If you always find yourself waking up with a stuffy nose, sore throat, and dry mouth in winter, you are not alone. It isn't always seasonal germs; it is likely to be caused by dry air in your home, and especially your bedroom/
That trio of uncomfortable symptoms is why winter air can quietly sabotage your sleep. Too little moisture in the air can irritate airways and skin, which is why HVAC experts say maintaining the right humidity level is just as important as setting the correct thermostat temperature.
This is the best humidity level to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed in winter.
The Best Humidity for Sleep in Winter
Cold air holds significantly less moisture than warm air, which is why your house feels so dry in winter. While heating your home can help to alleviate some of the symptoms throughout the day, many of us turn our heating off overnight or lower the thermostat to help cut energy bills or avoid waking up sweating. The result is dry air irritating our noses and throats for around eight hours, night after night.
For a comfortable night's sleep in winter, you want to aim for a relative humidity of between 40-50%, explains Josh Mitchell, HVAC technician and owner of Air Conditioner Lab, with the ideal humidity for a home generally being between 30-50%. Anything lower can irritate, while anything higher will make it more difficult to prevent mold.
Josh explains, 'Dry winter air pulls moisture from everything. Skin, bedding, and even hardwood floors shrink and creak. The biggest sleep issue I see is nasal drying. Once the sinuses dry out, people wake up congested or with mild nosebleeds. Some even snore more because of swollen nasal tissue.' This is most prevalent in humidity below 30%.
'With forced-air heating running most of the night, I’ve seen the humidity fall by 10 to 15 percent while we sleep,' he shares. 'My kids used to wake up with dry noses and mild congestion before I started tracking and balancing it better.'
Beyond mild discomfort, Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, head sleep expert and neuroscientist at Wesper, adds that poor sleep quality related to dry air can also 'increase sleep fragmentation, insomnia, and worsening symptoms of sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
'Additionally, dry airways increase the risk for viral and bacterial illnesses of the upper respiratory system, which can further impact sleep quality,' she adds.
How to Maintain the Best Nightime Bedroom Humidity in Winter
So, how do you balance the perfect thermostat setting for sleep with the right humidity without creating a breeding ground for mold?
The simplest answer is sleeping with a humidifier on, Josh says. 'I use a cool mist ultrasonic humidifier [such as the Dero Humidifier from Amazon] and a $12 digital hygrometer [available at Target] to keep track.
'I run it for about eight hours each night, filling the tank before bed. If the humidity climbs above 50 to 55 percent, I scale it back or shock-ventilate the room for five minutes in the morning. That helps prevent condensation on windows or mold near cold corners.'
In a pinch, you can also sleep with your bedroom door closed to help trap moisture overnight. Just be sure to ventilate the room and air out your bedding in the morning to help get rid of musty bedroom odors.
You can also invest in a Karcher window vacuum from QVC to beat window condensation caused by elevated heat loss on cold surfaces in winter. This can prevent pooling water from causing mold around your window frames.
What to Shop
This cool mist humidifier has a 36-hour run time and is ultra quiet, so it won't disturb your sleep, so you can rest and enjoy quiet sleep without congestion, coughing, or a dry mouth.
High humidity can quickly result in mold, especially in winter when windows and doors are closed most of the time. A hydrometer will allow you to keep tabs on the moisture level to alter as required to balance your air quality.
A window vacuum is a fantastic tool for sucking up condensation from windows first thing in the morning, removing water rather than spreading it around, to prevent mold in bedrooms.
Closed closets can trap moisture from humidifiers, leading to mold and musty odors, A handing moisture absorber can help to prevent this risk without impacting the air quality in your sleep space.
Distilled white vinegar is a fantastic non-toxic cleaning tool for any home. When used correctly, it can help to kill mold around window frames. Simply spray on the affected area and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes before wiping away.
Microfiber cloths are machine washable, meaning you can reuse them for years with proper care. Simply wash after use on a warm water cycle and gentle detergent (skip the softener) to sanitize, especially after use for cleaning mold from around windows.
Meet the Experts
Does the cold winter air leave you shivering? There are plenty of ways to keep warm in bed in winter that won't have you waking up in a tangle of sheets.
Plus, turn up your thermostat to the new heating standard meant for modern homes and HVAC systems. It will banish window condensation, keep your household comfortable, and surprisingly, won't spike up your bills. We've tried it, and it really works.
