Humidifiers can help combat troublesome symptoms that arise in dry seasons, but can humidifiers help relieve nasal congestion?

Humidifiers work by adding moisture to the air. You pour water into the humidifier's reservoir and it outputs a gentle, filtered mist. The relative humidity in your home — meaning the density of water vapor relative to the temperature in a space — should be kept between 30% to 60%, according to the American National Standards Institute. If the humidity level drops below this, it can trigger troublesome symptoms such as dry skin, dry sinuses and dry eyes.

The science currently hints that humidifiers may help relieve congestion in some cases, but more research is needed to know for sure. If you have any concerns or specific questions, especially if your congestion isn't going away, speak to your doctor.

What causes congestion?

Congestion, or "stuffy nose," is defined as an excess of fluid or mucus in the nasal passages that causes them to swell, according to Dr. Jamie Rapacciuolo, a family medicine physician at ChristianaCare Primary Care in Wilmington, Delaware. She told Live Science that congestion is most commonly caused by a physical barrier, such as a mucus buildup, or inflammation in the nasal passages.

"Inflammation can develop in multiple ways, such as swelling of [blood] vessels, increased fluids that have a thicker texture within the nasal passages, and swelling of the tissues on the inside of the nose," she said. "All of these causes can result in a smaller passage route for which air to move through when breathing."