Doctor issues warning against sleeping with the fan on during hot weather
As the warm weather arrives, Britons have been cracking out their fans to stay cool - but a top doctor has revealed why you should stop sleeping with the relieving device on throughout the night.
PhD health expert Dr Naheed Ali said running a fan in the bedroom all night can 'create hidden stress on the body'.
The physician said keeping the fan all night can dry the sinus and throat leaving you feeling dry and congested in the morning.
Running a fan overnight can also make your muscles stiff and stir up dust causing chest tightness and excessive sneezing in those with asthma or allergies.
Speaking with LADbible, Dr Ali added that there are remedies those who can't sleep without their fan on can try to reduce the health risks.
The doc who is a senior contributor at Vera Clinic explained a fan offers relief in hot temperatures as it cools the skin by speeding up evaporation.
Constant airflow through the night can leave the nasal passages and throat feeling uncomfortably dry and cause issues the next day.
'A dry airway produces thicker mucus, which can trap allergens and irritants close to sensitive tissue. Over time, this may trigger coughing, a scratchy voice, or clogged sinuses that linger through the day,' Dr Ali said.
'Continuous airflow also stirs up dust from bedding and flooring. Tiny particles of lint, dander, and pollen stay in motion and may reach deeper into the airways while you sleep.
'People with asthma or mild allergies often wake with extra chest tightness or sneezing after a night with the fan on.'
Cool air blowing on muscles and joints for hours at a time can cause a drop in tissue temperature meaning you could wake up with a sore neck and shoulders according to Dr Ali.
'The chilled muscles tighten as a natural defence, and that tension may persist until a warm shower or gentle stretching restores normal blood flow,' he said.
If running a fan is the only solution for sleeping comfortably on a hot night, Dr Alli recommends putting it on a timer.
He said to set the timer to last the first sleep cycle of 90 minutes so it switches off after you've dozed off.
The doctor said not to direct the fan's airflow onto the bed but instead to an opposite wall and to keep a glass of water within reach to relieve a dry mouth or throat.
He also added that those who react to dust should replace bedroom filters and wash sheets weekly to reduce the amount of lint, dander and pollen.
For those who want to avoid using their fans at night, there are some useful tricks that will help you sleep coolly.
Dr Lindsay Browning, a psychologist and sleep expert at And So To Bed, explained why heat is so disruptive to our sleep:
'As we fall asleep, our body temperature naturally drops. When the room is too hot or your covers are too thick, you can struggle to reduce your body temperature, which makes falling asleep much harder,' she said.
But while sleeplessness is a common complaint during a heatwave, the warm weather doesn't have to stop you from getting good quality shuteye.
Given the fact that only five per cent of houses in the UK have air conditioning, it's necessary to find alternative methods for bringing temperatures down.
And while beating the heat requires a little creativity, it's not half as complicated as you would think.
Dr Browning has shared some simple hacks for staying cool at night without air conditioning - and one will have you reaching for something that helped you survive the winter weather: your hot water bottle.
Freeze your hot water bottle
Now, you probably thought you wouldn't be reaching for your hot water bottle again until the winter but the reality is it can also assist with extreme heat in the summer months.
Dr Browning advises finding yours and filling it two-thirds of the way up before putting it in the freezer for two hours.
Retrieve the frozen hot water bottle half an hour or so before your normal bedtime and place it on your bed to cool it down.
So long as you remove it before you get into bed so the bottle doesn't directly touch your skin, you'll be set for a much more comfortable night.
Put your socks or pillowcase in the freezer
When it's impossibly hot and you find yourself throwing the covers off to try to sleep, it's worth placing your pillowcase or socks into the freezer before you go to bed.
By keeping your socks or pillowcases in a plastic bag in the freezer for several hours during the day, you will find that they provide an instant cooling sensation when you put them on.
The cool effect can help to bring your body temperature down and, in turn, help you feel more comfortable in bed.
Keep evening skincare in the fridge
More and more of us have a bedtime skincare routine but did you know that it pays to keep some of your products in the fridge during hot weather?
If you do choose to cool your creams in the fridge, you will undoubtedly find your nightly skincare ritual becomes even more pleasurable for its refreshing effects.
And, in addition to cooling your skin down, keeping moisturisers, serums and face masks in the fridge can also help to extend their shelf life.
Use a water spray at night
To help lower your body temperature if you don't have air conditioning, try using a water spray bottle or mister to spritz your face, neck and wrists with cold water.
Dr Browning also advises lightly misting your duvet covers, mattresses and pillows to help keep you cool.
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