To enjoy good health, at least between the walls of the home, it would be necessary to adjust some parameters relating to the temperature and the degree of humidity of the air, since both things contribute to the well-being of our body in the immediate and long term. Here are some tips for having the ideal temperature and humidity in your home.
We all know what the temperature is and we all know the effects of heat or cold on our bodies. These effects are general, but in particular they can change from person to person, depending on health conditions and age.
There is however a clarification on temperature: it is able to make us feel good, if it borders on optimal levels for a human body, as on the other side it can make us feel tired, breathless, cold, etc, but in this sense the actual temperature only centers up to a certain point.
RIGHT TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY FOR HUMANS
In fact, contributing to the conditions of well-being or not of our body is not only the actual temperature , but the so-called "perceived temperature". This is the relative result of the combination of the actual temperature and other factors, such as wind, and above all, the degree of humidity in the air.
These elements, come to our body in the form of different sensations, related to the heat and cold, which if not well balanced between them, can provoke in us those annoying reactions mentioned before, implementing mechanisms of defense of the body, such as sweating, chills, etc. For this reason, especially at home where it is possible to adjust these parameters with the help of some devices, it is important to know all the conditions that contribute to making our body feel good and the methods to achieve a high level of comfort.
WHAT IS HUMIDITY
Humidity is the percentage of water vapor present in the atmosphere, in this case in a mass of air. Moisture measurements are different:
absolute humidity is the water vapor contained in one cubic meter of water, expressed in grams
specific humidity, however, is the most used measure: it refers to the ratio between water vapor and the mass of air that is humid; this measurement changes with the variation of temperature and pressure
relative humidity indicates the percentage of water vapor contained in the air and the maximum quantity that the same mass of air could contain, at the same pressure and temperature conditions
Humidity, in more practical terms, is a value that greatly affects our well-being and our perception of temperature and climate, and therefore of cold or heat. The general percentage of humidity in the air, varies from one area to another in the world and also in Italy: in our country, humidity can vary between 30% and 100%, while it is very low, for example in the Tropics .
HOW HUMIDITY AFFECTS THE BODY
In general, a high humidity rate, over 80%, creates problems for our body both in the heat and in the cold, causing a too high temperature, of hot heat, in the first case, above 24, 8 ° C, and wet cold in the second case, below 2.2 ° C. On the contrary, if the humidity drops below 20%, so if it is too low, the air becomes too dry and can cause another type of problem: dry mouth and respiratory tract, risk of inflammation, annoyance to breathe and produce saliva.
It therefore agrees that the moisture content must be average between one and the other value, then between 40 and 65%, depending on the temperature. There are however many other factors to consider: the ideal humidity rate varies from person to person, according to a number of factors:
age , because the body has different needs depending on whether it is newborn, young, adult or elderly
physicalor sedentary activity that is practiced at that time and in that environment
health state
type of environment that is used
It is clear that the body is able to react to different situations of temperature perception, defending itself from the less favorable conditions, implementing activities such as perspiration, hydration, shivering, etc, but the mere fact that it is defense mechanisms, implies that external conditions are not optimal for the body itself.
Since it is not possible to have an optimal temperature in the environments that you attend most often, such as school or office, or much less outside, it would be good to get optimal conditions for your body at least at home, where you can also look for to obtain a degree of purity of the air now impossible to meet outside the home.
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY IN THE HOME
Humidity alone is not enough to determine ideal or incorrect environmental conditions. As the temperature alone, we know it well especially in the summer, it is not enough to understand how we will feel during a certain season. Humidity and temperature therefore go hand in hand to understand the optimal conditions for the body: both have ideal values in which they can be combined.
For example: with a temperature higher than 23 degrees, a relative humidity of 20% is ideal. In practice, each temperature has a relative humidity value which ensures maximum comfort in the home. Imagining an adult, in a situation of rest, the temperatures with relative ideal humidity rates would be:
with 18 ° temperature, 100% humidity;
with 19 ° of temperature, an humidity of 80%;
with 20 ° of temperature a humidity of 60%;
with 21.5 ° of temperature, a humidity of 40%;
with 23 ° of temperature, a humidity of 20%.
However, these are indicative values, which may vary in a wider range, depending on the condition of each individual at a given time, ie the aforementioned ages, health status and any physical activity.
It is clear that for a person in motion, who performs physical activity or who does the cleaning, the optimal conditions change: in these conditions in fact the body releases heat alone and suffers even more, sweating, therefore depending on the intensity of the physical activity, the ideal temperature will gradually go down and on the contrary the humidity will go up, always referring to the ideal values indicated above; or you can choose to bring down only the humidity, still obtaining ideal conditions for physical activity.
TEMPERATURE-HUMIDITY COMBINATIONS IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS
Although so far we have only talked about "home", in fact as we know, the house is made of different environments and each one carries out different activities, as well as having different characteristics, depending on some elements:
- exposure to the sun or persistence in the shade
- season that crosses
- appliances or electronic devices present, which can increase the level of heat
The different activities carried out in the various environments then completely change the relative optimal conditions. In fact, in the bedroom, the main activity is rest and therefore the condition of the body is mainly static, in the kitchen the situation is completely different, because in addition to having to move to prepare and clean, because of the gas fires and appliances turned on, the temperature and humidity undergo changes already in itself.
So that every room in the house has or should have, a relative ideal temperature-humidity combination, to be respected, also depending on the season you are going through.
In the bedroom the ideal temperature can easily follow the optimal values indicated in the previous paragraph. In the hours before dawn, however, it would be even better to have a temperature of one or two degrees higher than the aforementioned values, because after sleeping at night, the body temperature usually before dawn tends to fall.
In the kitchen instead, where the activities already mentioned that take place usually, you have a humidity of 80% and even high temperatures, you should get them down between 18 and 19 degrees, even less if you are struggling a lot to example with cleaning.
In the rest of the house , in the living room or in the study area, since the main activity is sedentary, the values indicated in the previous paragraph remain valid, while if you have a corner equipped for muscular activity or the gym, you can keep humidity is also 80%, but the temperature must be lowered to around 19 degrees, or if the temperature is kept above 20 degrees, the humidity must be lowered, even if never below 20%.
For newborns and the elderly in particular, but also for those who do not enjoy excellent health, the ideal conditions change: for example for a small child, the ideal day and night is at a temperature around 22 degrees, with a relative humidity between 40 and 60%. In the case of elderly people or people with a particular state of health, you should inform yourself directly with your doctor about the ideal conditions to keep at home, because they do not feel bad.
HOW TO GET THE IDEAL CONDITIONS: THE PRODUCTS THAT HELP US
To obtain and monitor all the values mentioned in the house, there are some products, appliances and electronic devices, designed specifically. These devices help us to feel good inside our home, but at the same time they must also interfere as little as possible with the surrounding environment, and for this reason energy saving and minimal discharge to the outside are fundamental requirements. The devices that serve this purpose are of three types:
- air conditioners or air conditioners devices that help regulate the temperature, so refer to the specific in-depth articles in the home appliances section of our site,
- dehumidifiers that help regulate the moisture content
- Weather stations devices that detect humidity and actual temperatures in the various rooms of the house
CHOOSE THE BEST HOME WEATHER STATION
In order to achieve ideal conditions in an environment, it is necessary to combine the action of these three elements. A " weather station " in fact, as the Oregon Scientific RMR 500 Clima Control, detecting actual temperature and humidity, can show us how to adjust the two parameters through the air conditioning on one side and the dehumidifier on the other. The model cited for example, is able to detect these conditions in 5 different environments of the house, because as said everyone has its own peculiar characteristics, also depending on the exposure or not in the sun, and the season that is crossed.
Once the existing conditions have been detected and considered which people must stop in that particular environment and the activity they have to do (if sedentary or busy and tiring), dehumidifier and air conditioner can be adjusted accordingly, in order to obtain the ideal conditions mentioned some paragraph ago.
To avoid waste, it is advisable to choose energy-saving devices, such as class A air conditioners and dehumidifiers designed specifically for this purpose, which only start when the humidity exceeds the level you have chosen to set or which stop when the humidity falls below the minimum level, such as the "Deumido 10" of Vortice.
In addition, to obtain even higher air quality, it is advisable to choose a dehumidifier model with an air filtration system, which then removes dust, bad odors and pollen, such as Mitsubishi's "MJ-E16V".
Indispensable advice that may seem trivial: when these devices are working, to prevent them from doing unnecessary work and therefore to avoid wasting energy and money, it is good to keep doors and windows closed, avoiding even the most possible drafts of air from outside (with fixtures in a workmanlike manner or by using materials such as adhesive rubbers or fabric elements placed in front of the joints of doors and windows, blocking the air inlet).