Viruses and fungi attack in offices and cars. Check that it is not about your air conditioning

We often get infections of the upper respiratory tract after traveling. And here, too, is the air conditioning to blame. Especially if we spend our holidays in warm places and straight from very high temperatures, we enter a plane cooled by icy air and forget to turn off the air supply, often directed directly at our head. Remember to reduce the airflow. And to think about what you will get off the plane at the Polish airport (adjust your clothes to the weather).

Cold air also dries out the eyes. This is especially troublesome for people with dry eye syndrome, although excessive evaporation of water from the tear film in air-conditioned rooms affects everyone. Symptoms may worsen when you work at the computer. The eyes may be red, they may sting, they may water. However, there is a simple solution to this problem – use artificial tears. Even several times a day.

For the air conditioning to work properly, the windows in the room must be closed. This also means a closed air circulation. And this promotes the spread of bacteria that travel from person to person – therefore, in the subway, bus, tram and other clusters of people, try to avoid close contact with random people. Bacteria can also be transmitted by droplets, when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

– An efficient (but only regularly maintained) air conditioner will be a barrier to allergens. However, people suffering from asthma should use air conditioning with caution in order not to excessively dry the mucosa, which may cause an attack of breathlessness or tiring cough – warns Dr. Agnieszka Orłowska from the Medical Center “Przy Mickiewicza” in Białystok.

– Legionella pneumophila, a dangerous bacterium that causes, among others, Legionnaires’ disease, a severe infectious infection of the upper respiratory tract. It causes high fever, chills, and even diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and in extreme cases it can lead to severe respiratory failure. The only fight against it are antibiotics, mainly from the macrolyte group, administered for up to 3 weeks. This bacterium, in addition to water, is transmitted in air conditioning. That is why it is so important to clean it regularly – says Dr. Agnieszka Orłowska, internist and family medicine specialist. – If we do not use the air conditioning for several months, we should clean it before turning it on – he adds. Take care of it in the car and at home and make sure that your employer regularly gets rid of fungus and mold from air conditioning devices in your office.

Cold air or warm air that hits the face intensively also has an immunosuppressive effect. In a word, it lowers the body’s immunity, which in this case can lead to painful and long-treated sinusitis. Therefore, do not aim the airflow directly at your head. And try not to make the temperature difference between the air-conditioned room and the outside temperature too drastic. Temperature fluctuations greatly weaken the immune system, making it easy to get infected.

– The level of air humidity in air-conditioned rooms is usually approx. 35%, and the optimal humidity for humans is approx. 40%. – explains Dr. Agnieszka Orłowska from the Medical Center “Przy Mickiewicza” in Białystok. Air conditioning dries the skin and the mucous membranes of the throat and mouth. That is why it is important to humidify the air and drink more water – even 3 liters a day, to which you can add lemon. Thanks to this, you will also avoid unpleasant smell from the mouth, because we emit little saliva in the dry air, so it does not rinse the bacteria that naturally live in the mouth.

In hotels, especially during holidays in exotic places, we forget to turn off the cold air flow at night. And this is especially dangerous for our body during sleep, when we cannot, for example, drink water and regulate the body’s hydration. A better solution is to cool the room down before going to bed and turn off the air conditioning at night.

The most dangerous thing is to expose the body to constant temperature changes, for example when we travel in an air-conditioned car in autumn or winter, in which we maintain a very high air temperature. The ideal temperature in the car is 21-22 degrees. If you are traveling by car in a warm country, first open the windows and air the interior of the car when getting in the car. Only then turn on the air conditioning. It will work faster and put less strain on your body. You will also save fuel. If you are driving a convertible, airing is included. And if you are in Poland now, wait until spring with it.