Science estimates that the ideal “sleep threshold” is between 19 and 22ºC. Above or below these values, the quality of sleep worsens and if the temperature rises too high as in a heat wave, it can be an impossible task to fall asleep.
Although the ideal as we already have these tips for sleeping in a heat waveis to cool the room during the day, create streams at home or improve the thermal sensation with showers, to give you some examples, it is not strange to resort to air conditioning or fans to try to sleep at night. But although it may seem like it, not all are advantages if we sleep with them.
Air conditioning or fan to sleep?
As they explain to us in Xataka, “air conditioners work by moving heat from inside the building to outside, more or less like a refrigerator does. Fans, on the other hand, circulate air and can help maintain thermal comfort in both summer and winter.
Air conditioning systems have an important advantage over fans, which is that they cool the air instead of simply generating drafts, but they have a higher consumption and sleeping with the air conditioner on in a room can cause some negative health effects.
It is proven that the cold, especially when we sleep that our body temperature decreases, can cause irritations in our respiratory tract. An example is that, according to the Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (SEORL), the use of air conditioning can cause the appearance of pharyngitis and laryngitis.
Benefits of having the fan on while we sleep
If we don’t turn on the air conditioning, either because we don’t have it or because we want to avoid this type of problem, we can resort to fans to try to cool the room and sleep even if we are in the middle of a heat wave.
Using a fan is a good system to try to cool the room, the electricity bill if we have the fan on all day it is much more affordable, and its use is less harmful to health than that of an air conditioner, although it does have some risk.
Risks of sleeping with the fan on
According to Dr. Len Horovitza pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, “there’s nothing toxic about a ventilator,” but faster air movement can cause dry mouth and nasal passages, as well as dry skin and lead to congestion, sore throat, headache, irritation in the eyes and dryness in the throat.
Sleeping all night with a fan blowing directly into the body can also cause stiffness and even muscle contractures, although the main risk of sleeping with a fan on all night is for allergy sufferers. A current of dry air lifts and agitates dust particles and germs that, with the driest nostrils, can enter our body and aggravate pathologies such as bronchitis or sinusitis.
How to avoid the negative effects of the fan at night
Calm down, that we do not have to sleep sweating and cooked to avoid these problems, just take certain precautions that we tell you below, and the first has to do with how much water to drink.
better a ceiling fan
In the bedroom the ideal is install a ceiling fan instead of a standing one because they generate more air flow and are capable of cooling the room more efficiently, but it is also important that we have the clean fan blades to prevent dust from accumulating and moving around.
Hydration before and after sleeping
So much moisturizing the skin before sleeping, such as drinking water just before you go to sleep and as you wake up, it is the best remedy to avoid dry skin and mucous membranes. We can even do nasal irrigations to avoid dryness both before and after going to sleep.
The fan away from our face and neck
It is important thatthat the fan does not hit us in the face to avoid contractures in the neck, headache and nasal congestion. Think that a fan’s job is to create air currents to refresh the atmosphere and that current does not have to hit you directly in the face to cool you down.
Use silent mode or a timer on the fan
ideal is do not use the maximum power with the fan if we are going to sleep, because the noise could give us headaches. Most have a built-in silent mode or night mode that makes less noise and is smoother. Another option is to use a timer if the fan has one, or we can make our home smart and put the fan on a smart plug like this that we can program with the mobile so that it turns off and is not on all night.
TP-Link TAPO P100 – Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Optimal for Schedule On/Off and Save Energy, No HUB Needed, Compatible with Alexa and Google Home, White
air purifier for allergy sufferers
air purifiers They are designed to eliminate elements present in the air such as pollen, mites or dust, ensuring that the air in the room is cleaner. Installing one is especially practical for allergy sufferers, and we can find them for just over 100 euros, like this. There are fans, like east of Dysonwhich have a built-in air purifier.
LEVOIT Air Purifier, HEPA H13 Filter, CADR 187m³/h at 40m² at 24dB, Eliminates 99.97% Allergy Tobacco Pollen Mites Odor and Pet Dander, Sleep Mode, Timed, Ozone Free,Core 300,White
Dyson Pure Cool TP00 multiplier fan purifier
Note: Some of the links in this article are affiliates and can bring a benefit to Trendencias.
Photos | nameofmin, Hutomo Abrianto, Vladislav Muslakov, Nguyễn Hiệp in unsplash