eyes, redness, cramps and discomfort.

In addition, due to the thinning of the mucous membranes, the natural protective barrier of the human body weakens, which often causes colds and various infections, and immunity decreases. Peeling of the skin and a decrease in their elasticity, brittle hair and delamination of the nail plates are also observed.

Assess the condition of your indoor plants. If they grow slowly, and their leaves dry out, turn yellow, curl and fall off, this is probably due to a lack of moisture. You can watch pets. The main indicator of their well-being and state of health is the nose: if it is dry, it means that the pet is experiencing discomfort, and the level of humidity in the room is significantly reduced.

To assess air humidity, you can use a specialized device measuring this indicator - a hygrometer. But if you do not have it, then you can conduct a simple experiment on your own.

Chill a glass or other glass vessel refrigerator and place it away from heaters and other heat sources. If the resulting condensation is completely dry after five to ten minutes, this means that the air is dry and urgent measures must be taken.

How to humidify the air without a humidifier? Basic techniques

There are several ways to humidify the air without a humidifier at home:

Spray water by spraying it all over the room with a spray bottle. This way you can moisturize curtains and curtains, carpets, houseplants.
You can place containers filled with water in the room. And they must be open so that moisture can evaporate freely and saturate the air. The vessels can be placed on the windowsills or near heating appliances... But regular replacement of water is required to avoid its blooming and appearance bad smell... And to speed up the evaporation process, you can place a basin under the battery, place one end of a bandage or piece of cloth in it, and place the other on the heater.
Regular drying of laundry in the rooms. Drying the washed items not in the bathroom or on the balcony, but in all areas of the house or apartment, will increase the humidity. But so that she is constantly supported on optimal level, the laundry will have to be washed frequently and in large quantities. To speed up the process, you can place it near heating appliances. In addition, you should not squeeze things too hard. And if you wash them in the washing machine, do not turn on the spin mode.
In winter, you can cover batteries and other heating devices with a damp cloth. Under the influence of heat, moisture will actively evaporate and pass into the air, improving its characteristics. But do not let water get into electrical devices: this can lead to their breakage and short circuit. The material should be moderately moist, and constantly, so wet it regularly (with a significant decrease in humidity levels daily or even twice a day).
Use indoor plants to humidify the air. In general, almost all of them synthesize oxygen, and also evaporate moisture absorbed by the roots through the leaves. But some flowers are especially useful from this point of view. It is logical that the more foliage a plant has, and the denser and juicier it is, the more water it will release. Choose flowers such as ficus, hibiscus, saintpaulia, dracaena, monstera, nephrolepis, sheflera, phytonia, orchid, cyperus, hypoestes, and the like. Arrange a few pots on a windowsill or furniture. And if you have a glazed and insulated balcony or loggia, then this space can be turned into a winter garden.
A decorative miniature home body of water, such as a fountain or waterfall. It not only normalizes the level of humidity, but also additionally decorates the interior of the room.
You can install an aquarium that will act as a natural humidifier and give pleasure to all residents of a house or apartment thanks to the aquatic inhabitants in it. Evaporation of moisture is carried out both through open surface and during the operation of the filtration equipment. But the aquarium is, first of all, a habitat for fish and other creatures, so it will need constant care. In addition, to achieve full hydration, you should select a container of significant volumes.
Frequent airing. To maintain a comfortable microclimate, it is recommended to ventilate the room at least two to three times a day. Moreover, such a procedure becomes especially effective in the summer, as well as in the off-season, when precipitation often falls. In winter, in severe frost, the air outside is dry, so airing will not allow you to achieve the desired effect. For humidification, it is recommended to open all windows or vents for at least fifteen to twenty minutes, and preferably for a longer period of time.
To increase the humidity level with your own hands, you can carry out regular and fairly frequent wet cleaning... This procedure allows not only to remove dirt from all surfaces, but also to stimulate the evaporation of moisture. Cleaning should include mandatory washing of floors and dusting with a damp cloth. It is undesirable to use chemical detergents, they are necessary only in the case of severe contamination. You also need to regularly wipe the leaves of plants on which dust also settles. Cleaning should be done twice a week, and in the nursery more often it is best to do it every other day or even every day.

Video: 5 ways to humidify the air.