• Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Events/Win
  • Food
    • Eating Out
    • Cooking Tips
    • Festive Food
    • Asian Recipes
    • Food
    • Celebrity Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Western Recipes
  • Family
    • Family
    • Save Money
    • Parenting
    • Sex & Marriage
    • Travel
  • Beauty & Health
    • Beauty & Health
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Awards
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
  • Spa Awards 2022
  • Style
  • Great Women
    • Career
    • Great Women of Our Time
    • Real Life
  • Entertainment
  • EVENTS/WIN
  • #SchoolForLife
  • Hair Awards
  • Great Escape
  • Explore Singapore
  • Also available at:
Privacy Menu
SPH Media

Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.

  • Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Events/Win

Beauty & Health

Here’s How Air Conditioning Impacts Your Health And Sleep According To The Experts

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Wellness

Here’s How Air Conditioning Impacts Your Health And Sleep According To The Experts

Singapore’s perpetually hot days always call for some cool air conditioning. Find out exactly what it does to you and your sleep cycle

August 12, 2021

The recent spells of hot weather that Singaporeans have been experiencing have caused many of us to switch on our air conditioners. Turning the AC on can be such a huge relief especially on balmy afternoons, and can help many of us achieve a better quality of sleep. But you may also wonder if the air circulating around the room might be doing more than just cooling you down. While it has a lot of pluses, mainly in keeping you cool on sweltering days, switching on your AC can also have its drawbacks.

Here, we spoke to Professor James Trevelyan, founder of eco-tech startup Close Comfort, to find out more about the effects air conditioning has on our health and more.

READ NEXT

This Is What Healing From A Miscarriage Can Look Like

How To Effectively Get Rid Of Dark Eye Circles As You Age

Here’s The Real Reason Why You’re Always Tired And Lethargic

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/beauty-and-health/wellness/air-conditioning-impacts-health-sleep-experts/
Here's How Air Conditioning Impacts Your Health And Sleep According To The Experts
How does urban warming cause your sleep quality to deteriorate?
image

Cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside because there is less vegetation and lots of machines like air-conditioners and vehicles that release heat into the environment. Most artificial surfaces get hot in sunlight and release that heat through the night as well.

Most people can sleep comfortably with a temperature of 24° at night. With urban heating, however, the temperature around city buildings can be up to 10° warmer which is rather uncomfortable for sleeping. Therefore, people have to use air-conditioners which, in turn, causes more urban heating! People without air conditioners suffer!

123rf
What are some of the negative impacts AC settings have on your quality of sleep?
image

Traditional split air-conditioners recycle stale room air all the time. There is no fresh air ventilation. Therefore, carbon dioxide and human body emissions gradually build up in the air all the time. These air-conditioners also continually remove moisture from the air and this drying action can affect the skin and cause it to become dry, flaky and itchy. It could also lead to eye irritations and breathing difficulties for many people.

123rf
What are some of the negative impacts ACs have on our health?
image

The well-known “sick building syndrome” is associated with acute discomfort from headaches, eye, nose, or throat irritations, a dry cough, dizziness and nausea, even fatigue and impacts productivity.

It mainly results from the effects of traditional air conditioning. The main causes are inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and biological contaminants often related to bacterial action in accumulations of skin particles and other biological material inside air conditioning ducts and components.

Other causes include low-temperature drafts near cold air outlets. Most of these problems can be alleviated with higher quality maintenance of the building and air-conditioning systems. However, many building owners are reluctant to pay the higher costs.

123rf
What are some ways we can improve our ACs so that they won't affect our quality of sleep?
image

Probably the easiest way to reduce the health impact of air-conditioning is to increase ventilation, preferably at least half a cubic metre of air per minute per person. Keep a window open to allow some fresh air to come in. Of course, that increases the cost of running your air-conditioner, but it should significantly improve sleep quality and ensure the best beauty sleeps.

123rf
How often do we need to service our ACs?
image

It definitely helps to clean filters regularly. How often? Well, check your filters  after a couple of weeks and you might be surprised how much dust accumulates,  especially in a bedroom or where people move around a lot. Your air-conditioner  will also work more efficiently, reducing your running costs. With some  experience, you will learn how often to clean your filters.

123rf
What are the optimal settings that we should take note of if we're using ACs?
image

Keep the temperature setting as high as possible. This reduces your running cost, dust accumulation and dehydration, all of which will benefit your overall well being, your skin and sleep quality.

123rf
Is it better to use a traditional AC or a portable AC?
image

The big advantage of portable ACs is that they enable much more ventilation and fresh air, improving health and sleep quality.

Avoid old-style portable ACs, with large exhaust pipes that you have to fit to a window. They are extremely noisy and inefficient: you will spend two or three times as much on electricity for the same cooling effect as a split or built-in ducted air conditioner. Also, room humidity steadily increases while you use them. The exhaust pipe causes these problems. By exhausting hot air to the outside the machine has to draw outside air in through openings in the building, reducing the cooling effect.

The new personal ACs avoid these problems and are much smaller, lighter and easier to move. They are genuinely portable. They work best with the window open, so you sleep in natural fresh air. Your skin and nasal passages will thank you. They are also much quieter, typically with the same sound level as an electric fan. Also, you will spend far less on electricity than any type of traditional air conditioner. They are also much better for the environment, significantly reducing urban heating, and your carbon footprint as well.

Text: Shazrina Shamsudin/HerWorld

Read Next

Sleep Disorders: Trouble Sleeping? It Might Not Be Insomnia

5 Myths About Dry Skin

Mummy Woes? These 7 Parenting Podcasts Could Help

123rf
  • TAGS:
  • Health
  • health and wellness
  • sleep
  • sleep better
  • sleep health
  • well being
  • wellbeing
  • Wellness
  • Wellness & Health
  • wellness tips
  • wellness trends
SHARE THIS ON

What’s Hot

Wellness

Do Probiotics For Women Really Work?

Wellness

10 Gadgets, Supplements and Apps to Help...

Wellness

Dr. TWL Dermaceuticals Founder Dr Teo Wa...

Wellness

7 Ways To Relax During Wellness Festival...

Wellness

Colorectal Cancer: Not Only Is It Preven...

Wellness

8 Simple Health Checks You Can Do At Home

Wellness

So Much Pain She Could Not Stand - But H...

Wellness

Your Essential Guide To Getting Better Sleep

Wellness

5 Late Night Spas To Help You Relax Afte...

Wellness

What Are Pregnancy Food Cravings, And Wh...

Wellness

Could You Or Your Child Have Hearing Los...

Wellness

This Boudoir Photographer Uses His Art T...

Don’t Miss These
  • Awards This is the perfect escape from urban life to relax, rech...
  • Awards This Postpartum Recovery Centre Is A Must-Go Haven For Ne...
Editor’s Picks
  • Beauty & Health 8 Most Therapeutic And Fun Hobbies To Reduce Stress
  • Diet & Nutrition Savour The Deliciousness Of Chocolate While Being Kind To Your Gut
  • Awards Get A Year-Round Beauty Glow & Sun Protection With This Skin Supplement
  • Beauty & Health 6 Things To Know About Chanel's Newest Perfume, Le Lion de Chanel
  • Organising A KonMari Consultant's Hack For Saving Time & Money At Home
  • Beauty & Health If You've Had Covid-19, You Have More Risk of Developing Blood Clots When You...
  • Entertainment Sentosa To Have A Wellness Festival Village, Glamping & More This June
  • Wellness Do Probiotics For Women Really Work?
Don't Miss Out Ever Again!
Tips & tricks to stay sane + win invites to our events!

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
?>">
SPH Magazine

Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.