The soaring mercury and heat waves can make it difficult to get restful sleep on hot summer nights. There are ways to deal with this. Many people habitually switch on the air conditioning (AC) and sleep peacefully throughout the night in a cool room. Some studies suggest that sleeping with AC on can lead to health consequences including disrupted sleep patterns, respiratory woes, dry and parched skin, or a persistent cough. Today, let’s take a look at the health issues caused by sleeping with the AC on.
Respiratory problem: Sleeping in an AC room can cause respiratory problems. This is especially true for people who are allergic to cold air and who already suffer from respiratory problems such as asthma or allergies. The cold air coming out of the AC irritates our respiratory tract and causes problems like coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. If the AC is not maintained properly, polluted air will circulate in the room and increase the respiratory problem. Always run the AC on a moderate setting to minimise this effect.
Causes eye and skin dryness: Sleeping in an AC room causes a lack of moisture in the skin, which causes dryness. Also, staying in the AC room for a long time leads to irritation in the eyes. It can aggravate problems like itchy eyes, redness, and blurred vision.
Increases muscle stiffness and pain: Sleeping in an AC room can cause muscle stiffness and joint pain. Cold temperatures make muscles stiff and numb. Also, people with arthritis or musculoskeletal disorders may experience increased joint pain due to the cold air. To reduce this, you can cover your body with blankets while sleeping. Also, stretching and bending exercises before going to sleep can relax the joints.
Immunity is weakened: Sleeping in an AC room increases the risk of respiratory infections. This is because cold air weakens the body’s immune system and makes it easy for viral or bacterial infections to spread. And prolonged exposure to cold temperatures causes constriction of blood vessels in the upper respiratory tract. As a result, the body’s ability to resist bacteria and viruses decreases.
Disrupts sleep: Sleeping in an AC room disrupts our sleep patterns and affects sleep.
Aggravation of Allergies: If the AC machine is not maintained properly, it can spread dust, and dirt all over the room. Which can cause allergic reactions in some people. The air-conditioned room has a cooler temperature, so humidity is lower. This makes allergens and air pollutants more likely to accumulate in the room. It causes symptoms like sneezing, a stuffy nose, and eye irritation.
