Dehumidifiers are godsends for people who live in humid areas or have a moist summer. These appliances can improve comfort by lowering the indoor humidity level. Many people wonder if a dehumidifier will overdo it and dehydrate them.
Don’t worry! Dehumidifiers these days will not dehydrate you because they will shut off automatically when the humidity level reaches a certain level. However, it can cause dryness if your model doesn’t have a built-in humidistat and continue to work for too long or hasn’t been cleaned for a while.
This post will discuss the relationship between dehydration and dehumidifier so that you can feel more secure and confident when using your machine.
What is dehydration?
Even though we often talk about dehydration in our daily life, not everyone understands what it really is.
Water is the most crucial substance in our body. Our bodies need it to function.
Dehydration occurs when our body uses or loses more fluid than we take in, making our body unable to carry out its normal functions. It often happens in children, the elderly, and people with some illnesses. Too much exercise or work outside will also lead to it.
Because dehydration can cause many complications, like kidney problems, heat injury, and seizures, we should prevent it and treat it immediately.
Some signs indicate you are dehydrated, which include:
- Extreme thirst
- Dark-colored urine
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
Does a dehumidifier dehydrate you?
No. A dehumidifier will not dehydrate you in most cases. Instead, it can help with preventing dehydration.
I want to explain it by analyzing the causes of dehydration. In infants and children, dehydration happens after diarrhea and vomiting since it will cause a loss of water and minerals. As you know, dehumidifiers only reduce the water vapor in the air, it is not likely to cause diarrhea or vomiting in any way.
Another cause of dehydration is fever, a symptom of a viral or bacterial infection. As long as your dehumidifier is clean, it will not produce bacteria. Besides, some chronic diseases, such as diabetes and dementia, will also lead to dehydration, which is even more irrelevant to the use a dehumidifier.
People are more prone to dehydration when the air is humid and hot. This is due to the fact that the moist air inhibits our sweat from evaporation, leaving our body to stay hot and continue to lose fluid.
As dehumidifiers can lower the humidity level, they can benefit our bodies instead of doing harm to them.
A cause that seems to be more associated with the dehumidifier is dry air. Our body fluids are depleted during respiration when the air is dry.
While a dehumidifier can make the air dry, it can only dry the air to a certain level. Most dehumidifiers nowadays have a built-in humidistat, ensuring the indoor humidity level is maintained. The machine will shut off when the humidity reaches your target level.
Therefore, using a dehumidifier will not cause dehydration if you have a modern unit.
Can a dehumidifier make you dehydrated at night?
Many people don’t run their dehumidifiers at night because they are too loud. Sleeping with it is perfectly fine if you are not sensitive to the noise.
Some people wake up thirsty and blame the dehumidifier. That’s not the case. A dehumidifier will only remove excessive moisture in the air regardless of when you use it. A dehumidifier can’t make you dehydrated at night, and you should look for other reasons.
Nevertheless, as I mentioned above, bacterial infection can lead to dehydration. If you haven’t cleaned the dehumidifier for a while, the water in the bucket can become a thriving environment for mold and bacteria. The dirty coils could also add mold spores and bacteria to the air. Thus, a dirty dehumidifier can cause infections that result in dehydration in the end.
If you ensure your dehumidifier is clean, it will not become the culprit of dehydration.
Check here to know how to clean a dehumidifier bucket.
Can a dehumidifier remove too much moisture?
Except for an uncleaned machine, a dehumidifier is possible to dehydrate you only when the humidity level drops too much. However, a dehumidifier will not remove too much moisture unless there is something wrong with the device itself.
It doesn’t have a humidistat
If you just get an old dehumidifier from your parents, it has a likelihood that it lacks a humidistat. In this case, the dehumidifier will continue to run and remove water vapor before you turn it off manually.
You can use an external hygrometer to monitor the humidity level in the room. Once it falls below 30%, you should shut off the device.
Failed humidistat
Some people find their machine suddenly starts to collect more water and feel their skin dry. It could be the fault of the humidistat. It can’t detect the humidity correctly when it malfunctions, making your machine run constantly.
Broken bucket sensor
When the bucket sensor is broken, it will not stop collecting water when the bucket is full. This will lead to not only too much moisture removal but also leak, which can cause more bad consequences.
Conclusion
When you live in a humid climate, a dehumidifier is beneficial for you. It can reduce dust mite and mold growth by controlling the level of humidity.
A dehumidifier will not dehydrate you because it can stop running when the indoor humidity is low thanks to the built-in humidistat. To completely prevent this from happening, you should ensure the device is clean, and your machine is a humidistat in good condition.
Otherwise, you need a hygrometer to monitor the humidity level manually.
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