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If you’ve ever been where the weather is dry, cold, or both, then you’ll know just how harsh the effects of dry air can be.

Because dry air pulls moisture out of your body, it can affect you with constant nosebleeds, a dry throat, coughing, and much more. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, then dry air will be one more thing that will make you feel absolutely miserable!

But don’t fret too much! There’s a great – and affordable – solution. Dry air and the symptoms you’ve been feeling may be a sign it’s time for a humidifier.

Read on as I’ll explain what humidity is, how you can tell if you need a humidifier, and how they work.

Infographic – How to know if you need a humidifier

The quick answer

Just want the basic answer? There are 2 simple ways to know if you need a humidifier:

If you recognize low humidity by the signs or if your humidity gauge shows 30% (or less), you need a humidifier.

Why do I strongly recommend using a humidity gauge? Because we can’t always rely on how our bodies feel at any given time to know the air condition. It’s not a reliable or consistent way to know.

Don’t rely on your senses only

For many reasons, our bodies fluctuate in sensitivity and at times the air is actually warmer, colder, or drier than we think it is. It’s better to have a reliable and easy-to-use way to check the air instead.

I strongly recommend picking up an inexpensive humidity gauge which I go into more detail about below. I’ll also list the symptoms you can use to recognize when a humidifier is needed.

What is humidity?

Condensation on cooler items (in this example a glass window) is simply a buildup of moisture – or “humidity” – in the air. When cooled, airborne moisture often collects as you see here. It’s one reason windows fog up after a rain or its foggy outdoors following bad weather.

In the simplest terms, humidity is the amount of water vapor that is present in the air given the current temperature conditions.  

There’s actually a lot more science involved when it comes to humidity and how it relates to air temperature, but for our purposes, I’ll keep it fairly simple.

Humidity examples

Have you ever been driving home and come across a dense fog that makes it hard for you to see? That’s a great example of what happens when there’s a lot of water vapor in the air: the humidity has increased a lot.

As you may remember, after heavy rains there’s a lot more moisture in the air, causing your windows to fog up and the environment feels a bit “muggy.” It’s because the humidity is higher than normal.

Some geographical areas like Arizona or California have dry climates and there’s almost never much humidity. This is why wildfires are so hard to put out in those areas.

Similarly, wintertime and heavy indoor heating use are 2 of the largest causes of low humidity. Although you may have never known, using a heater indoors commonly lowers the humidity to levels that are hard on your body.

Air is already dry during wintertime as the moisture is pulled from the air due to the cold temperatures. Using a heater inside to keep warm makes it even worse!

Dry air (low humidity) signs to know

Here’s a brief list of some of the most common – and reliable – ways to know if you are is too dry and a humidifier can give relief. While some may seem obvious, not everyone understands why they happen.

Physical signs such as frequent nosebleeds or a cold that just doesn’t seem to get better can also mean that your house is too dry.

Do you have a lot of static electricity around your home? If your paint or wallpaper is peeling or your wood floors are warped, that could also be a sign too much dry air in your home.

How dry air affects you

One of the most common effects of dry air is dry skin, resulting in many different problems. As your skin loses moisture and remains in dry air it will become easier to damage, skin conditions may begin to appear, and cracking can occur.

The human body is very sensitive to humidity. Our skin needs a moderate & comfortable humidity level to get rid of moisture when we’re warm in order to be able to cool off.

Likewise, our skin and internal breathing passageways need more moisture (we need to increase the humidity level) when the air’s too dry.

The effects of dry air

When humidity approaches lower levels, causing dry air, you’ll feel colder than it actually is.

Not only that but your skin may become get itchy and flaky. Other skin problems may occur as well because when the epidermis (outer layer of skin) loses its healthy level of moisture it’s much more vulnerable to problems.

Your eyes will also become irritated and dry. People using contact lenses or who have eye problems may become more and more uncomfortable. For people with asthma and other health problems, this can become particularly bothersome.

Without a better solution, you’ll be left to temporary, and annoying, remedies like constantly applying lotion. Using a humidifier is a far better way to deal with it when you’re indoors.

Low humidity and sickness

Did you know? Your chances of becoming sick with a cold, flu, bronchitis, increase in dry air. Your mucus that normally traps infections finds it harder to catch things and prevent entry into your body.

If you’re already sick, dry air will cause even more havoc in your nose, throat, and lungs. Colds and sore throat conditions take longer to recover from as well.

Dry air conditions will also make you more susceptible to getting sick by others. Think about the virus that was going around your workplace or how when one of your family members got sick it seemed to be passed to everyone.

Effects on babies and children

Dry air is especially tough on children, as their young lungs, throat, and nose aren’t as developed as adults. Babies also breathe in more air per volume for their size than adults do! That means, unfortunately, they’re more likely to get sick or suffer when conditions around them are poor – like very dry air.

Your baby will likely be even more affected by exposed constantly to dry air. Of course, the biggest risk is their increased likelihood of getting sick. And we all know how easily kids spread germs to each other at day and school.

Symptoms like coughing, nosebleeds, and stuffy nose are some of the most common.

Dry air causes children to take longer recovering from sickness and can even cause them to experience respiratory problems.

When a baby is experiencing physical discomfort due to a sore throat or dry nose, that means they’ll have an even harder time sleeping, too. If they aren’t sleeping, then neither are you!

Some other signs to recognize if you need a humidifier for your child’s room is newly dry skin and an increase in rashes becoming worse.

How to know what humidity level is best

Above: A relative humidity chart showing the general range of moisture in air and what’s considered good for humans and animals. When the humidity falls below the comfort range (about 30%) you’ll need a humidifier to bring comfort back.

When you’re talking about humidity in your home, you may often hear it called relative humidity. This is a more scientific term used to describe how humidity has a close relationship to temperature.

In case you weren’t aware, temperature affects how much moisture the air can “hold.” It’s normally expressed as a percentage. The higher the temperature, the more humidity that is possible, much as you may have experienced in tropical regions.

(Note: If the humidity is over 50 percent than your home is ideal for mold, bacteria, and even dust mites. That’s not exactly ideal for you and your family! A dehumidifier is your best defense in this case.)

Why using a humidity gauge is smart

A digital humidity gauge like this popular and inexpensive ThermoPro TP50 from Amazon is an excellent way to check your air. With a digital meter there’s no guessing. Simply glance at it and if it reads around 30% or below it’s time for a humidifier.

You can measure the humidity in your home with a humidity gauge (sometimes called a hygrometer). Even very good ones that are fairly accurate are inexpensive. When the displayed reading falls to around 30% and below you need to use a humidifier.

Most models also display a readout of the temperature in addition to the humidity, making them even more ideal for knowing what kind of air situation you have.

With a digital humidity gauge, you’ll be able to know with confidence the air condition in your home.

Just put it in you or your baby’s room and check it occasionally. It measures the humidity level in real-time, so you always know whether you need to turn on the air conditioner (should the humidity be too high) or set up the humidifier for the night.

In my experience, most are very accurate, despite being low-cost. 2%-5% accuracy is pretty typical and just fine for all homes, offices, and even cigar storage.

I highly recommend picking one up for several reasons:

• They’re very cheap ($10-$20 for a great one as shown)
• Takes the guessing out of knowing when your air is too dry
• Lets you know immediately when you should turn your humidifier on or off
• They’re very battery-efficient and don’t need external power

How do humidifiers work?

Humidifiers use one of several methods to increase the moisture level in a room. Most products sold today fall into one of 2 main categories: warm mist or cool mist.

Still unsure about what a humidifier is exactly?

The purpose of a humidifier is to change liquid water to fine mist water vapor. It then releases this mist or steam into the air, raising the humidity level as it does so.

This causes an immediate level of relief from the dry air in a room and increases your comfort. Honestly, in my experience (when using a good one like I own and recommend) it doesn’t take very long to start feeling an improvement.

Warm mist vs cool mist humidifiers

While there are a few other types still sold today, the most common (and most popular) humidifiers include two types: Warm mist and cool mist.

While they often look very similar, there are pros and cons to each depending on what your needs are. Therefore it’s important to know the differences.

Warm mist humidifiers

Warm mist humidifiers often look extremely similar to cool mist. However, there are some differences to know about. For example, warm mist models like this super-popular Vicks warm mist product produce water vapor using steam. Unlike cook mist products, some models also support cold relief additives like drop-in medicated liquids or medicated pads to distribute sinus & cold relief in the air.

Warm mist humidifiers use electricity to produce heat and generate heated water vapor which rises into the air.

Clean water stored in the tank gradually moves through a heating element and which vaporizes it. The water is then in a steam-like state and can rise into the air, increasing the humidity.

You can add scent pads or other vapor liquids to some of these types as well. If you’re having cold or flu-like symptoms, asthma, or allergies, you can get extra relief with these steam medications.

Since they produce a warm mist, they can also make your room feel warmer. They’re great for winter or moderate temperature environments and can really help with congestion during sickness.

However, they’re not a good match for warmer climates due to the small amount of heat they add.

Like cool mist models, when the water is completely used most are designed to shut off automatically. You’ll need to refill the humidifier once it runs out.

They’re fairly quiet during operation also, but cool mist models are even quieter.

Cool Mist Humidifiers

Cool mist humidifiers release vapor using electronic or electro-mechanical devices instead of heat as warm mist models do. A great example is this best-selling PureEnrichment MistAire model. It releases super-fine water vapor into the room at room temperature.

Cool mist humidifiers create moisture in the air without the need to use heat or warming the water.

This typically makes them more affordable than their warm mist counterparts. A cool mist humidifier will spray cool mist into the air.

You can find two types of cool mist humidifiers. The first, and most commonly sold type, is an ultrasonic design. These work by rapidly oscillating the water, turning it into an ultra-fine mist that rises into the air.

Ultrasonic humidifiers have another characteristic aside from not producing heat: they’re nearly completely silent during operation.An example of an “impeller” type. It’s a bit of an outdated technology these days but some are still popular with buyers. These types use an electric motor to turn blades in the water and produce a fine mist.

The other type of cool mist design is the impeller type. These use a motor-driven fan with blades that rapidly stirs water to produce mist. Impellers aren’t very common today and they produce more noise than their counterpart.

Another added benefit of cool mist models is that they use less electricity than warm mist models. Additionally, they don’t add heat to a room, so they’re ideal for year-round use, especially in areas with dry, warm climates.

However, they’re not as effective in helping to relieve congestion during cold and flu season.

Summary – Key points to remember

Just remember there are 2 main ways to know if you need a humidifier:

1. Paying attention to the dry air symptoms I listed earlier and recognizing why they’re happening
2. By using a humidity gauge to monitor the humidity level around you

If the symptoms you see match some of those I’ve listed, it’s time to use a humidifier. If you’re using a digital meter, use a humidifier when it reads 30% and below.

Remember that 40-60% or so is the ideal range of humidity for comfort, with 50% being a great rule of thumb for most people.

Again, I recommend you pick up a high-quality but inexpensive digital humidity gauge like this fantastic little ThermoPro TP50 that's pretty cheap at Amazon. I use digital meters at home and work and I absolutely love them!

Additional information

Need help finding a great but affordable humidifier? Check out my great list of the best humidifiers here.

You can also find out more about the differences between a humidifier and an air purifier.

The quality of air where you live can have a big impact on the well-being of your baby. Air purifiers and humidifiers are two very different products for different purposes.

In some ways, they’re a complement to each other. I understand how it could be confusing which is right for your little one. Perhaps you’re trying to decide on a humidifier vs air purifier for your baby.

I’ve written this post to help explain what each does as well as compare the two. Your baby’s health and comfort is important and I’d love to help you make the best decision.

Humidity and the effects of dry air on your baby

Common colds and other sicknesses are actually more difficult when the humidity in your home is low. For the best recovery from colds and sinus problems, a comfortable humidity level is recommended. Babies and children are more susceptible to air quality than adults. Keep your baby comfortable and healthy especially in dry climates and during the winter when humidity is very low.

The humidity level in your home can greatly influence how you feel and has a big influence on respiratory problems. It’s a numerical percentage used to express the amount of moisture content in the air around you.

For reference, a typical home should have a recommended humidity level of about 30%-50%.

Dry air sources & symptoms

Much like the outdoors during wintertime, homes that heat cold air using indoor heating (especially a wood-burning fireplace) may see a significant drop in humidity and the effects of dryness on your baby will become clear.

A level of 10%-20% is typical. If you live in an area with a dry climate the same effects can be seen depending upon your environment.

Very dry air dries out mucous membranes in your child’s nose, eyes, and throat. Your little one can become very uncomfortable. Sleep becomes more difficult and a baby’s breathing can become difficult as well as babies are more sensitive to environmental air quality than adults.

What does a humidifier do for babies?

Dry air consequences for small children can include:

• Dry skin
• Drying and stuffy nose & sinuses
• Rashes can become worse
• Increased susceptibility to sickness
• Respiratory problems
• Sensitivity to the dry air: coughing and symptoms that resemble allergies
• Nosebleeds
• Static electricity increasing and static cling
• Recovery from sickness takes longer
• A baby’s sleep may become difficult from coughing or nose & throat discomfort

Unlike an air purifier, humidity-related symptoms that resemble allergies aren’t due to increased irritants in the air.

They’re triggered by more particulates becoming active due to no longer being slowed due to moisture. Much like how a very dry room can show more dust, a room with lower moisture allows allergens to move more freely and enter a child’s lungs.

A humidifier works by turning water into vapor and releasing it into your home’s air. This raises the humidity back to a comfortable level.

In turn, your baby can breathe better and the symptoms of dry air listed above are reduced and even eliminated! Here’s an excellent post that explains more about humidifiers.

How to check the humidity in your baby’s room

A product like this displays the temperature and humidity in your baby’s room. They’re low-cost and a great way to monitor the real comfort levels for your baby’s air. During times when the heat is being used, you’re highly likely to see the humidity drop excessively!

A simple way to be able to check the humidity level for your little one is to use a hydrometer (humidity level) gauge. My recommendation is to use a simple & inexpensive temperature gauge with a humidity readout feature. Here's a great example of one I recommend.

These are inexpensive and work well. They’re fairly accurate and I use them both at home and work. Because of owning one I was able to detect that my colds and dry skin were being aggravated by the dry air.

With my heat running, I could see a dramatic decrease in my home’s moisture level – well below 25%!

After buying a humidifier for my room my quality of comfort greatly increased. With the humidity now between 40%-50% or so again I felt better and could sleep much more comfortably.

What humidity level is best for my baby?

For most people (and it depends on the person) the general range is between 30%-60%. Above 60% and your baby may start to become hot and perspire as high humidity keeps the body from being able to cool well.

Below 30% or so the body begins to feel cool and the symptoms of dry air become obvious.

A great rule of thumb is about 40-50% humidity in your baby’s room and your home. That’s an approximate number and you don’t have to worry about getting it exactly within that range.

I’m confident that once you’ve experienced the symptoms that low humidity causes you’ll notice the relief provided by a humidifier.

Humidifier types & how they work

There are several different types of humidifiers sold today but most can fit into one of 2 major categories.

Mist vs evaporative humidifiers

Left: An ultrasonic (mist) humidifier with electronic controls. Right: an evaporative humidifier set

Warm and cool mist humidifiers

Mist humidifiers work by changing water into tiny water droplets that are released into the air to add moisture. Cool mist humidifiers do so without using heat in the process.

They use electromechanical or other methods (like ultrasonic oscillation) to release non-heated water vapor into the air.

Warm mist humidifiers work like steamers: heat is used to produce warm water vapor into the air which raises the room’s humidity.

Both types have to be refilled with clean water when the supply runs out. Normally a tank is used to store water to offer several hours of use.

One benefit of warm mist humidifiers for your baby is that they’re often helpful when a child is sick. Especially with colds or other nose or sinus conditions.

Evaporative humidifiers

By comparison, evaporative models work on the principle of how moisture is released over time from standing water (typically in a bowl of some kind) into the surrounding air until the moisture level reaches a balance.

Unlike electric-powered models, they produce zero noise but can’t supply moisture into the air rapidly like powered products. These must be refilled with fresh, clean water as well after drying up.

Today’s products are more advanced and offer much more dryness relief with far less sound produced than those of long ago. In decades past, humidifiers were usually electromechanical devices that used an electric motor.

The motor spun rapidly and “whipped” the water through a small vent hole to release a fine mist into the air.

Here’s a great post that goes into more detail about humidifiers and provides some examples you may find helpful.

Understanding air quality and the problems an air purifier solves

Enclosed spaces like your baby’s room and your home are highly prone to trapping many elements that can trigger allergies in a child. Or even worse – sickness.

There are many types of unwanted particles, microbes, and allergy-causing particulates in the air around you:

• Dust and dust mite particles
• Microbes and airborne bacterial matter
• Cigarette smoke byproducts and odors
• Pollen
• Mold spores
• Pet dander and hair
• Material from home construction or other foreign material
• Odor-causing chemical substances

Babies are more sensitive to airborne irritants and germs because for their size they breathe in more air than adults. Additionally, they have weaker immune systems and have not built up a tolerance and resistance to common germs and allergens.

The biggest and most aggravating problems come when your child is continuously exposed.

Until these problem-causing particulates are dealt with properly your little one will continue to suffer.

Air purifiers provide relief for many types of allergies, coughing, colds & general respiratory problems.  After some time in use, you’ll be able to breathe clean, fresh, and pure air in your home and the baby’s room.

How do air purifiers work?

A good, well-performing air purifier like the GermGuardian AC4900CA has a HEPA filter (white) made of highly dense material for trapping microscopic particles in the air. A secondary dual-filter may be included: an activated carbon filter (black) and pre-filter section. Together they work to trap odors, chemical vapors, dust, and hair. These are often called a 3-in-1 air purifier filter.

Air purifiers work on a simple principle: they use fans to draw in dirty air, filter it, and permanently remove allergens, cigarette smoke particles & odors, pet dander, dust, and much more.

The fans then blow out fresh, healthy, and wonderfully clean air back into the room.

The problem with using a fan, opening a window, or using spray disinfectants or air fresheners is that they don’t address the source of the problem – the germs and unwanted materials in the air still remain and increase in amount as time goes by.

An air purifier is the only real solution to this problem.

Many of the problems we associate with allergies, sickness, and other conditions are actually too small to see – microscopic in size, in fact!

Some of the most common are incredibly small!

For example, some dust mite particles are around 5-10 microns in diameter. 1 micron is a unit of measurement representing 1/1,000,000 of a meter in size (also called a micrometer, or 1 uM). In the image above, PM10 and PM2.5 are labels used to indicate the size range of some particles: 10 uM and 2.5uM.

An air purifier works by using an industry-standard of filtering ability called a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter.

This is a United States Department of Energy standard meaning it must meet the ability to filter out 99.97% of all foreign matter, down to 0.3 microns in size of the air passing through it.

Foreign matter, microbes, and many other things that are harmful to your baby become trapped in the filter material and are completely removed from your child’s breathing air.

What is a HEPA filter?

Additionally, most use a 1st stage filter that includes an activated carbon filter. Some also include an extra pre-filter to remove larger matter like pet hair and dust. The purpose of the carbon filter is to remove odor-causing chemical substances and vapors.

When combined, this combination of filter types creates an excellent way to remove sickness and allergy-causing particles and odors.

Air humidifier filters are replaceable and must be swapped for a new one after a number of months depending upon the number of particles removed. 6-8 months are typical replacement times.

How to know which is right for your baby

So to break it down into the simplest terms here’s what you need to know:

When you need a humidifier for your baby:

• You live in a dry climate or frequently cold climate
• During wintertime when the heat is heavily used
• Your baby is suffering from dry skin, dry nose/eyes/throat
• You can feel a large amount of static electricity when touching objects after moving

Again, remember that a mist humidifier works fairly rapidly while an evaporative product does not, so you’ll want to buy a mist-type humidifier.

Here’s a good example of an affordable mist humidifier that's a great choice.

When you need an air purifier for your baby:

• You have moderate to high levels of dust or particles
• After moving into a new home or after a recent home construction
• You have visitors or people living in your home that are smokers
• Your baby shows frequent coughing, sneezing, signs of allergies, or other symptoms of allergies
• Your child becomes sick with a cold or other respiratory illness
• Your baby was born with or developed a respiratory illness or other illness affected by air quality
• For pet owners who keep dogs & cats indoors frequently

Can I use a humidifier and an air purifier together?

Yes, absolutely! They don’t affect the performance of each other and together they make a great team. A humidifier can improve the comfort of your air related to moisture while a purifier will clean and freshen the air. Also, it can relieve allergies and remove those odors you hate.

If you’ve got pets or smokers nearby you know exactly what I’m referring to.

Additional reading

For some of the best air purifiers on a budget, check out this helpful buying guide. Have a look at my review of the best-selling GermGuardian AC4825 purifier. I own it and highly recommend it.

If you’re wondering how much a humidifier costs and what they’re like, here's an excellent one that I use personally and can be found at Amazon.

Want to learn more about humidifiers? You can read more about humidifiers and what they do here.

Headaches are horrible! Believe me, I’ve suffered enough times in my life, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

For a number of reasons you might be wondering, “Can air purifiers cause headaches?” I’d love to help answer that!

In this post I’ll clear up the confusion you might have about air purifiers, headache triggers, and which kind of products you need to avoid (whether it’s for headaches, or just to get the most effective air cleaning for your dollar).

Infographic – Air purifier and headache facts

Video guide – Can air purifiers cause headaches?

Air purifier headaches are uncommon

While there are many causes of headaches, air purifier headaches aren’t very common.

The reason is that in nearly all cases one of many possible triggers is the real cause, not the air purifier. This includes particles in the air as well as odors and chemicals in gas form.

Where do headaches come from?

People who are allergic to things like tobacco smoke, mold spores, plant pollen, pet dander, and more have mucous membranes in their sinus cavities that become irritated. When this happens the sinuses react and begin to cause pressure in the head near nerves due to swelling.

When swelling in the sinuses occurs, nerves such as the trigeminal nerve and nearby areas respond in a way that you feel as headache pain.

The main thing to remember here is that headaches are normally caused by external triggers not related to air purifiers. Good quality air purifiers process the air and remove these triggers.

There are certain types you need to avoid, as you’ll see below.

The 2 types of air purifiers

Products sold and labeled as “air purifiers” are categorized as 2 types:

1. Emitting purifiers
2. Non-emitting purifiers (filter-based)

What does this mean? It’s really simple, actually.

• “Emitting” purifiers are those products like ozone generators that produce – or emit – a by-product into the air like ozone or ions.
• Non-emitting (filter-based) purifiers are those that use filters to remove particles & gases from the air. They don’t add anything into the air around you.

Ozone generators and ionizers, often marketed as “air cleaners” or “air purifiers” are electrical devices that use high voltage to separate air molecules and create ozone molecules.

The misleading marketing idea used to sell to buyers is that as they produce ozone and create fresh air in the room as they work.

Usually, ozone generators are sold with the idea that ozone molecules can attract and attach to other substances (like dust, microbes, allergens, and so on) to cleanse the air in a room, automobile, or wherever they’re used.

Emitting-type purifiers can actually trigger headaches for some people.

Emitting purifiers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is very clear about these types of purifiers. They define ozone as a lung irritant.

The EPA also notes that ionizers are ineffective in removing large particles like pollen and house dust. In this category of product you’ll find two types:

• Ionizers
• Ozone generators

Ionizers

Examples of ionizers available for home use sold as air purifiers.

Ionizers and ozone generators are very similar in how they work but generally speaking ionizers produce charged atoms in the air to attract airborne particles to a metal plate or similar object like a filter.

They typically don’t introduce a high level of emissions into the air, so they’re generally safe and aren’t likely to produce headaches. If you’re especially sensitive, however, it’s possible.

Additionally, they can reduce sickness by dramatically reducing the number of airborne sickness-causing microbes!

As a rule, an ionizer is helpful for improving the germ levels in a room, but as far as air cleanliness goes, they’re not very effective for the most common household air quality problems.

You can, however, buy a filter-based purifier with an ionizer feature in some cases.

Ozone generators

Shown: An ozone generator that produces large amounts of O3 molecules (ozone) by splitting oxygen molecules (O2) from the surrounding air. Some of these recombine to form ozone with a charge whereby they can attach to particles in a room’s air. The side effects humans feel depends on the ozone levels they’re exposed to.

The truth is, ozone generators don’t purify the air without health risks – or as effectively – as filter-based products do.

While it’s true that they can trap some elements in the air like dust, pet dander, and similar particulates, they’re not at all efficient at doing so. The reason is that when ozone (O3) molecules are produced, they have a short life span before recombining back into oxygen molecules at some point.

How they create problems for you

An ozone generator, generally speaking, produces a lot of ozone in a room. The idea is that by doing so allergens and other contaminants will bond with the ozone, causing it to fall to the ground or be trapped in a filter if provided.

The main problem with this is that it takes a significant amount of ozone to make a worthwhile difference.

So much so that these are not recommended to be used in rooms that are occupied by people. That’s because there’s a health risk involved due to the high levels of ozone.

What is ozone?

Ozone is simply a molecule made of three atoms of oxygen that don’t normally occur often in nature.

It’s created when a high voltage “aura” (fields around a fine high voltage source) rearrange the oxygen molecules present in the air around it.

Normally oxygen is present with only 2 atoms. When 3-atom ozone is created, the third atom can break away from the ozone molecule (often called ions) and attach/bond with other substances in the air.

In some cases, this can attract trace amounts of debris and tiny particles like dust, pollen, and others in the air.

Uses in air cleaning products

More advanced ozone generators may include a fan and may make big claims about their ability to filter and purify the air as a real air purifier would do.

However, the 1st problem is that they simply aren’t effective like a well-designed air purifier is at safe levels. Industrial-strength ozone generators can have good results, but they’re not safe to be around and normally are used without people present.

It’s important to understand that no agency of the federal government has approved any of these devices for normal everyday human use.

The symptoms of unsafe ozone levels

The problem with ozone is that the same properties it has for air cleaning (at high levels) also means it can trigger symptoms in your body when breathed in.

At the minimum, ozone can be an irritant and in extreme cases can be damaging to your health.

To quote information from the Environmental Protection Agency about ozone and its health risks:

Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.

People vary widely in their susceptibility to ozone. Healthy people, as well as those with respiratory difficulty, can experience breathing problems when exposed to ozone. Exercise during exposure to ozone causes a greater amount of ozone to be inhaled, and increases the risk of harmful respiratory effects.

Recovery from the harmful effects can occur following short-term exposure to low levels of ozone, but health effects may become more damaging and recovery less certain at higher levels or from longer exposures (US EPA, 1996a, 1996b)

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates the safe levels that humans in the workplace can be safely exposed to.

They also note the symptoms that you’ll fee. Both alone and combined with other chemicals, ozone can produce irritation and headaches when sufficient exposure is provided. 

A room filled with a high level of ozone can easily cause coughing and a strange feeling of unnatural air exposure in my experience.

Non-emitting (filter) purifiers

A filter-based air purifier works not by emitting by-products into the air like an ionizer or ozone generator, but only by safely removing unwanted substances from the air. Almost all use a highly dense HEPA filter (shown in white) and an activated carbon filter/pre-filter (black). When used together, these remove headache-causing elements like allergens, odors, chemical substances, perfume smell, organic substances, outgassing molecules, and more.

A non-emitting air purifier works not by producing by-products that enter the air, but by simply but processing air in the room. They permanently trap and remove particulates and many other types of airborne pollution.

Filter type purifiers work by using a fan to draw in air which passes through the filters which trap air contaminants before releasing clean air back into the room.

These work by continually cycling and cleaning a room’s air as they work. You can let them run 24 hours a day if you like, in fact.

HEPA filters and prefilters explained

High-quality models use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to remove particles as small as 0.3 micrometers (less than 1/100,000 of a meter!) in size by permanently trapping them.

The result is safe, fresh air without anything produced as a side effect – therefore there’s nothing to breathe in and potentially cause headaches.

The HEPA filter standard

HEPA is a United States government standardized level of filter quality and assures that the 0.3 uM (micrometer) particle size and is met and that 99.97% of the contaminants in the air moving through the filter never escape.

In other words, the HEPA standard means that a filter has to meet the requirements of how small the elements it can capture are and how efficient it is at removing particulates.

An additional 1st & 2nd stage filter section first removes larger particles and matter in the air (like pet hair, for example) and uses an activated carbon filter that attracts chemical substances in order to trap and hold them. This allows it to permanently remove many odors, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), and vapors that can affect you.

Can air purifiers reduce headaches?

Indeed, they can, if you buy the right kind as I mentioned above!

Using medicines that give relief to the symptoms like antihistamines, migraine medication, or aspirin and ibuprofen is only one way to deal with the problem. Ideally, you’ll be able to completely remove the source of the problem.

For example:

• Remove household sources of chemical or organic odors
• Keep pets outside (for pet allergy problems)
• Remove perfumes or cologne
• Ventilate your living area with fresh air to remove odors & substances in the air
• Minimize dust
• Don’t allow smokers in your home and breathing space

Not everyone can completely eliminate headache triggers in their home. Sometimes it isn’t practical to do so or possible.

In that case, using a non-emitting filter with a good quality filter as well as an activated carbon filter is an excellent idea. A high-quality product can remove headache-causing particles and/or vapors from the air permanently.

You can indeed get relief in these cases if you shop wisely and take measures to reduce the amount of headache-causing sources in your home.

In summary – can an air purifier cause headaches?

To recap what we’ve covered, here are the basics to remember:

• Air purifier headaches are not common.
• Headaches are normally caused by triggers like particulates and odors/chemicals in the air. Your sinuses react and cause headaches due to these.
• A quality, filter-based air purifier won’t cause headaches and can prevent them by reducing triggers around you in the air
• Emitting-type purifiers can potentially cause headaches for some people. They also don’t clean the air of headache-causing particles and gases like filter-based products do. Avoid them.
• Whenever possible, remove sources of allergens or chemicals & odors from your home to reduce problems.

Ionizers that produce safe levels of ozone do have a use in light-duty freshening of the air but aren’t recommended for people who are sensitive to headache-causing triggers.

Generally speaking, you should avoid products sold as “air purifiers” that are actually 100% ozone generators. Ionizers are less bothersome, but may trigger very sensitive and simply aren’t effective for air cleaning.

Additional reading

If you’d like to see a great example of a purifier that can not only avoid but can prevent headaches, check out this post about one of the best-selling products available today.

In case you need to open your windows let chemicals or other airborne elements escape to relieve your headache, find out if your air purifier can work with windows open here.