When the hot summer months hit, there’s nothing better than having an ice-cold air conditioner. Depending on where you live, an air conditioner may not be a luxury but rather a necessity. However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that staying in a room with an air conditioner that hasn’t been properly cleaned for a prolonged period of time can create potential health problems.
While this may not be the case for everyone, there are some people who experience more harm than others. If left untreated, the health risks associated with air conditioning can have harmful long term effects. Here are some of the health problems that have been associated with prolonged periods of air-conditioned environments.
Dry Eyes
Experiencing dry eyes is something that happens frequently to people who are often on their computers. However, if you suffer from dry eyes already, then you might find that they’ll feel even worse if you’re in an air-conditioned environment that hasn’t been properly cleaned.
If you suffer from dry eyes and frequent eye irritation, you might want to start questioning whether it could be a cause of your air conditioner.
Dry Skin
Your eyes aren’t the only thing that can be negatively impacted by your air conditioner. Your skin can also get extremely dry when sitting in air conditioning for too long of a period of time.
In fact, many people find that exposing their skin to the sun, followed by air conditioning, can lead to extreme itchiness and irritation. If you experience a sunburn, it’s actually better to remain outdoors in the shade than inside in air conditioning if you’re prone to dry skin.
Breathing Issues
Breathing recycled air in an air-conditioned environment for long periods of time can lead to serious respiratory problems. From your throat to your nose, you can experience inflammation and increased mucus. In effect, you can experience an allergic reaction to the particles in your air conditioner.
If you suffer from asthma or other allergies, it’s best to stay away from air conditioners if they haven’t been cleaned. The last thing you want to do is trigger your asthma by breathing in unclean air.
Headaches
It’s not uncommon for many people to experience headaches who are in an air-conditioned room for long periods of the day. Because air conditioning makes a room drier, it can lead to dehydration.
A common symptom of dehydration is a bad headache. If you’re someone who is prone to migraines and headaches, then it’s important that you try to reduce the amount of time that you spend in air conditioned environments. If you must be in one, it’s important that you ensure that it’s a system that is regularly maintained and cleaned.