It’s important to be in a comfortable sleeping environment. The climate in your bedroom plays an important role in helping you to sleep more soundly. Finding the ideal humidity for sleeping is essential; if you don’t get it right you may find it more difficult to fall asleep. Or you may wake up not fully refreshed the next morning.
What is the ideal bedroom humidity for optimal sleep? Experts say that humidity in your bedroom should be between 30-50 percent, with the ideal being 45 percent while you’re sleeping. This means being in an environment that is too dry, or that has too much moisture can impact the quality of your sleep.
Our bodies have to work very hard at getting rest, and there are so many factors that can help or prevent you from getting good sleep. With so many things to think about and to try to get right, there are some things we just can’t control.
You can’t control the weather, but there are some ways you can control the humidity levels in your bedroom. We’ll look at how humidity affects our sleep and share some ways that you can take control of the situation to positively affect your sleep.
How Does Humidity Affect Sleep?
With all the thought that we put into our home and the rooms in our home – the decor and design, the furniture – we put little thought into the air in our home. The bedroom is one of the primary rooms that the level humidity should be considered.
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor or moisture in the air. Humidity levels should range between 30 and 50 percent. Anything lower can irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Levels above that can potentially fuel the growth of harmful bacteria, dust mites and molds.
Either of these affects you in a way that’s not conducive to good, sound sleep. When your humidity is just right, it automatically makes for a much more restful sleep. You also wake up feeling more refreshed.
Common Issues Due To High Humidity Levels
When humidity levels are too high, there is too much moisture, and as a result can lead to:
- Hot and sweating at night, causing you to spend half the night tossing and turning, or flipping your pillow to find some cool spots.
- The growth and spread of mold, mildew, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. This diminishes air quality that can cause illness and can also damage your home.
- Heightened degree of asthmatic or allergy symptoms.
- Mugginess in the home that’s visible by condensation on windows and walls. This can cause you to expend more energy by turning up the air conditioning due to feeling hot and being uncomfortable.
Common Issues Due to Low Humidity Levels
When humidity levels are too low, it can lead to:
- Illnesses such as worsening asthma and allergy symptoms; cold and flu viruses; and sinus infections. You may also suffer from dry skin, chapped lips, and dry air passageways.
- Dry air pulling moisture from your skin, leaving you feeling colder and forcing you to turn up the temperature to stay warm, therefore, expending more energy and costing you money.
- Damage to the home caused by dry air. Wood and other building materials as well as furniture are robbed of moisture when the air is dry. This could result in cracks and damage around your home.
What Can I Do To Control The Humidity
Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to their level of comfort in the home. When it comes to humidity in the bedroom, the recommendation is 30 to 50 percent with 45 percent being ideal. There are some things you can do to help ensure you are within these recommendations.
Hygrometers
If you want to know the level of humidity in your home, a hygrometer (like this one available on Amazon) will tell you. These are fairly inexpensive instruments that are sometimes incorporated with thermometers or clocks. Use the hygrometer to monitor the humidity in your bedroom, then use other tools as needed to lower or increase the humidity, as needed.
Humidifiers/Dehumidifiers
Humidifiers and dehumidifiers automatically work with your home’s heating and cooling systems to add or remove moisture from the air. During the winter months when the air is drier, utilize a humidifier. Humidifiers help to increase moisture in a room.
Humidifiers can be used for a single room or an entire home so it’s important to know the right size to acquire. In the summer when the air has more moisture, utilize a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier reduces moisture levels in the air so you feel more comfortable.
The brand Dreval has a great humidifier/dehumidifier combol. (Check price on Amazon here)
Cotton Sheets
The use of cotton sheets is a good resolve when trying to lower the humidity at night. Cotton sheets breathe better than silk and polyester sheets.
Wicking Pajamas
Wicking pajamas can also help keep you sweat-free throughout the night. Wicking pajamas remedy sleep disruptions caused by night sweats with the use of high-performance fabrics that dry your skin and move moisture away.
They are a good recommendation for anyone who suffers from hot flashes.
What Contributes to High Humidity Levels?
In addition to the weather, there are some contributors to high humidity. The top contributors to humidity are showering, boiling water, and drying clothes.
If you have high humidity but have limited these events, then it’s highly recommended to have your home’s ventilation and insulation inspected.
Conclusion
It’s so easy for us to take our bedroom for granted. Most of us may only utilize it for a few hours making it the least used room in the home. However, it should be given so much consideration because the hours that are spent there are so significant.
Plenty of sleep problems happen as a direct result of our negligence and lack of thought to what should matter most. Create and foster an environment that sustains the right conditions that you need to attain some good sleep. That begins with learning what your humidity is, and then monitoring it accordingly.
