Areas of low humidity

[giantred]

Please don't confuse this with my previous message. It's a totally different topic not involving CPAP therapy. It has nothing to do with the humidifier with the CPAP. I will use the word humidity which is the humidity in the air not with CPAP in this topic. I've noticed something, I was wondering if someone can relate. I noticed that when I sleep in an area that has higher humidity between 70-80, I don't get as good as quality sleep compared to areas that have much lower humidity say from 30-50. Again, this is without the CPAP. For 3 nights in a row I slept in an area that had the humidity around 45, I slept and felt way better in the morning compared to the 75% humidity areas, in which I woke up feeling very tired, headaches, etc. not feeling good. Does this make sense to anyone. It happens everytime, I thought this was just a coincidence, but then I did it again a few days later, and sure enough I felt better in the lower humidity area.

[JeffH]

So move.

I've lived in a humid area my whole life and I'm thinking of moving to a less humid area. I hate humidity and heat.

I always sleep better in the winter when it's cold than in the summer when it's h & h...LOL.

JeffH

[giantred]

So let me ask you this, is the humidity lower in the winter compared to the summer, if so what are the %s?

[giantred]

I've kept a log about the humidity. When I'm in an area of lower humidity, I sleep and feel way better each and every time. I'm convinced that the humidity effects the apnea tremendously. I bet if they did studies out there, that there are less people that have this apnea problem in lower humidity areas. It only makes sense that when the air is thick from moister, it's harder to sleep compared to when it's dry.

[Wulfman]

Makes sense to me. I live in a very low humidity area, even though I grew up in S.E. Nebraska......and (like Jeff) HATE that much humidity. However, unlike Jeff, I moved out here over 35 years ago.

Den

[john_dozer]

Humidity affects oxygen/CO2 transfer in the lungs. So does temperature. From what I understand you get better oxygen transfer to cool dry air.

Also I find myself more likely to be on my side with my legs tucked up a bit to help stay warm when its cold and more likely to be spread out when its warm. Posture during sleep could affect the severity of apnea.

[JeffH]

Makes sense to me. I live in a very low humidity area, even though I grew up in S.E. Nebraska......and (like Jeff) HATE that much humidity. However, unlike Jeff, I moved out here over 35 years ago.

Den

Smart man...LOL

[kopoloff]

So let me ask you this, is the humidity lower in the winter compared to the summer, if so what are the %s?

The higher the temperature, the more moisture can be carried in the air. Accordingly, air is less humid, drier, in colder temperatures.

It was 109 degrees here today, will probably be around 85 overnight, and the air is a river in its own right. And we've got 3 more days of this to come.

K

[roster]

I've kept a log about the humidity. When I'm in an area of lower humidity, I sleep and feel way better each and every time. I'm convinced that the humidity effects the apnea tremendously. I bet if they did studies out there, that there are less people that have this apnea problem in lower humidity areas. It only makes sense that when the air is thick from moister, it's harder to sleep compared to when it's dry.

It is very common to report sleeping better in normal or low humidity compared to high humidity. I have been enjoying the weather this winter in North Carolina and thinking about how I will not sleep nearly as well this summer in the high humidity. I have even considered going to stay with a friend in Rhode Island this summer. But my wife won't go and a few months without her and I would get in a lot of trouble having fun.

There are so many people who report this humidity/sleeping connection that I wonder if it is general and doesn't have anything to do with apnea. On the other hand, I believe that 30% of the total population has sleep apnea and more than 50% of the population over the age of 65.

Here is a chart showing a connection between health and humidity.

Optimum Relative Humidity Ranges for Healthier Indoor Air



In the chart, red means more of the bad things. So you can see indoor humidity in the 40s and 50s is best for health.

A subject for another discussion is dew point.I do believe that the dew point is a more accurate measure of how we sleep and feel. But science is stuck on relative humidity. I wish they would hurry and catch up with Snoredog.