Go Get a Humidifier!
- Posted on: Nov 12 2012
With the coming winter months, the colder weather as well as dry heating elements in our houses and apartments cause a great deal of dryness. The victim in this is usually our nasal passages, who have the task of humidifying the air before we breathe it all the way into our lungs.
Our nasal passages are the primary conduit for our breathing. As such, the membranes of the inside of the nose are given the task of humidifying, purifying, as well as air-conditioning the air before it reaches our lungs. As the outside moisture drops during the winter months, our nasal passages have to do an even greater job at providing extra moisture for our breathing. Often, this leads to dry nasal passages. These dry nasal passages can then in turn lead to issues with itching in the nose, nosebleeds, and additional nasal obstructive symptoms due to lack of lubrication within the passages.
Therefore, it is very important for us to provide extra moisture for our nasal passages during the winter months. A simple way of doing this is by getting a humidifier. This will allow the moisture in environment to be artificially raised in order to facilitate our nasal breathing. Most authorities recommend a cold mist humidifier, as this has a lowest chance of bacterial infection within the water reservoir. The humidifier should be placed within the bedroom in an area near the head of the bed. Ideally, the humidifier should be turned on in the evening and turned off in the morning as we leave home.
The reason that it is important to have the humidifier in our bedroom is two-fold. Firstly, our beds are the one place that we spend a continuous amount of time all night as we sleep without any disruptions or moving from room to room. Secondly, during the daytime, we are able to drink water and hydrate. Conversely, at night when we are sleeping, we are not hydrating and we are essentially dehydrated upon getting up.
Other methods of providing extra moisture for the nose include steam treatments, nasal sprays with moisturizer as well as Vaseline or other ointments applied directly into the nostrils. Many patients need to employ a multitude of measures to provide this much needed moisture for their nasal passages.
Tagged with: ear nose throat, ENT, epistaxis, humidifier, Isaac Namdar, Isaac Namdar MD, moisture, nasogel, New York, new york city, nosebleed, Otolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngology, rhinitis, rhinitis sicca, sinusitis
Posted in: Nose
