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Air conditioning is ubiquitous today. It is found in offices, offices, cars, shops, and sometimes in individual households. In the summer, when the heat is unbearable, many of us cannot imagine functioning without air conditioning. However, there are also those who claim that their health deteriorated because of it. Are they right?
Air conditioning is used to exchange the air in the room and to ventilate it. It is supposed to maintain the temperature at a strictly defined level, regardless of the weather outside. A good quality device in itself is not a source of danger to our health. Unfortunately, the danger arises when the air conditioner is improperly operated. Then a number of different conditions can occur. Here are the most common of them:
Ailments of an ophthalmological nature
Air-conditioned rooms are characterized by dry air. Lack of proper hydration results in dry eyes, which causes them to become irritated. There may be pain, burning, tearing, the feeling of the presence of a foreign body in the eye, redness and the feeling of eye strain. For this reason, it is recommended to blink more often, drink plenty of fluids, moisten the eyes with preparations specially adapted for this purpose, the so-called artificial tears and from time to time leave the air-conditioned place for a while.
ENT ailments
Here, too, the culprit is dry conditioned air, which is not good for our respiratory tract. Their mucous membranes dry out. In addition, an air conditioner that is not cleaned often enough is a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria, favored by its humid environment. This increases the risk of infection, colds, there is a feeling of scratching in the throat, frequent grunting, coughing, hoarseness.
Infections
It happens that the above-mentioned laryngological problems become a contribution to more serious diseases. Air conditioning can lead to painful sinusitis, throat diseases and inflammation of the tonsils, larynx or bronchial infections, or even painful ear infections. And then medical intervention becomes necessary, because these are usually viral infections that result from a decrease in our immunity.
Dermatological complaints
Staying in air-conditioned rooms for a long time also has a bad effect on the condition of our skin. It becomes rough and dry. Sometimes skin irritation occurs. The problem does not end with the face, but can affect larger parts of the body. It is then worth taking more care of proper protection: use moisturizing cosmetics, wear airy clothes, drink a lot and try to spend more time outdoors.
Allergy
Fungus and bacteria present in air conditioners can aggravate the symptoms of allergies and asthma. People struggling with these problems should be especially careful. Watery runny nose, frequent sneezing, itchy, irritated eyes, shortness of breath or scratchy throat are clear signals that something is wrong.
6 Thermal shock
It is very important that the temperature outside is not extremely different from that in the air-conditioned room. The recommended temperature difference is a maximum of 6°C. Otherwise, we run the risk of a health-threatening thermal shock.