Flu Season and Humidity Protection

Higher the humidity lowers your risk for airborne viruses. Do you run a humidifier in your home during cold an flu season? If you don’t it might be time to consider investing in a humidifier for your home or office to reduce your risk of getting sick. Researchers found raising indoor humidity killed 85% of airborne flu virus within an hour, 100% within 24 hours. In dry air, the virus thrived for days. Increased humidity can also help with other health conditions like Asthma, coughing, snoring and dry skin and hair. According to WebMD, “Changes in humidity in different seasons may also affect how often people get sick. The most common cold viruses survive better outside the body. Also, cold weather may make the lining of your nose drier and more vulnerable to an infection by a virus.”

Our humidity level here in Idyllwild and Pine Cove is notoriously low. With the cold weather running your heater or burning a fire can suck the moisture out of the air. Keeping a cast iron pot or kettle on your wood burning stove while burning a fire can help raise the humidity level as well. Keeping the humidity level up and investing in a humidifier seems like a relatively simple solution to protect your health this time of year.