I work at home so I use air conditioning almost all day and night because the weather is quite hot. Will this affect my lungs? (Minh, 33 years old, HCMC)
Using air conditioning brings certain benefits to work performance, as well as bringing comfort to people, including hospital patients. However, using air conditioning regularly or keeping the temperature too cold will negatively affect respiratory health.
Cold air easily dries out the nasal mucosa, which helps protect the respiratory tract to prevent bacterial or viral agents from entering the lungs and causing infection, especially for people with chronic respiratory diseases such as obstructive pulmonary disease. chronic congestion, bronchiectasis, the elderly, many underlying diseases, weak resistance. Many studies have shown that air that is too cold will make people with asthma or hypersensitive lung disease more susceptible to bronchospasm, causing asthma exacerbations.
A temperature difference that is too high between the outside environment and the inside of the room will also cause the body to not be able to adapt, causing heat shock.
For safety, air conditioner users should not let the difference in ambient temperature and air conditioner temperature exceed 7 degrees. Regularly keep the room well-ventilated and clean the air conditioner periodically, because infectious agents can exist in closed environments, negatively affecting respiratory health.
Bedrooms with air conditioning need to be cleaned regularly. In the morning after using the air conditioner for many hours overnight, you should open the windows to let in sunlight and wind to help disinfect and circulate the air.
When sleeping, avoid sleeping where the air conditioner blows directly into your face and head because it can cause stuffy nose and sore throat. In addition, to humidify the air when using air conditioning, you can place a basin of water in a corner of the bedroom.