The Effects Of Sleeping With A Fan On At Night
July 17, 2019
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Many people (including myself) sleep with a fan on in their bedroom, even in the dead of winter. The gentle breeze and white noise generated by a fan can help some people to fall asleep more easily and make them feel more comfortable. However, sleeping with a fan on at night can also cause some less-than-ideal health issues that you likely aren’t aware of.
Firstly, sleeping with a fan on can cause mouth, nose, and eye dryness. The air generated by the fan can cause these body parts to become dry, itchy, and irritated. If you find yourself waking up multiple times a night for a drink of water, or waking up in the morning with a dry, scratchy throat, your fan may be to blame.
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Sleeping with a fan on can also cause your body to feel sore when you wake up in the morning. Although this is more relevant to temperature in general, when the air in your room reaches a certain (low) temperature, it can cause your muscles to become stiff and sore. In many cases, this temperature drop is the result of a fan.
Perhaps the most cringeworthy aspect of sleeping with a fan on is the allergens they can produce in many people. Dust mites (microscopic organisms found in practically everyone’s home) feed off of dead skin cells. One of their favorite places to lurk? The blades of your ceiling fan. When dust mites defecate, they produce allergens which can affect many people’s breathing and cause them to become congested, cough, and sneeze. If you do have a ceiling fan, ensure that you are wiping the blades down regularly. The same goes with washing your bedding!
If you feel that you absolutely must sleep with a fan on at night, that’s completely your choice. However, you should ensure that the fan isn’t too close to your face. You can also try putting it on a lower setting to deter some of these problems from happening. There’s nothing like a gentle breeze at night, but if you’ve experienced some or all of these health problems, you might want to reconsider your relationship with your fan.