Last November, I noticed that I wasn’t feeling well. Every morning, I woke up with a headache, stuffy nose, and itchy eyes. I was constantly sneezing and coughing, and sometimes I even felt a bit nauseous. I tried getting more sleep, drinking more liquids, and taking vitamins. I even went to the doctor and got a prescription for antibiotics. I felt slightly sick all winter long, and I missed a tremendous amount of work. As soon as spring arrived, and I was able to open my windows, I felt so much better. I suddenly felt healthy and energized, and all of my symptoms miraculously disappeared. That’s when I realized that my indoor air quality was to blame. I contacted a local HVAC company and scheduled maintenance for my furnace. The HVAC technician cleaned, inspected and tuned all of the heating components. He told me there was a tremendous buildup of dust and contaminants throughout the inner workings of the furnace. Every time my heating system started up, it was spreading bacteria and airborne pollutants throughout the house. I was breathing in these contaminants, and it was making me sick. Because it was an unusually cold winter, my furnace was running at maximum capacity just about non stop. The constant flow of heat not only contributed to unhealthy air quality but sucked necessary moisture from the air. When there is insufficient humidity, people are more susceptible to infection and illness. Very low humidity levels can also be the cause of headaches, sore throat, and other symptoms. The HVAC technician recommended that I have a whole-home humidifier installed to maintain optimum moisture levels throughout the winter.