I'm just wondering, would it help? Normally, I hate humidity but I'm wondering if having a small one in my bedroom might help. My eyes have really started bothering me lately. I live in southern California and it's so hot right now that we've had to have the air conditioner running pretty much all day. And of course, an air conditioner condenses all the moisture out of the air. So it's probably as dry as the Sahara in here right now.
Does a humidifier help you guys? I'm still new to all this. I'm looking for any help I can find!
I don’t usually use a humidifier. In addition to meds, I also will use a saline nasal spray or Vaseline/aquaphor in my nose before bed, and I use a night time eye ointment religiously. The rare night that I forget, I pay for it the whole next day.
I do use evoxac as one of my meds. I started taking it when I started having serious trouble sleeping, because I was so dry. It’s not perfect now, but a lot better. Yes, it makes me drooly sometimes.
I know, heat and a/c really add to the dryness! There are many here who do use humidifiers, but just be very careful to keep them clean as they can grow various types of mold, as can a/c units, and dehumidifiers.
See the 'health issues' part of this article, I am thinking chlorine bleach is the answer. I clean mine with dishwater that contains bleach, and sometimes even round up as much as I can and put them in the dishwasher.
I use a humidifier in my bedroom and believe it helps. Sometimes I simply run it for an hour or so before I go to bed and then turn it off.
I want to echo the caution that SK talked about. I am amazed at how quickly slimy stuff appears in and around my humidifier. The instructions say to empty it every day and sanitize it once a week, but I sanitize it with a bleach product more often than that. Never thought about trying to fit it in my dishwasher. Good idea!
This may sound nuts, but it works for me. I never was able to get a humidifier to work. Always ended up returning them.
I used to live in the mountains at 5,000 feet. And, the air was so very dry. I would hang my clothes on drying racks in my bedroom to dry over night. I noticed the air was moister and I felt pretty good in the morning.
I use this now. Towels are best. If the clothes are a little stiff from air-drying, wearing them or using the towels makes it go away and you can use the same recipe for your clothes as if they were going to go in a dryer. Helps you keep up with your laundry too.
You got to hold on.
BTW Costco (USA) sells great stainless steel drying racks.
I live in Wyoming and we either have heat or air conditioning on all the time, it seems. I use a humidifier in my bedroom, and I also have a small one at work. I think they help. I also use Evoxac, and a saline nasal spray.
I may not be the best person to ask. I tried a humidifier in my bed room. I was hoping it would help my dry mouth at night. I did not notice any different.
The two things I've done at night that have really helped my eyes is eye ointment and wearing glasses that do not have much if any space between the rims and my face.
I've tried a few ointments and they all seemed to help at least some. I just started seeing an ophthalmologist who specializes in the front part of the eye. He works in an office that is a dry eye center. He's switch me to an ointment called "Muro 128". It's not in expense as this little tube was $25 at Walmart (you have to ask the pharmacist for it as they keep it behind the counter even though it's over the counter). If you haven't used ointment before, you put a small amount on your finger and pull your bottom eyelid down a little and apply the ointment just inside the lid. I know that sounds bad, but it doesn't hurt as much as you think. Sometimes I don't really feel anything. It's when the eyelid is really dry that it hurts the most (I know, when is it not dry). I will not say Muro 128 is a wonder drug. The biggest thing I've notice is that I do not have to tear my eyes open in the morning.
BTW, I always thought that my eye lids were just sticking to each other with the normal sandman stuff everyone gets. I now know that's not the case. My eyes get so dry at night that my eye lid is actually sticking to the this thin layer of skin on the out side of my eye. This layer of skin is supposed to be attached to the inside layer of the eye. My left eye doesn't do this anymore. I have space between the two layers. As a result something as small as blinking can rip the outer layer of skin. This is not all that fun. I have had worse, but not fun. Once this occurs you will never really heal. You can go months without having any problems, but you will eventually tear that layer again. It's considered a chronic condition, hence the new Dr.
So be careful with your eyes and try to keep putting in preservative free drops, ointment, or any thing else that works. If you eye site starts to change and your eye/eyes are dry and painful, go see the Dr. I think I waited too long. I didn't want to jump to conclusions and worry about something that might not be happening. By the time I had the bright idea to cover my good eye and realize I couldn't see for *)#$! out of my left eye, my eye was in pretty bad shape. I was going to the eye dr. for 2 to 4 times a week for the first few weeks before I could slow to once a week.
I digressed. On the glasses, I've gotten to where I wear onion goggles at night. They have a layer of foam that keeps the air flow in the room from effecting your eyes as much. I have to wear glasses at the office too, as it's too warm for me and I have to use a fan. I asked my new Dr. if he would recommend any particular type of glasses. I was prepared to spend upwards of $100 for a pair of glasses specially designed for dry eyes. He didn't recommend any brand or type. He did say that many people went to Home Depot and bought safety glasses that worked just fine. The key is to find something that does not have any openings where air can get through. I found one type of glasses at Home Depot that had a layer of foam (nicer and better quality than the onion goggles). They were only like $10 or $15. I did discover that the foam had small openings to allow some air flow (keeps the glasses from fogging up). I had to use small strips of scotch tape to cover the holes. But now they work really well. They still look kind of strange for the office, but it's worth it to protect my eye sight. The only time they fog up on me is right after I put in eye drops, but I just open a small amount of space and they clear right away.
Ops, I did realize other people have responded. I failed to look down the page. So, some of this may be a repeat of what others have said.
I use a humidifier at night. I found a cool mist one I really like at Target for about $30. I am also on O2 at night and have a concentrator in my bedroom that puts out quite a bit of heat so the cool humidifier is nice. I feel the humidifier helps with the dryness. I'm lucky in that SS isn't too bad with my eyes, more my mouth & sinuses. My eye doctor tells me my eyes are very healthy for someone with SS.