With the benefit of not melting away in the warmer months aside, is it actually healthy to sleep with the fan on?
Snoozing with the fan or aircon on during Spring and Summer is a lifesaver when you’ve already stripped your bedding down to the bare minimum and still can’t manage to escape the heat. We’ve all heard that in order to be well-rested, your bedroom needs to be at a cooler temperature, so why not?
That’s where chapped lips and allergies enter the frame.
Allergies can significantly disrupt your sleeping patterns, while chapped lips and dry skin make for a painful awakening. You may think that allergies and dry lips and skin are reserved for winter, but they show up in Summer, too – especially when there’s cold air blasted over you all night.
Allergies exasperated due to having the fan/aircon on
You might find that during the night or in the mornings, your allergies may act up more than they usually do after sleeping with the fan on. This is due to fans circulating air in your room, which can stir up and distribute allergens, including pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores. This increases your exposure to these allergens while you sleep.
If you have windows open or your fan pulls in outdoor air, it can also introduce pollen and other outdoor allergens into your indoor environment. We all know that Spring and Summer are common seasons for high pollen counts, which can exacerbate allergies.
To combat this, you could make use of HEPA air filters in your aircon, keep your bedroom windows closed, maintain a clean, dust-free bedroom, humidify the air, close the door when sleeping, and shower before bed.
Dry skin and lips
If you wake up with dry lips or skin after sleeping with the fan on all night, it may be due to lower humidity levels in your room, which can result in dry air. Dry air can lead to skin dehydration, including dry lips. Summer air can sometimes be dry, and the constant airflow from a fan can exacerbate this effect.
To combat this, you can try applying lip balm and moisture-locking skincare before bed (a great excuse to try slugging), stay hydrated throughout the night, or adjust fan settings to blast at a lower speed, or from a further distance away if you’ve got a davice that can be easily moved and readjusted.
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