2023-08-24 12:23:03
saturated nurse
Updated Thursday, August 24, 2023 – 12:23
There are those who cannot sleep without the air ‘at full blast’, but others prefer not to because they wake up with body pain and guarantee. How should we use gadgets to avoid these summer ‘colds’?
Illustration by LUIS PAREJO
Falling asleep on some summer nights is almost impossible for many, because to the sweltering heat during the day we must add nighttime temperatures that make us toss and turn a thousand times.
The fastest solution, and almost the only one, is to sleep with the fan or air conditioning on, even if it means a scare on the next electricity bill. But to what extent can this affect our health? Finding a balance between not getting sick and being able to rest is possible.
From what temperature is it difficult to sleep?
Sleep experts place the call maximum sleep threshold between 21 and 24Cthat is, if the temperature in the bedroom is higher than these degrees, it will be very difficult to achieve a restful sleep.
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“Nighttime temperatures are particularly dangerous because the body is unable to recover”
Writing: PILAR PREZ Madrid”Night temperatures are particularly dangerous because the body is unable to recover”
At night, air conditioning on or off?
Sleeping with the fan or air conditioner on can be detrimental to our health. Can suffer from a simple cold to an asthmatic crisisgoing through headache or sinusitis.
But if we turn them off it is very likely that we will not be able to sleep, and sleep and rest are fundamental. We may even eventually fall asleep, but our sleep will not be restful or restorative. And if we spend several nights in a row without a good rest, we will end up putting our health and diminishing our cognitive and physical abilities.
In conclusion, we must seek a balance between the good use and the abuse of these devices in such a way that we can rest without putting our health at risk.
THE RISKS OF LEAVING IT ON ALL NIGHT
Throat problems. A constant flow of air from a fan or an air conditioner will dry out our mucous membranes, and even our skin. And if we sleep with our mouths open, even worse. That current of dry air maintained for hours will irritate and inflame our airways.
Allergic reactions. They usually occur mainly for two reasons: because the air conditioning filters or fan blades are not clean, or because there is dust in the bedroom and the air current lifts and moves it.
Muscle pains. That flow of fresh air is going to cause our muscles to tense up and we end up suffering a contracture. Especially if the air current coming from the air unit or fan is directed towards areas such as the neck or back.
Catarrhal pictures and pharyngitis. According to data from the Spanish Society of Pneumology, one in five cold problems that appear in summer are due to misuse of air conditioning.
Congestin nasal. Because of that dry air, the sinuses can easily become irritated. To compensate for this dryness and irritation, our body produces excess mucus, which leads to nasal congestion and, in the worst case, sinusitis.
Headache. In addition to nasal congestion, the headache may appear due to dehydration. And it is that with the air conditioning we will feel fresh, and that sensation will delay or even prevent us from feeling thirsty.
TIPS TO NOT DAMAGE OUR HEALTH AND GET REST
As we have seen, there are several risks if we leave the air conditioning or the fan on all night, but if we follow the following tips we will be able to reduce these risks to a minimum.
Air direction. It may be tempting to direct the blast of fresh air directly at us, but it’s the worst thing we can do. We will place the fan in turning mode and the air conditioning in fluttering mode so that it distributes the fresh air throughout the bedroom, without hitting us directly, especially on the face or neck.
suitable temperature. The sleep threshold is between 21 and 24C, depending on each person. Knowing this, we will regulate the air apparatus so that the ambient temperature is around 22 or 23C. We will prevent our respiratory mucosa from drying out excessively and we will also save something in electricity consumption.
Air purifier. These devices became popular during the coronavirus pandemic and we can find them today at affordable prices. Its HEPA filters trap dust in suspension, as well as pollens, viruses and other allergens. There are even fans on the market that include this purifying function.
Cleaning of blades and filters. Good maintenance of our air conditioning unit is essential, and that happens by changing and cleaning the filters with the stipulated frequency. In the case of fans, we will disassemble and clean the blades frequently. All this will reduce the risk of allergies, asthma attacks and respiratory infections.
humidifier. We have already seen that air conditioning devices and fans dry out the environment, so using a humidifier will reduce irritation and inflammation of our airways.
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