Hi all,
I was just curious as to how much water you all consume on a daily basis? Is there a certain amount that is best for us drink each day? Can you over or under do it? I am at present drinking between 100 and 120 oz of water a day.
Also, is there a certain percent humidity level that we should strive for with our humidifiers? Any idea what level is best? I can't seem to get my house about 45% now that I have had to turn the heat on in this Michigan winter.
thanks
I drink water and other liquids, but not lots I must admit.
I keep the humidity at about 70% by having a humidifier on our heating system (forced hot air) and a very large humidifier in our bedroom that puts about 8 gallons of water into the air every 24 hours.
We begin humidifying the air as soon as the weather is cold enough that the furnace runs regularly day and night.
We have had a whole house humidifier, which is in our bedroom, for over 40 years. And installed a humidifier on the furnace in our first house.
My lips, skin, and eyes burn when the humidity is too low. Even with high humidity in the room, I have serious pain upon opening my eyes during the night and in the morning. I use Ultra Systane drops and keep them on my bedside night stand.
I have a pretty extensive bunch of stuff next to my bed, as I'm sure most of us do!
During the summer, even with the AC running most of the time, the humidity in our bedroom is still around 70% in our bedroom, sometimes much higher. That is because NC has such high humidity in the summer.
I have a very inexpensive battery operated humidistat (measures humidity) on the dresser next to my bed. It tells me the room temperature near my bed, and the humidity.
Regards, Elaine
Hi Elaine thanks for the info. I really need to look into a whole home humidifier system, that sounds like the way to go! I have three small ones running and can't get above 45 percent.
I think 70% humidity is more than you should be striving for. Most of the material I've read suggests 40-50%, because higher levels of humidity can create other problems, such as condensation on the windows in the winter, growth of mold and fungi, and damage to wood and furniture.
Another idea - is there one room that you could focus on? I know when I'm trying to get the house warm, I sometimes just chose a bedroom, put the heater and humidifier in there. I'm good about keeping the door shut.
I know Carolina researches things for herself very carefully, so she's probably got adaptations to work through these possible problems.
Like earlier poster I also really like our whole home humidifier attached to HVAC as I was not great at keeping the in room humidifier going. I cannot remember but I feel like it was maybe $600 or so installed, and to me that is not bad considering everything I was doing to try and keep 2 humidifiers running and cleaned out in my room.
I was also advised that you don't want to go too high as you'll increase your chances of mold, but one clue is to check the windows for condensation.
70% sounds like a dream haha, but I think ours is usually 45%.
Regarding water, I read the other day that there is not enough evidence to show that drinks with caffeine are net dehydrating as I've often heard, so I try to get 100 oz or more of total liquids in a day between water, coffee, etc. An article on Mayo clinic gives different amounts for male and female (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256).
We also get a little from foods but I try to get the 100 oz just from drinks (I prefer Essentia bottled water, but no idea if that brand is actually providing any benefit or if I just prefer the flavor).
While looking for information about something else, I just came across this publication from Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation that says target humidity level is 40-50%. http://www.sjogrens.org/files/brochures/dry_mouth.pdf
For your other question, my doctor suggests drinking at least half your weight in ounces in per day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 75 ounces of water.