Dr. Pautov clarified why we actually cool down when we use the air conditioner. The explanation will surprise you.
Dr. Mihail Pautov explained why we get cold when we use air conditioning, and also why this device may have negative health effects.
During the summer, when it’s hot outside, air conditioning is used by many people to cool their home. As pleasant as it is to enjoy a cool room when it’s scorching outside, due the use of this device, many people experience headaches or colds.
Dr. Mihail Pautov explained, however, that it is not the air conditioning that can lead to a cold. What happens is that the cold air stream reduces the humidity in the room, which causes the mucous membranes in the nose and throat to dry out.
In addition, the windows are closed when we turn on the air conditioner, so no more humidity can enter the room, which can contribute to respiratory infections.
Using a higher or lower air conditioning temperature is therefore not a solution.
“Most of the time, catching a cold because of the air conditioner occurs when the air blows directly towards you or when you keep the air conditioner on all day, also keeping the windows closed, and the device, in addition to cooling the air and the temperature in the room, also removes humidity.
Thus, in a small room, the air can become very dry and it will dry out the upper respiratory tract, which predisposes one to all kinds of respiratory infections, viruses and so on,” explains Dr. Mihail on his Tik Tok page.
How can this problem be solved?
The option of not using and air conditioner is not likely to be accepted by people who are sensitive to heat, but there is a solution to reduce the risk of the appearance of cold symptoms.
Dr. Mihail Pautov recommends using a humidifier when the air is too dry, keeping in mind that ideal indoor humidity is between 40% and 60%.
“The solution to this is very simple. If you realize that the air in your home is dry, use a humidifier. It is essential to keep the humidity between 40 and 60%.
If you have a humidity of 50% in the room, you don’t have a chance to develop symptoms of cold any more than you would get cold in autumn or spring when it’s 20 degrees outside and you keep the windows open.
So no, it’s not the air conditioning that makes you get sick with cold, but the dry air in the room, regardless of the temperature”, summarized the doctor.