How to Stay Healthy and Productive During a Snowstorm

The safest response to freezing temperatures is staying indoors, which was where we typically find ourselves during record-breaking blizzards like the Polar Vortex. As a result of the storm, a majority of the Midwest was advised to work from home to avoid the freezing outdoor conditions this week. While working from home is the safest option during snow storms, why does it sometimes feel like the least productive?

While there is something to be said about the comfort of our own homes making us feel more inclined to become distracted (or lose focus entirely), could there be something else keeping us from being our most productive selves while we work from home?

We decided to investigate, starting with air quality.

If you’re wondering why we’re so concerned with air quality, you’re not alone–many of us believe that the air we’re breathing is healthy, safe, and won’t have much effect on us since it’s not something we can typically see. But this isn’t the case, especially for air that’s indoors. In fact, indoor air can be 5x more polluted than outdoors, which can affect allergies, asthma, productivity, and more–even our quality of sleep.

At Awair, we’re fascinated by how indoor air can be affected by external events–from natural disasters like fires, to common weather like rain–so this recent major snowstorm caught our attention.

With our interested piqued, we decided to see what the average Awair readings were across a city that was making headlines for being affected by the extreme weather: Chicago. Awair is a device that tracks toxins and chemicals in your indoor air, then gives you personalized recommendations to help you stay safe and healthy. Awair focuses on the five air quality factors that can affect your health–chemicals, dust, humidity, temperature, and carbon dioxide.

Checking the indoor air quality readings across Chicago, we couldn't help but notice a major trend: homes across the city experienced an almost sudden increase in carbon dioxide as the Polar Vortex crept into the area:

Why is this sudden increase in carbon dioxide important?


If there’s an above-average amount of carbon dioxide in the air you’re breathing, you’ll begin to notice some side effects, headaches, difficulty making decisions, drowsiness–and decreased productivity.

Since the levels of carbon dioxide increased during the blizzard, does this mean a snow storm can cause an increase in carbon dioxide in your home?

Not necessarily.

Aside from bundling up as much as possible, what is the one thing we absolutely make sure of when temperatures drop well below freezing? We’ll most likely take a moment to check our home for any open windows, doors, or leaks that could potentially let the cold enter in. But a tightly sealed home may not always be our best ally.

Without a way for fresh air to properly flow into our home, we’ll begin unknowingly pumping those 2.3 pounds of carbon dioxide into our air, and after a short while we’ll probably begin to feel its symptoms.

The air we breathe is a delicate balance of a few key ingredients, and many of us don’t realize that even small changes–like closing a window–can completely disrupt the balance, which has the ability to affect our entire day.

So how can you have a productive day, even if a snowstorm has you working from home?

Keeping the levels of carbon dioxide low in your home is as simple as getting some fresh air!

Since opening a window to let in some fresh air isn’t realistic during a blizzard, here are a few of our favorite tips for keeping your air indoors healthy, even when it’s cold outside:

1. Air Cleaning Houseplants



2. Fans


3. Monitor Your Air

Take the guesswork out of keeping your air clean with an indoor air quality monitor, like Awair 2nd Edition. Awair tracks toxins and chemicals in your air and gives you personalized recommendations to help you stay safe and healthy.

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