Summer heat Can sleeping with a running fan be a health hazard?

Leads to the use of fans to health hazards?

Especially in the warm summer months, many people have problems sleeping properly. To cool down, all windows are opened and sufferers often use a fan in their bedroom. But is the use of a fan in case of heat waves even recommended or can even serious health problems arise?

Public Health England public health officials published an official guide to heatwave behavior. This guide also gives hints and warnings about how to use a fan during heat waves.

Sufficient sleep is important for your health. But in the summer many people have problems sleeping properly. Is it advisable to use a fan in such a case? (Image: dusanpetkovic1 / fotolia.com)

Use of fans can lead to health problems

Many people not only have the windows of their bedroom open all night in warm weather, they also use a fan. For most people, a fan in the bedroom should serve its purpose, but there are also people who can develop serious health problems.

Exposure to dust and pollen increases

The air set in motion by the fan carries dust and pollen, which are blown exactly to the sleeping people. There they are then inhaled by those affected. However, this is not only bad news for all people with allergies, asthma and hay fever, even healthy people are affected by the effects, explain the experts.

Effects of using a fan

The dry air from the ventilator can also dry our skin and mucous membranes, so it is important to provide the skin with enough moisture. Using a fan can also cause dry eyes. The dryness makes the eyes particularly irritable, this increases again, if the affected are carriers of contact lenses. At best, the fan should always be at a distance from the user, so the dehydration of the skin and mucous membranes can be reduced, the experts emphasize.

Follow these advices

If you are looking for an alternative to a fan to keep your bedroom cool in warm weather, here are some tips to try. For example, you can hang a wet cloth in front of an open window to cool the room temperature. Closing the curtains during the day will also keep the room cooler. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the correct bed linen. For example, avoid silk and satin bedding and opt for cooler sheets and cotton sheets, experts suggest. If you follow this advice, you should actually be able to get through the warm season without a problem and still be healthy. Nobody wants to be sick in bed during the summer heat. (As)