The summer is on and the scorching heat outside is making the lives of many tough. Mostly, people use air-conditioners to get relief from the heat. Not only those living in the cities use air-conditioners but even those who live in semi urban and in the rural places also.
We know that sleeping with air-conditioners on during the nights would help us to overcome the heat and humidity well. By this, we would be able to sleep well. Not many of us would know that by sleeping with air-conditioners on the whole night we could get health issues also.
Various health issues of sleeping with air-conditioners on are
Respiratory issues:
Those who are sensitive to cold air and those who have issues like asthma etc would get respiratory issues when they sleep with air-conditioners on. Truth is that the cold air from a/c would irritate the respiratory tract resulting in coughing, chest tightness, wheezing etc. Not maintaining a/c properly would lead to the allergen and airborne pollutants etc to circulate inside the room. This would worsen the respiratory symptoms of certain persons.
Drying out eyes, skin etc:
The reduced humidity levels inside the room due to air-conditioners would lead to dryness in the eyes and skin etc. There are chances of skin becoming dry, flaky and itchy etc. Information is that continuous exposure to the air-conditioner could cause irritation and discomfort to the eyes. By using humidifiers inside the room, it would be possible to reduce dry skin and dry eyes issues. Before going to bed, it is important to apply moisturiser to the skin.
More muscle stiffness and pain:
Many of us would not be aware of the fact that sleeping in a room with air-conditioners on could cause muscle stiffness and pain etc. Muscles would contract and tighten in the cold temperatures. It is noteworthy that cold air could increase joint pain and stiffness in those with arthritis issues. It is necessary to adjust the temperature of a/c to a comfortable level and then sleep to avoid stiffness and pain in the muscles.
Weakening of immune system:
Point is that sleeping in an air-conditioned room could weaken our immune system. We would have more chances of getting viral and bacterial infections. Our body`s ability to fend off pathogens etc would get reduced due to prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.
Disturbance in sleep patterns:
There are possibilities that sleep patterns get disturbed when we sleep in a room with the air-conditioner on. Fact is that cold temperatures due to a/c would lead to discomfort and frequent awakenings during the night. Noise from the air-conditioner units would disrupt sleep also.
Worsen allergies etc:
When the air-conditioner is not maintained properly, then it could circulate allergens like pollen, dust, mold etc. This would increase allergies in sensitive persons. It is worthyhy to note that to avoid the circulation of the above said allergens etc HEPA or high efficient particulate air filter could be used to trap the allergens. This would reduce the allergy symptoms.