The 5 Most Important Health Benefits of Air PurifiersCredit : Flickr

Nowadays, we pass most of our time indoors - especially in the age of corona lockdowns. That being the case, we spend practically all day breathing bad air - EPA estimates that indoor air quality is 3 to 100 times worse than outside

The resulting health issues are not just limited to the sluggishness of oxygen-starved brains. From chronic low-level inflammatory processes and skin problems to serious lung ailments, many common health conditions are associated with low air quality. 

Air purifiers can help. These devices clean air in one of two ways: filtering it or releasing negatively charged ions, which then bind and neutralize harmful substances. 

Here are the five principal benefits of using purifiers to upgrade the quality of the air you breathe. 

1 - Getting Rid of Pollutants 

From exhaust fumes in cities to pesticide traces in the countryside, air purifiers can filter harmful substances from the air. The same goes for pollution that originates inside your home - whether it's second-hand smoke, asbestos from your old building's walls, or radon released from the ground.

This prevents a large variety of substances from getting into your lungs and affecting your body. At best, these substances can cause low-level inflammatory processes, showing up on your skin as acne that antibiotics do little to fight. At worst, they can spur cancerous growths in your lungs. 

2 - Trapping Airborne Allergens 

If you are one of the unlucky plagued by sneezing and coughing fits, puffy eyes, and running noses every time a cat whizzes past or pollen are in season, air purifiers might be your saving grace. They can combat animal hair, pollen, and other airborne allergens. While they might not succeed in eliminating these pesky particles 100%, they can certainly alleviate their effects. 

3 - Battling Bacteria 

Particularly relevant in the age of the pandemic, air purifiers have also been shown to be effective in filtering bacteria - and, possibly, viruses - out of the air. Usually, these disease bringers are transported by the tiny water droplets emitted by sneezing, coughing, or even flushing a toilet, as the New York Times recently wrote. Air purifiers can capture these droplets, rendering their unwelcome occupants harmless. 

4 - Defusing Asthma Triggers 

From dust particles to mold spores, there is a wide range of airborne substances that can trigger attacks in those with asthma. As with allergies, air purifiers can reduce the concentration of these triggers in the air - and thus the frequency at which inhalers are needed. 

5 - Improving Concentration, Mood and Sleep 

Finally, air purifiers have also been linked to improved concentration, better moods, and deeper sleep. 

For one, filtering the air in your home will leave you breathing more deeply and easily, putting more oxygen into your bloodstream. In addition, the negatively charged ions emitted by some purifiers, have been shown to have positive effects on mood

These factors both improve concentration, and a general sense of well-being, in turn boosting sleep quality. But a further lift to the land of dreams is given by the calming white noise that most air purifiers make. 

Final Thoughts 

At the end of the day, the only definite solution to breathing 100% clean air is to move to a remote village in the Himalayas. While air purifiers can't quite claim the same effect, they definitely improve the quality of the air in your home, wherever you live. 

And as research has shown, that improvement alone can prevent or alleviate many conditions. So that you can breathe easily again.