Hi Boox Popular Magazine 2024
Nowadays, air conditioners can be found virtually everywhere – from homes to offices and even cabins. Of course, when temperatures rise to more than 30 degrees Celsius, ACs become priceless. They are perfect solutions to the sweltering heat of summer. Besides, they are also great at heating when temperatures drop below zero.
However, there are also some side effects that come with all the perks of its. Staying in a room with a working air conditioner for prolonged periods can lead to some harmful and unpleasant health effects. For this reason, we’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the side effects you should watch out for when using your AC.
Dry eyes
First and foremost, eye dryness is one of the most common symptoms that’s caused by air conditioners. What’s more, if you already have such an issue, then your AC can worsen it and your eyes will start feeling itchy and irritated. Therefore, it’s suggested that people with such conditions avoid staying in rooms with ACs for too long.
Skin dryness
Of course, when talking about dry eyes, another thing that comes up with it is skin dryness. Spending long hours in air-conditioned environments sucks up the moisture from your skin. Applying moisturizers regularly may solve your issue but if not done on time, then normally the skin gets dry and itchy. Excessive exposure to AC can harm your skin and even though it may return to normal after a few hours of being outside, in some cases the condition might stay for longer than expected.
Dehydration
As expected, the main disadvantage of air conditioners is that they dehumidify the room they’re placed in. In the cases where the AC sucks up too much humidity from a room, one will certainly start feeling dehydrated. This, if not dealt with on time, can lead to even worse health issues. To deal with this problem, some people buy humidifiers to compensate for the loss of humidity.
Respiratory problems
Among the more harmful issues are the respiratory ones. These can harm either one’s nose, throat or eyes. Throat dryness, rhinitis, and nasal blockage are just some of the cases caused by excessive dehydration and lack of humidity in the air. In most cases, car ACs may serve as a saving grace, especially when you’re stuck in traffic. However, they can be quite harmful since the same circulate germs and microorganisms that can cause breathing problems.
Asthma and allergies
In addition to nasal blockage and rhinitis, ACs are usually the main reason for the worsening of asthma and allergy conditions. To those who are more sensitive, staying inside is usually preferable as there are fewer pollutants indoors. However, if the aircon is not properly cleaned and maintained, it can increase the risk of triggers which can worsen these two and any other respiratory conditions.
Infectious diseases
As stated above, proper maintenance and cleaning of your air conditioner are key to staying healthy. This is because irritation in mucous membranes and drying out of mucus can lead to more serious problems for your health. The absence of the protective mucous layer can make you prone to viral infections. Newer aircon models are equipped with all kinds of air filters and purifying technologies but if an AC is not serviced and cleaned on a regular basis, then all these precautions will be simply ineffective.
Headaches and migraines
Other common problems that come with dehydration are headaches and migraines. The lack of humidity in the room is often overlooked and this works as a trigger for such conditions. When you step in and out of AC rooms can cause headaches too. This is due to the sudden change in temperature. In addition, the improper maintenance of ACs can also contribute to headaches and migraines.
Fatigue and lethargy
If you have an aircon unit at home or in your office and you feel constant fatigue, you should be aware of the fact that the device that you’re using every day to cool you down may cause you to be sluggish and lethargic. There are a number of researches that prove that people who work in over-air-conditioned environments may experience chronic headaches and fatigue. If the room you’re residing in is constantly pumped full of cool air may cause mucous irritation and breathing problems which leaves you vulnerable to contracting colds, flu, and other illnesses.
Inability to deal with the heat
If you spend a big chunk of your day inside a room with an AC, after time you may notice that you’ve become more intolerant to extreme temperatures. The reason for this is the stress on your body that’s caused by moving from a cool environment to the sizzling hot outdoor air or the other way round. Additionally, such cases may contribute to the increase of heat-related deaths during heatwaves.
Increased chronic illness symptoms
Last but not least, aircon systems are known to enhance the effects of some illnesses that you may already be suffering from. Usually, these include low blood pressure, arthritis, and neuritis, thus making pain management difficult and even unbearable at times.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, being aware of the harmful effects of prolonged use of AC can help you to understand the need of really paying attention to the features that the air conditioner you’re buying has to offer you. Newer and better models are designed and manufactured every day and safer and less harmful ways of operation are created. However, the key to staying healthy while using your AC is conducting regular maintenance services which will ensure your air conditioner works properly and safely. If you’re looking for the best AC service, SGHomeNeeds is a company for homeowners from Singapore that could be a good reference model of what should an aircon service offer.
