How to Prevent Dry Eyes and Sleep Better in an Air-Conditioned Room

Dry air is a sleep thief

Getting a good night’s sleep every day is very important for our well-being. We need several hours of uninterrupted deep sleep in order to be fully rested and recharged.

Unfortunately, many things can rouse us from that much-needed deep sleep. We all know the usual culprits, such as yowling cats, barking dogs and noisy cars. But let’s not overlook that silent and stealthy sleep interrupter: dry air.

Dry air negatively impacts the quality of sleep by triggering all sorts of trouble. For example, breathing dry air can make your throat feel rough and itchy, thereby causing a prolonged bout of severe coughing.

Dry air aggravates the medical condition commonly known as “dry eyes.” What little moisture is supplied to the eyes by the impaired tear glands evaporates quickly into the dry air, preventing the eyelids from sliding freely over the eyes. In severe cases, the eyelid sticks to the eye, which can be very painful indeed. Goodbye to deep sleep.

A sure sign of dry air is the buildup of static electricity. If you can feel an electric shock upon touching a doorknob or other metal fixture or brushing against another person, you can be sure that you are in dry air. Unless you remedy this situation, expect a visit from one or more of the symptoms described above during bedtime.

Air-conditioned rooms are likely to have dry air because air conditioners suck moisture from the air. So how can we sleep better in an air-conditioned room? A quick solution is to avoid the direct blast of air from the air conditioner. But this remedy may not be adequate or even possible. 

How to combat dry air

A better approach is to make the air less dry. This can be done in a number of ways. If you can control the air conditioner, try raising the temperature setting by a few degrees. If you can’t control the air conditioner, a simple solution is to hang a damp towel near your bed. Place the towel between yourself and the air conditioner so that the dry air will pick up some moisture as it passes by the towel. For best results, use a big towel. Add water to the towel until it is mildly damp. To ensure that the towel remains damp until morning, fill up a pail or similar water container and dip one end of the towel into it.

If dry air is giving you an itchy throat, restore the moisture in your throat by inhaling several times through a damp towel.

At home or in the office, implement a permanent solution, such as installing a room humidifier or replacing your room air conditioner with a model that incorporates a humidifier.