How Humidity Levels Can Affect Your Health?
Plants and animals live best when they’re in comfortable environments. It’s one reason why different species stick to specific living patterns and routines to ensure that they won’t experience difficulties surviving in nature. Although humans can use various tools and solutions when encountering problems, people’s biology still needs to stick to a certain level of familiarity. One of the many factors that affect humans’ lifestyles is humidity.
How does humidity affect the human body?
Humidity defines the concentration of water vapour present in an area. Since gaseous water is generally invisible to humans, it’s much harder to define, unlike rain or snowfall levels. Because it’s hard to detect, its effect on humans can be challenging to pinpoint. Nevertheless, its impact on humans and the environment can be harmful to the point of developing minor to severe medical complications
In this article, we’ll share three ways humidity levels can affect your health.
1. Promotes the presence of allergens and mould
Some people are more prone to allergens than others. Regardless, their presence is still problematic, especially in indoor environments. High humidity promotes the development of dust mite populations that are hiding in your home. They can grow in hard-to-clean areas like carpets, upholstery, and even in your closets.
Additionally, high humidity can encourage mould growth under the right conditions. When inhaled, mould spores can cause respiratory damage that can be fatal. For this reason, cold and damp areas like attics and basements generally develop mould if left with its current state of indoor relative humidity (RH).
2. Slows down your body’s cooldown mechanism
Even if you’re not prone to allergies, high humidity can still affect your body. The feeling of having “sticky weather” comes from the environment’s hot air and your body’s development of sweat. Generally, the human body maintains a temperature of 98°F. Colder climates lower than 98°F make the body shiver to produce heat through vibrations. In contrast, warmer environments higher than 98°F forces the body to sweat.
Sweating is your body’s cooling mechanism, where you cool down by excreting water. These water droplets cause evaporation to rid your body of the heat it’s experiencing. However, this won’t occur when the air has more moisture due to humidity. This is why people can sweat without feeling any less warm since high humidity makes you sweat but prevents you from cooling down.
3. Increases risk for heat-related medical conditions
High humidity and high temperatures can be a dangerous combination since the environment is already harmful to your body’s temperature preferences. Since you’ll lose the ability to cool down naturally through sweating, you’re more prone to overheating. It causes loss of water, salt, and other chemicals that can give you several heat-related medical conditions.
You can start by experiencing heat cramps due to imbalances in your body salts. It naturally occurs when exercising during hot weather. However, you can end up fainting due to heat syncope if you don’t hydrate yourself. The most dangerous condition you can develop is heatstroke, which can happen if your body’s temperature is above 108°F. Besides causing confusion and unconsciousness, it can also kill you on the spot.
Conclusion
Being mindful of humidity’s effects is necessary, especially if you have to go outdoors for work. For this reason, people should wear the appropriate clothing and remain hydrated to avoid experiencing any of the humidity level’s dangers. However, it’s even more important to maintain your body’s safety in your own home. It’s a reason why people invest in quality HVAC systems so that they can stay safe from the potential risks of living through harsh weather conditions.
At Temp-A-Sure, we handle our clients’ heating systems. We provide HVAC maintenance and AC repair in Toronto to keep you safe from high humidity’s effects. Get an appointment with our HVAC specialists today, and we’ll diagnose and resolve your heating and cooling concerns.