Growing up I had always had what seemed to be colds and heath problems during the winter months. Some of this can be due to attending public schools where viruses are passed from kid to kid until everyone ends up sick however there are some things that can contribute to your health that most people overlook.
In the winter months most homes end up being over heated. You feel cold so the first thing you do is run to the thermostat and turn up the heat. No matter how you heat your home whether its baseboard heating or forced air HVAC the process of heating will extract moisture from the air. When the air is dryer then your sinuses and lungs have to work harder to remain moist and this can result in what seems to be allergy related when extra mucus is being formed.
If you find yourself with headaches, dry eyes, coughing, producing extra phlegm, dry skin and cracking lips it is very easy to first blame it on either a common cold or on allergies. However it might just be that you are over taxing your system. So maybe its best to figure out what is causing this instead of treating the symptoms.
Checking Your Humidity Levels
The first thing that you should do is evaluate your humidity levels in your home. In most homes a 50% humidity level is normally very comfortable. Higher humidity in the winter is not a factor as it might be in the summer but lower humidity levels is when the problems start.
There are ways to increase the humidity levels in your home but they are not the total solution. You can try using room humidifiers or even systems that are attached to your HVAC system. I strongly suggest that you think twice about using these systems because they can result in early clogging of your Furnace Filters. If you do use a portable humidifier then make sure that you also monitor your HVAC Filter more often as a film will build up on it reducing its flow dramatically.
The best solution is to reduce the consumption or evaporation of moisture in your home so you won’t need to replace it artificially.
Lowering The Temperature In Your Home Will Help
Lowering the Temperature in your home actually might make things better and this is probably the last thing you would consider if you have headaches, coughing and are in the belief you are suffering from allergies but in the winter people keep their heat too high and it extracts the moisture from the air. Your sinuses, throat and lungs get dry and then have to work overtime producing more mucus and because of the irritation and inflammation you are more susceptible to catching colds, having headaches and general problems.
If you find that you feel dry, that you are applying a lot of moisturizer and drinking many more fluids during the day to compensate for low humidity levels then the appropriate place to look is the way and level you are heating your home.
Many people like to dress lightly at home and keep their thermostat set high. This is the reason you are having humidity problems especially if you have a Gas or other form of Forced Air Heating. Fireplaces whether a gas insert or wood burning will do the same and extract moisture from the air as they run. Baseboard electric also has this problem but forced hot water baseboard heating is less of a problem. However whatever heating method you use will cause lowering of moisture levels in the home.
Right now it is the afternoon and it is 32F outside and 69F inside because I have my blinds open. My thermostat is set at 67F and the furnace hasn’t come on since the morning. Having the blinds open doesn’t heat the home much but it stabilizes the temperature.
If you wear thermal underwear and a hoodie and keep your shoes on you will feel very comfortable and not have to run the heater as much. This means the heater won’t be extracting moisture in the air. Also working around your home tends to keep you much warmer than sitting there watching TV but if you are at your computer working or doing school work you might look into a small personal oil type heater that doesn’t use an exposed element. These types of heaters can be used in a smaller room to provide localized heat and the best thing to do is keep that room’s door closed so heat won’t escape. Even a small ceramic electric heater can be used for spot heating without extracting much moisture.
Final Note
It is counter intuitive to think that you should turn your heater down if you are beginning to feel sick in the winter but often what we are feeling is not sick but dry.
The best indicator of this is when you don’t have a temperature / fever but you do have signs of Dry Sinuses, Coughing, Dry Skin, maybe increased dandruff or other signs that you are just drying out.
The cure is to reduce the evaporation of moisture by turning your heat down a few degrees and it often only takes a couple degrees to feel results.
Drink extra water and maybe use a carpet cleaner to wash your carpets. It will keep you warm and also add moisture to your home as the cleaning water evaporates.
However if you are in doubt and you don’t see results you should contact your doctor for medical advice.