I wish I’d worked this out years ago. Did you know that humidity is often the key to saving money on decongestants, sinus tablets and other medicines to keep your head clear? While many of these medicines don’t actually cost a lot, there are plenty of reasons why you not might not want to pump your body full of pills — including potential long-term effects and the upset stomach that comes along with taking too much medicine.
As it turns out, having a warm mist humidifier or other source of humidity in your home is a great way to keep your head clear. Dry air, I’ve found in the last few months, is the enemy of a clear head. When the heaters inside your home dry all the moisture from the air or the atmosphere is simply dry for several days in a row, your sinuses can dry out and create mucous to try to compensate.
You can even get a scratchy throat and start to feel ill when all that’s wrong is your home has too little humidity. You can get a very inexpensive humidity meter — probably for just three or four dollars — at a local discount store and see if humidity is lacking in your home.
Years ago, people would simply put a pot of water to simmer on a back burner to add moisture to the house, but that doesn’t seem very safe to me. Instead, you can invest just a little in a warm mist humidifier — or a cool mist humidifier if you prefer — and safely add humidity to the air even when you’re asleep.
There are even models available that can add medication into the air of your home. These are sometimes called vaporizers or something still called humidifiers. If you want this function, look for a unit that offers it. But I don’t really want any scent added to the vapor in my home.
When I wake up without congestion, I wake up feeling more awake and alert. And with as much as I have to do every day, this little extra edge of alertness makes a real difference.
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