Turning on the A/C can be a huge relief on the hottest day of the year, but you may also wonder if the air circulating around the room might be doing more than just cooling you down. When it comes to air conditioning’s effects on your body, it’s overall a pretty positive picture, experts say.
A/C can be good for your health in that it can make it easier to sleep when it’s hot. The best temperatures for sleeping are between 62 and 72F. One study published in Energy & Buildings in 2017 found that people tend to roll over or show small signs of wakefulness when the fan switches on, but that it doesn’t affect their sleep quality negatively. Living and working in the heat isn’t great for your brain. A study by Harvard in 2018 published in PLOS Medicine found that, in hot summers, students who lived in dormitories without A/C did worse on cognitive tests than those who had cool, refreshing central air — particularly in the afternoons, when the outside world began to cool but their dorms were still absolutely roasting. When the body cannot cool off on its own, it can be dangerous in high temperatures.
Suddenly going from sweltering heat to freezing air-conditioning, whether it’s your house, work, or car, can be a strain on your body. One study published in Clinical & Translational Allergy in 2018 found that doing that transition regularly can harm your lungs, making you more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses. Much cold can be a bad thing. Prolonged cold air can cause contracture of the muscles, which can lead to joint pain and aches, which can be exacerbated if you are dehydrated. Too much freezing air can also make asthma worse and dry out the mucus membranes in your mouth and nose.
Improves concentration
Imagine trying to get things done when it is hot. People are nowhere near as productive when it is warm and the long term effects of this can be a feeling of lethargy. When you are overheating it can be frustrating, and not being able to concentrate on work or even the activities which should be fun suddenly become tough. An air conditioner can make your body temperature much more comfortable and lead to you achieving more day-to-day, as well as being able to fully immerse yourself in fun activities and not feel tired and lethargic.
Better sleep quality
One of the ways we all stay balanced and have a positive outlook on the world and good mental health is by getting enough sleep. Poor sleep quality and not sleeping enough hours can make us feel grouchy in the short term, but long term it can cause depression. Lack of sleep also has a hugely negative effect on your physical health. In turn, this can have its own negative effects on your mental health. People with anxiety and depression often get less than six hours sleep a night and air conditioning can help you to get more in hot conditions when sleep can feel impossible.
Prevents from sluggish mornings
If you wake up in the morning in the roasting heat, you are not going to feel ready to spring out of bed and feel positive about the day ahead. Instead, it might be hard to gather the energy to get up at all which will affect on achieving good mental health, let alone have a constructive morning. Set your air conditioning to stay on, or come on when the sun comes up, and ensure it isn’t uncomfortably hot in the mornings.
Less outdoor noise pollution
Just like the air conditioning providing a gentle hum for falling asleep, it can also reduce the noise pollution outdoors and drown this out. If you are constantly exposed to the sounds of outside you can feel crowded, and this can have a negative impact on your good mental health.
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