While the winters we were most deeply affected by the pandemic were boring, the majority of us managed to escape common winter colds and flu. And while we’re certainly glad to see the back of living so cautiously, our reinvigorated social lives mean that wintertime flu is back in full force!
While practicing good hygiene and eating well should be your foundation for avoiding getting sick each winter (a flu vaccination is a good idea for older people, too), have you thought about how your home may be helping or hindering you?
Read on to learn how your house may be helping your family get sick and what you can do about it!
Is your home making you get sick more easily?
Our homes and, in particular, whether or not they are sufficiently insulated and sealed, can either boost our immune systems or work against them. Here’s how:
- Being cold makes us more susceptible to illness: Low temperatures lower our body’s ability to fight off illness. While we often work to reduce a fever because they are uncomfortable, they occur because our body raises our internal temperature in an attempt to kill off the intruding bacteria or virus. When our homes are badly insulated, our homes are more likely to get cold, and then we’re more likely to get sick.
- We need to keep our airways warm and moist to keep our first line of defense healthy: Our first line of defense against viruses we breathe in is the mucus membrane in our throat and our tonsils (if we have them). Keeping our homes warm and at a healthy level of humidity is essential if we want to ensure our bodies are in the best condition to fight off the abundant viruses at this time of year. If this membrane is too dry, we can get sick more easily. If your home has good air sealing, your home will stay at a healthy level of humidity more easily.
- Humidity can also defend you from viruses: As we touched on above, humidity is also a key element in keeping you healthy. While we need to be careful to avoid having so much moisture in the home that we get mold, humidity helps fight viruses because they spread more easily in dry air. When a house is poorly insulated, we often use excessive heating to keep warm, which dries out the air. Good insulation and air sealing allow us to stay warm with adequate humidity which helps us avoid getting sick.
- Air sealing can help protect you from pollution: Inadequate air sealing in your home can allow external pollutants to enter your home, whether that’s exhaust fumes from the highway or undesirable molecules from pests that are spending the winter in your attic or unused crawlspaces. These kinds of pollutants can damage your lung health and thus make you more susceptible to illness.
What is air sealing?
When our homes are built, they are designed to be air-tight, but over time the house settles and cracks develop. Small gaps can also form around windows and doors and where we’ve done DIY (or had work done) that’s not quite finished correctly. For example, recessed lights into the attic are a common area where there is insufficient air sealing.
Air sealing is the process of seeking out all these areas where gaps have formed and sealing them so air cannot leak in or out of your home. It’s essential for ensuring your home is energy efficient, and it’s also crucial if you want your home to be doing everything it can to keep you healthy throughout winter.
Get Air Sealing in West Florida Now to Protect Your Family’s Health
Air sealing protects your health and helps to lower your energy bills, so it’s a great thing to have done at any time of year, but especially during winter. Our experts serving West Florida can assess your home and seal it so it’s air-tight and ready to keep your family healthy this winter. To get started or to find out more, click here.