Heat causes the body to become dehydrated. When going in and out of a room with the air conditioner on continuously, it can cause sudden vasoconstriction, hindering blood circulation, increasing the risk of heat stroke and stroke.
Doctor Nguyen Thi Thuy Hau, Department of General Internal Medicine, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said that using the air conditioner incorrectly, such as turning it on at a temperature much lower than the ambient temperature, can easily cause heat stroke for users. . This is a condition in which the body temperature changes from hot to cold too quickly, causing adverse health effects.
The temperature in an air-conditioned place such as an office or car should only differ by 7-8 degrees from the outside ambient temperature. Anyone can experience heat stroke when there is a sudden change in body temperature. Specifically, people suddenly enter a cold room from outside in hot weather, immediately go into an air-conditioned room after showering, get in and out of a car when the outdoor temperature is too different from the open air conditioner…
Workers who work outdoors for long periods of time or young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes are often at higher risk of this condition. They are also susceptible to serious health complications.
Dr. Hau explained that air conditioning does not directly cause heat stroke, but due to hot weather causing increased body temperature, excessive sweating, causing dehydration and electrolyte disorders. Sitting in an air-conditioned room continuously with low, dry temperatures can easily cause dehydration.
If you don’t drink enough water, your blood can become thick, sticky, and have poor circulation. When entering and exiting a room with the air conditioner continuously on, sudden changes in body temperature can cause sudden vasoconstriction, hinder blood circulation, increase blood pressure, and affect the central nervous system. These factors combined with other health problems such as obesity, high blood cholesterol… can form blood clots, causing blood vessel blockages and strokes.
Initial symptoms may include hot, red, dry skin and rapid pulse. Then there may appear a high fever, from 39 to 40 degrees, fatigue, headache, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, dizziness, sweating, collapse, and consciousness disorders such as delirium, convulsions, coma…
Temperature differences also lead to allergic rhinitis, dry eyes, and dry throat. This can create favorable conditions for foreign viruses and bacteria to invade, causing upper respiratory tract inflammation and triggering asthma attacks.
People in a room with the air conditioner turned on too cold are at risk of heat stroke when constantly entering and exiting the room. Illustration: seagulls
Doctor Hau recommends that to avoid the risk of heat stroke when using air conditioning, families need to control the room temperature at 25-28 degrees Celsius. If you still feel it is not cool enough, you should use an electric fan or steam fan. … instead of reducing the air conditioner temperature too low. Young children should switch to normal fan mode after 2-3 hours, avoiding constant air conditioning heat for long periods of time.
When coming back from the sun, people need to use the fan for about 10 minutes before turning on the air conditioner. When entering the room, you should stand in the middle of the door, turn on the air conditioner at high temperature and then gradually lower the temperature. Turn off this device about 20-30 minutes before going out and stand in front of the door for a few minutes to get used to the surroundings before going out.
After showering, you should dry your body and sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before entering the air-conditioned room so that your body can gradually adapt to the cold temperature.
You should not stay in an air-conditioned room 24/7 because it increases the risk of respiratory disease and difficulty breathing due to lack of air. This reduces the body’s ability to withstand heat. When exposed to high-temperature environments or working strenuously in hot weather, heat stroke is likely. During the day, avoid sitting in an air-conditioned room continuously for 4 hours. You should schedule time to go out for walks and exercise to relieve stress and increase gas exchange when the temperature in the environment decreases.
When driving, open the car windows, start the car and turn on the fan to blow all the hot air out for 5 minutes before turning on the air conditioner. The ideal temperature in the car is about 22-25 degrees. Use additional heat reflective panels when traveling to reduce the impact of hot sun on the temperature of the vehicle. When parking, choose a place with shade and a cool roof to avoid direct sunlight shining on the car, which increases the temperature.
Families should clean air conditioners regularly to avoid the risk of respiratory diseases and increase cooling efficiency. Rooms using air conditioning should still open the door regularly, install additional ventilation fans to circulate air, avoid lack of air, causing difficulty breathing.
Everyone should drink water even if they do not feel thirsty. Adults need to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of water, divided into several times a day. They can use filtered water, fruit juice, vegetable juice or water containing mineral salts to supplement electrolytes.