Humidity Control for Ideal Sleep Environment

It is critical to maintain consistent indoor comfort so that our homes are more pleasant to live in. When it comes to creating comfort, temperature isn't the only factor to consider. Humidity also has a significant impact on the overall feel of your room. When you compare a room's level of comfort under the same temperature, the contrast is evident when the humidity is high versus an ideal humidity. Indoor humidity levels must be considered when creating the best environment at home.

Humidity is a general reference of the amount of moisture (water molecules) in the air. A higher amount of moisture in the air translates to higher humidity level in your home. When a place is too humid, it can affect sleep quality, cause health problems and general discomfort.

Both temperature and humidity affect a person’s comfort levels. Based on the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2010, the ideal comfort zone are a combination of relative humidity level below 60% and temperature between 23°C to 28°C.

At the same temperature, humidity can affect a person’s comfort. The human body uses evaporation of sweat to cool itself down. When relative humidity is below 60%, sweat evaporates easily from the skin, making you feel cooler in a short time.

However, perspiration evaporates slowly from the skin under humid conditions where the surrounding air is too dense with moisture to effectively absorb water vapours. Thus, sweat remains on the skin’s surface - leaving you feeling hot and sticky. This means a long night full of sweating, turning and tossing around in bed.

Achieving the right balance between temperature and humidity is important to create the most comfortable living environment. When the temperature in a room is high, you will feel uncomfortable. A high relative humidity will only worsen your discomfort. The new Panasonic air conditioners with iAUTO-X and Humidity sensor not only cool your home down, they reduce humidity as well. It constantly monitors and adjusts relative humidity level to below 60%, so you can stay comfortable indoors.

When the air conditioner is turned on and iAUTO-X mode is activated, the new iAUTO-X feature rapidly cools the room. Once the room reaches its set temperature, humidity sensors determine relative humidity in the room. If the room’s relative humidity is above 60%, the unit’s humidity control will be initiated to remove excess moisture in the air to keep humidity in the room constantly below 60%. This process of sensing and adjusting relative humidity will be repeated continuously throughout the entire time the air conditioner is in operation.

In the case of air conditioners without humidity sensor, after reaching set temperature, relative humidity gradually rise above ideal levels due to the accumulation of water vapours in the air. When the humidity levels are higher, the room feels warmer than it actually is.

High relative humidity in the bedroom causes discomfort that can greatly affect a person’s quality of sleep.
Therefore, it is important to control and maintain an optimal environment in the bedroom for a good night's rest.