Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do when playing hurts...


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Posted by Joe Baker on February 11, 2003 at 16:04:11:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: What to do when playing hurts... posted by huh? on February 11, 2003 at 11:23:08:

You are factually correct, but you're missing an important point. It is true that, as air is cooled, its ability to hold moisture decreases. But whether the air dries out depends upon how much moisture was already IN the air at the time. But the real factor in whether the air dries out your skin is RELATIVE humidity, which is certainly lowered as the air is heated. The higher the relative humidity, the less moisture will evaporate from your skin. So as the temperature cools, the relative humidity rises, and the evaporation of moisture from the skin decreases. Temperature affects circulation, but this is, relatively speaking, a minor consideration.

By heating only the area immediately around the body, and enclosing that area with a blanket to minimize dispersal of the water vapor, I'm guessing the skin would dry less. If the head remains out from under the covers, so much the better for the lips.

I would personally recommend using a humidifier, with or without heating the room. My wife and I recently moved to a place where we have to run the heat a lot more than we ever did before, and we both had serious problems with dry skin and cracked lips. She purchased a console humidifier for our bedroom, which puts out about 3 gallons of water a night (we don't run it during the day). Problem solved!

Joe Baker, who had to cut it back after a week because the room was smelling 'mildewy'.


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