A humidifier can potentially help alleviate coughing symptoms by adding moisture to the air, which can soothe a dry throat and reduce irritation in the airways. However, it’s important to note that a cough can have many causes and that using a humidifier is not a cure for coughing.
If the cause of your cough is due to an underlying illness, it’s best to see a doctor for proper treatment.
Dry air can cause a dry cough in practically anyone and getting rid of it can be a challenge. Various medications claim to help reduce coughing, but the best solution is prevention and nothing does that better than a humidifier.
Humidifiers work on dry coughs and even acute or chronic cough conditions. By adding moisture to the environment, coughs are largely alleviated. Ideal relative humidity or RH in a home ranges from 30% to 50%. Falling below that 30% marker can often leave the family with a constant dry cough with little relief options.
Additionally, wet or congested coughing can occur from chronic cough conditions. The moistening effect of a humidifier allows congestion to break up naturally and help the individual find some relief. Although a humidifier is not a sole solution for a chronic cough, it can help. It is recommended that the person maintain doctor’s appointments and prescribed medication for ideal relief. A humidifier is a small thing you can do to help relieve coughing throughout your home.
Does a Humidifier Help With Coughing at Night?
Night time can be a particularly difficult time for anyone who frequently coughs. Depending on the position you sleep in, coughing can be improved or get worse. Generally, sleeping on your side or stomach tends to reduce the risk of coughing. Back sleepers often have the most difficult time with night time coughing.
The primary reason why night time is difficult for coughs is how little we move at night. Movement can help keep a cough at bay so while you are up and about during the day, you cough less. However, when lying down and getting still, your body relaxes drawing in dry air and bringing on a coughing fit.
Dry air is the largest contributor to dry cough and wet cough caused by congestion. A humidifier placed in your room will help manage humidity in the room and keep air from becoming too dry. A humidifier also helps break up congestion that can cause frequent coughing.
What is Better for a Cough, Warm or cold Humidifier?
This is the interesting part about humidifiers. They come in both warm and cold varieties. Generally, it is best to use a cold humidifier if you have small children around. You would not want to burn your children should they come in contact with the heating area of the humidifier.
If children are not a factor in your home, both warm or cold humidifiers work great. They both humidify the air equally well. There are some sources that claim a warm humidifier is not effective at reducing cold symptoms, but these claims have not been solidified as fact yet. Even with a warm humidifier, by the time the vapors reach your airway, they are cooled to room temperature, so it makes relatively little difference which type you use in your home.
How Close Should a Humidifier Be to Your Bed?
A humidifier in your bedroom can help improve sleep and reduce the risk of coughing through the night. They are great additions to baby and children’s rooms as well since they offer a natural solution to congestion relief. However, knowing where to place the humidifier is crucial to its usefulness. Although a humidifier can be placed on any flat surface close to a power outlet, it should not be placed too close to the bed.
A humidifier requires space around the device to emit its vapours and the space directly around it can become overly humidified potentially leading to increased breathing problems. Generally, it is recommended that you allow at least 1 meter of space between your bed and the humidifier, so placing it directly on your bedside table might be too close for comfort.
At 3 meters from your bed, the humidifier can do a better job of not overly humidifying the air. Also, make sure humidity settings are correct so the device does not over humidify the room.
Humidifiers are great for ensuring your space is comfortable and helps reduce the risk of excess coughing. Doctors regularly recommend humidifiers for patients with asthma, allergies, and other conditions known to cause frequent coughing. The thing to remember with these devices is overuse can hurt, so keep your settings correct and always clean the humidifier regularly.
