As spring moves into the area, it will soon be time to turn on your air conditioner for the first time this season. Since it’s so simple to adjust your thermostat and hear your A/C click on, there may not seem to be many risks involved in this task. However, it’s important for your health to maintain your system and ensure that it
Increased Susceptibility to Illness
If you’ve ever left an air-conditioned building to then go outside and return to the building, you’ve probably noticed how much colder the building feels when you return. In large part, that’s because of how the body responds to sudden temperature changes. Since your body is trying to keep your temperature around 98.6 degrees, it goes to extreme measures when it detects changes. One of these changes is to contract blood vessels around your body to help retain heat. When the blood vessels in your nose and throat contract, this can make you more susceptible to germs, leading to increased cases of illness.
Mildew Exposure
Unlike a furnace, which operates in a largely dry environment, your air conditioner deals with moisture on a regular basis. The condenser coils in your air conditioner remove humidity from the indoor air, allowing the moisture to fall into a drain pan to then drain away from your home. If these coils aren’t cleaned by professionals, like Robison Air or other local AC professionals, the dust on them will retain moisture, leading to possible mildew growth that can make you and your family very sick.
Sharing Illnesses
When it gets warm enough that an air conditioner is required to keep your home or commercial building comfortable, you could begin dealing with what’s known as Sick Building Syndrome. This is when germs found in droplets from coughs and sneezes find their way into the HVAC system and are then spread throughout the building. This is why maintaining your filter is so important. Replacing your filter regularly will help keep your air clean and your home healthy.
A Positive: Less Eating
The news isn’t all bad when it comes to the health effects of air conditioning. One positive effect is that colder air tends to cause you to eat less. This may be attributed to warmer air kickstarting your metabolism, which can make you hungrier more quickly by burning the calories you consumed previously. Therefore, keeping your home or business at a comfortable temperature can help you, at least slightly, in your quest to maintain a healthy weight.
One important point to remember when it comes to the health effects of air conditioners is that moderation is key. If you crank up your air conditioner as high as it will go, the negative health, environmental, and economic effects of air conditioning will be exacerbated. By keeping your home comfortable without going over-the-top, though, you can enjoy the positive effects of a cool home without having to worry about negative health effects.