High humidity makes it hard to breathe because the humid air is dense because of the high water content.
When the air is dense and humid it increases the airways resistance in your body which results in more effort to breathe.
High humidity can also worsen COPD or other lung issues as well such as fatigue and shortness of breath.
The hot and humid weather also requires your body to work much harder to stay cool.
If you're having trouble breathing in hot and humid weather or humid weather then using a humidifier or air conditioner can help you breathe by removing the humidity.
Air conditioners not only cool you and the room you're in but they also remove humidity which helps you breathe better and also prevents mold growth in the home.
Humid air feels thick and dense. It makes your body work harder to breathe.
You may need more oxygen, and you may feel tired and short of breath.
As the relative humidity of air increases, the volume concentration of oxygen in air (nominally 20.9% in dry air) is reduced by the increasing water vapor pressure.
Humidity in the home can be a good thing as long as it is not in excess.
Excess humidity can cause health effects and other issues, but so can having air that is too dry.
To protect your lungs and health on hot and humid days.
Stay indoors in an air-conditioned place with good indoor air quality.
Keep your windows and doors closed to keep your house cool and keep pollutants out.
Keep your rescue medicine (usually a blue puffer) with you, take your medication regularly.
“The best climate to live in with COPD would be an area that avoids temperature extremes.
Try to find an area that is cool, dry, with low humidity, and that has good medical resources and care for COPD.”
Summer can be the most humid months, with 80 to 90 percent humidity outside.
Indoors, humidity levels of about 30 percent to 50 percent are considered comfortable.
Indoor humidity levels higher than 50 percent can cause mildew, condensation, mold, pest damage and allergies.
High levels of humidity means the air is full of moisture and often very stagnant, which when inhaled by asthma sufferers, can trigger your asthma symptoms.
It also creates an optimal environment for mold and bacteria growth, which can affect your asthma.
In addition, high humidity coupled with high temperatures can increase airway resistance when you breathe (making it feel more difficult to take a good breath) and trigger coughing and airway constriction in people with even mild asthma.
Spending time in an environment with too much humidity can actually make you sick, especially from respiratory infections.
The bacteria and viruses that cause illness thrive and grow in air that's above 60 percent relative humidity.
It's ideal to keep the humidity in your home between 30% and 50%.
Humidity that's too low or too high can cause problems.
Many people mistakenly believe that the best alternative to really high humidity is really low humidity.
In fact, most people are most comfortable if the humidity levels are between 30%-50%.
So while less is more, too dry isn't that much better.