Hi,
I purchased a Bionaire Ultrasonic cool mist humidifier. It runs very quietly and I was very hopeful that this was the one I had been searching for. Unfortunately I have had some terrible nights since I started to use it. My breathing becomes tight, my sleep is light and I feel as if I am having some kind of adrenaline rush all night long. I have in the past used cool mist humidfiers and had the same problems but they had filters in them. I thought it was the filters that was causing me to have such strange reactions. This new one has no filter. Has anybody got any ideas as to why this is happening? I am so frustrated because the severe eye and mouth dryness wakes me about 8 times a night and I am so tired!
By the way, thanks very much to Joy Cox for your detailed advice regarding cleaning and also thanks to Nans.
Could it be you are having an alergy or asthma attack. You may want to check with your doctor.
You are very welcome. So sorry to hear you have having an awful time trying to sleep. The fatigue is bad enough without not getting adequate sleep. I hope it gets better soon!
Hi Lainier, I cant imagine that it is the humidifiers that are causing your problems..
I dont know whereabouts you are, but I am always worse in Winter , with my dryness at night.
I think it is caused by all the heating and air conditioning in our homes and the shops etc!
When my PC starts to puff out with the cooling system, it really aggravates me too, around the eyes and breathing the cool air in,
I often just get off and switch off, and then when I go to bed I always have a bad night with the dry airways..
i hope you are using just plain water in the humidifier and not those Aroma things!
We too are a crazy mixed up family where complaints abound! so good luck , Dolly
Hi, Lainier...sorry you are having difficulties.
Where do you have the humidifier? I personally can not tolerate even small air movements without having a host of problems. Maybe you could place it in an adjacent room?
These days I 'm getting up as early as 3 or 4 am and putting a pan on the stove with hot water to slow simmer to add moisture to the air in our small house. I may start considering doing that for a little bit before I go to bed also if nothing much was added in the way of moisture when we make dinner that night.
Hope some of your sleep problems resolve---sleep it such a critical issue, in my opinion, with Sjogren's and other AI diseases.
Hi, I know if it helps anyone but I had a humidifier by Slantfin that I got iat Bed Bath and Beyond.
Hi,
I am sorry about that post. I was trying to add don't at the beginning and lost the whole thing. Anyway, they have an ultraviolet light that cleans the water. I know that you could never really know if the water is clean unless you can test it but my husband said that they use uv light on submarines to purify the water.
Happy Thanksgiving, Sylvia
You might be having a reaction to some chemical release from the humidifier either from the product used to make it or to something that is being released in the electrical reaction going on with the humidifier and the water. I tend to have these really weird type of reactions also. I have even wondered if the water molecule that is being dispersed was causing problems. Remember that water has chemicals and minerals in it and they can be an irritant. Are you using distilled water or tap water? Take it back cause you know you will never be satisfied with it. Irish ;D
Thanks to all of you who replied to my post and for your insight and suggestions.
I am using purified drinking water in the filter. I did wonder if it might be the chemicals used in the plastics etc Irish. I also thought that maybe the mist is just too fine that it irritates my airways. Olmphoto, I also used to put a pot of water on the stove and I think I will just go back to doing that. Your suggestion of setting the humidifier up in the room next to my bedroom is a good one and I will give it a try.
Thanks again all for your concern.
Have you ever tried using a facial sauna? I bought one on sale and when my lungs are really dry I use it. Put distilled water in the little cup and plug it in. It really works great and 10 deep breaths can even help. Irish ;D
Lainier, Something that comes to mind after reading all these posts about humidifier, is your statement about pan of hot water on stove. Totally different from cool mist humidifier. I am sensitive to cool air verses having been in warm room. Could it possibly be you can tolerate a warm mist humidifier since the hot pot doesn't bother you ??? Have tried cool mist in year's past(15-20) and for some reason have gone to warm mist.
Does yours have more than one setting; ie, High and Low? Run mine on low 24/7; filling each night before going to bed...6 ft. from head of my bed.
Also, believe Irish mentioned the use of bottled water (gal size, I guess). Gallon jug drinking water is run through filter 2-3 times. Can look on jug and see where it is produced. Distilled water is steam that is collected from heating of water.
You don't have ashtma,do you?
Just asking ??? as have thought several times about you and your situation.
Keep us all posted... we care! J :-* Y
Hi,first off, Irish, I do actually have a Vicks facial steamer. I run it without the attachments before bed and it does not affect my breathing. It just doesn't run long enough (about 1 hour only) and I would like it to run for a few hours while I am asleep. It also does not have an auto shut off when it runs out of water. Which brand do you use? And of course thanks so much for the suggestion.
Hi again Joy,
I have tried warm mist humidifiers in the past and they don't seem to negatively affect me as much as a cool mist. The trouble is, I could not find one that did not leak and was easy to clean. With my eye pain I need something very simple and does not require much time to clean. The pain can be very bad and even the smallest things become unbearable to carry out.
By the way, when you say that you are sensitive to cool mist humidifiers what exactly do you experience?
I do have exertional asthma and at bedtime my airways shut off sometimes and I wake in a terrible panic thumping my chest trying to get my breathing started again. Why did you ask if I have asthma? Should people with asthma not use humidfiers? I had some testing done for sleep apnea but the results did not show much.
Oh and I always use purified drinking water.
Thanks for thinking of me and offering your help :)
It sure sounds like you could have some type of a sleep apnea when you wake up and thump your chest,etc. People with sleep apnea are known to have interrupted breathing patterns. Asthma is more the constriction of the bronchioles that causes a person to have air hunger and to wheeze or "whistle" when breathing.
I find that the cool mist is much easier on my body than the warm when it comes to sleeping. I like the facial sauna to moisten my lungs when they are really dry. By the way mine holds about 3 tablespoons of water and is for a few minutes of use only. Also, many people with asthma cannot tolerate Vicks in the warm steamers, etc. It is known to cause bronchial spasms and cause difficulty breathing.
I have used a Hunter humidifier for many years but it takes a while to clean. We live in country and even with water softenor and house well filter our water is very corrosive. I am going without a humidifier right now as am having trouble finding filters and I am too ornery to pay the freight to order from the factory. If you look around you may find some humidifiers that don't need filters. I just saw one in Menards or Lowes but can't remember the brand. Good Luck. Irish ;D