When the hot summer weather starts to heat up your body, you rely on air conditioning to stay comfortable. But, many people don't know that too much air conditioning can be hazardous to their health. It's important to understand the hazards associated with overexposing yourself to air conditioning. You want to prevent yourself from suffering from them in the future.

Lethargy

The most common symptom of overexposure to indoor air conditioning is lethargy. If you start to feel sluggish while you're inside, it's a sign that it's time to increase your body temperature. Either raise the temperature on your air conditioning system or head outside for a bit. Your body needs exposure to a higher temperature to shock you out of lethargy.

Dry, Itchy Skin

Another common symptom of air conditioning overexposure is dry and itchy skin. Your dry skin could be a combination of exposure to indoor air pollution as well as dehydration. Itchy skin tends to be from the buildup of indoor air contaminants due to a lack of airflow inside.

Dehydration

Air conditioning is well-known to dry out the air inside of an environment. As an air conditioner works, it's drawing moisture out of the air. Running your air conditioning system too often can allow you to draw too much moisture out of the air. This can result in dry air in your home. This lack of moisture can actually cause your body to start to dehydrate. This can lead to a plethora of other issues. This includes headaches, dry lips, tiredness, dry skin, and even feeling light-headed.

Respiratory Issues

People who spend their day in air conditioning can have more upper respiratory issues. This can include more runny noses, sneezing, and scratchy throats. Other symptoms include nasal blockage, inflammation, dry throat, and rhinitis. As the air-conditioned air becomes dryer as the day goes on, you'll notice more irritation. This is due to dry membranes and even pharyngitis, which can make it more difficult to swallow.

Infectious Diseases

Staying in an air-conditioned environment can increase your chances of infectious diseases. This is a result of the mucous membranes getting irritated and drying out. This mucous membrane acts as a protective layer. It helps to keep out unwanted bacteria and viruses from your body. When it's dried out, it's no longer able to protect you against many of these harmful bacteria and viruses.

Depending on the type of HVAC air filter that you use, it may not trap bacteria or virus particles in the air. This allows them to circulate throughout the environment over and over again. This leads to an increased risk of infectious disease. If you're not sure your air filter is removing bacteria and viruses, call an HVAC professional.

Call Us Today

If you always have to run your air conditioning system, your air conditioner may be too small for your home. There could also be a problem with your existing system. Be sure to contact us today! One of our HVAC professionals can assess the situation and provide you with ways to fix this issue.