As someone that has asthma and seasonal allergies, I need to protect my lungs and respiratory system at all costs. This is especially true when I can feel that I start wheezing, as it usually lasts a fair amount of time and can be pretty uncomfortable.
After I’ve had enough from all of my wheezing symptoms, I decided to conduct a very extensive amount of research and find a solution to my respiratory problems once and for all.
And that’s when I found air purifiers. I have to admit that I was highly skeptical about air purifiers and thought they didn’t work. However, when my friend told me how her air purifier helped her with her allergies, I quickly got intrigued.
This led me to ask, “can air purifiers help with wheezing?”. After all, this was the problem I struggled with the most, and if an air purifier could help me out with my condition, that would be a huge plus and enough reason to buy one for myself.
To cut the story short, I ended up buying the best air purifier for my small room, and to help you out, in this article I’ll talk more about whether or not buying an air purifier can help with your wheezing and asthma symptoms and in the end, I’ll let you in on exactly what type of air purifiers work for wheezing.
But before I do that, I wanted to touch upon what wheezing is and what causes it.
What Is Wheezing and What Causes It?
Wheezing is this rattly sound that your breath makes when you inhale and exhale.
Sometimes, doctors require equipment like stethoscopes to hear wheezing.
But other times, when the condition is worse, you can hear the wheezing without using any tool or piece of technology.
The main cause of wheezing is a blockage in the respiratory system.
And depending on the area of the blockage, the wheezing sound can be different.
But while the wheezing sounds can differ, most people feel uncomfortable whenever they start wheezing.
On top of that, wheezing is a pretty common condition.
An estimated 30% of infants will develop wheezing at some point. And even if you don’t develop wheezing early on, there’s still a chance of developing it later in life.
Children with asthma usually develop wheezing, which is why I struggle with it as well from time to time.
However, asthma isn’t the only condition that can cause wheezing.
The symptoms can also arise from bronchitis, COPD, pneumonia, GERD, allergies, and even from smoking too much.
Since there are so many causes for wheezing and a lot of people struggle with it, having a device that can alleviate the symptoms would be a major help.
What Triggers Wheezing?
Wheezing is commonly attributed to people with asthma.
However, it’s important to note that it’s not exclusive to people with this condition. Wheezing can also occur if you have bronchitis, COPD, and other respiratory issues.
It can even occur if something gets stuck in your throat or respiratory system.
While it’s pretty standard, wheezing can be a huge hassle.
When I wheeze, I have difficulty speaking clearly and feel a very uncomfortable lump in my throat.
And since I know a blockage causes this, I know that removing whatever is in the air causing this blockage could be a great way of addressing the symptoms.
And in the next section, I’ll discuss whether or not air purifiers can help with wheezing symptoms and why I decided to buy an air purifier for myself to alleviate my symptoms.
Can Air Purifiers Help with Wheezing and Other Asthma Symptoms?
If you’re looking to alleviate wheezing and other asthma symptoms, an air purifier could be a great investment.
As someone with heavy allergies and asthma, my air purifier is one of the most valuable appliances in my home.
And to be honest, it’s one of the reasons I can be as comfortable as I am whenever I end a long day’s work and finally get back home.
With that said, let me remind everyone that asthma has no cure.
Unfortunately, people diagnosed with asthma have to live with it their entire lives. However, while you can’t cure asthma, there are many things you can do to treat it and make sure the symptoms aren’t as bad.
One of the best ways to do this is with an air purifier. This is because asthma and wheezing, as mentioned earlier, are usually caused by environmental triggers.
These triggers include pet dander, smoke, dust, pollen, and mold. These are some of the particles that air purifiers are designed to filter out and eliminate.
So, having an air purifier on can reduce asthma symptoms by eliminating most of the environmental triggers before they end up in your lungs.
To understand this, it’s important to learn how an air purifier works.
These are fairly simple machines.
When stripped down to the bare essentials, an air purifier is basically a fan with a filter.
The unit’s fan pulls in air from your room, passes it through the filtration system, and releases it all while the solid particles in the air remain trapped within the filter.
In theory, air purifiers seem like the perfect solution for people with asthma.
And they are.
My HEPA filter air purifier helped me out a ton.
However, it’s important for me to note that I’m speaking from personal experience and that there are no formal studies to support my claims.
With all that being said, not all air purifiers will help alleviate your asthma and wheezing symptoms.
I found out this the hard way after picking a few models I liked only to later realize that only one of the four was actually going to truly help me out.
So, in the section, below, I want to outline exactly what air purifiers you should be looking for if you want to directly alleviate the symptoms of wheezing.
What Air Purifiers Work for Wheezing?
To start, I can’t stress enough that you need a high-quality air purifier if you want to tackle a wheezing problem.
Remember, the most common cause of wheezing is a blockage in the respiratory system.
If you want to prevent a blockage, you have to make sure that the air that you breathe is clean and pure.
If you have a cheap air purifier, it simply won’t do the trick.
Some of the sub-par air purifiers on the market contain features that could worsen your condition.
This is why it’s important to take your time and find an air purifier that’s made of high-quality materials but more on that later.
First, let’s take a look at some types of air purifiers you should especially pay attention to for your wheezing problem.
HEPA Filters
Firstly, I highly recommend HEPA filter air purification units. In fact, if you’re buying an air purifier for any reason, you can’t skip out on one with a HEPA filter.
This is because HEPA filters are highly sophisticated pieces of technology that have become the industry standard because of how effectively they can remove solid particles from the air.
HEPA filters are made of a fibreglass mesh that’s incredibly fine.
In fact, even the lowest-rated HEPA filters can still capture particles that are just a couple of microns thick, which are some of the main environmental triggers of an asthma attack.
With that said, if you want to really clean the air at home, you need an H13 HEPA filter at the very least.
Additionally, you must make sure that you buy an air purifier with a true HEPA filter.
There are tons of “fake” HEPA filters on the market today that won’t work like a True HEPA filter would.
Another thing to consider is whether you get a permanent or replaceable HEPA filter.
While permanent HEPA filters are more expensive, they are washable, and you don’t have to buy another one for at least ten years (unless you break it).
Replaceable HEPA filters are much more affordable, but you will have to buy a new one every couple of months to keep the air purifier functioning properly.
How often you change your HEPA filter will, of course, depend on how often you use your unit. If you use it 24/7, you’ll have to replace it much more often than if you only use it at night while sleeping.
Activated Carbon Filters
Another type of filter you’re going to need to aid with wheezing and other asthma symptoms is an activated carbon filter.
These are present in most of the top-tier air purifiers on the market. They are designed to absorb smoke and other harmful gases from the air.
Remember, smoke is another environmental trigger.
And while a HEPA filter can catch the solid particles, you’ll need an activated carbon filter for the triggers that are gasses.
Additionally, an activated carbon filter can absorb cooking odors and harmful VOCs in most modern-day homes.
Automatic & Smart Air Purifiers
As I mentioned earlier, it’s best to keep the air purifier on 24/7.
This is to ensure that the air purifier is constantly cleaning the air and that the number of particles floating around is kept to a minimum at all times.
With that said, it can be hard to leave an air purifier on 24/7, especially if you’re trying to cut down your consumption or if you don’t like manually adjusting the air purifier every hour or so.
That’s why an automatic or smart air purifier is a great investment.
You don’t have to worry about adjusting the settings with an automatic air purifier.
Instead, the air purifier will use its sensors to detect when air quality in the room drops below a certain level and adjust accordingly, making things much more convenient.
With a smart air purifier, you can connect it to other smart devices like your phone.
That way, you can turn the air purifier off whenever you leave the house.
And when you’re on the way back, you can turn it on with your phone so that it starts purifying the air just in time, and you can rest assured that you breathe clean air the second you walk into your home.
Note: Stay Away from Ionizers & Ozone Generators
I’d like everyone to note if they plan on buying an air purifier that has ionizers and ozone generators are a terrible idea.
This is because both devices produce ozone, which can amplify respiratory problems and even be dangerous if there’s too much ozone in an enclosed space.
While not many air purifiers use ozone generators, a fair amount uses ionizers.
So, if you want to stay on the safer side, avoid both of these features if you have respiratory issues.
If you suspect that your current air purifier might be releasing ozone, check out our article, which will show you how to tell if your air purifier smells like ozone.
Conclusion
If you’re suffering from wheezing and asthma symptoms, there’s not much you can do aside from taking the medications your doctor has prescribed you.
However, one thing you can do is purchase an air purifier that is specially designed to help alleviate respiratory symptoms. These can also be great air purifiers for cancer patients that have underlying respiratory issues..
Just make sure to do your own research and that you follow the information I shared with you above.
That way, you can’t go wrong and can finally start to enjoy wheezing-free days in the comfort of your own home.