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In these days of high heat, many of us will prefer spending as much time as possible in an air conditioned room. Until a few years ago, ACs were a luxury affordable for the privileged elite.
However, now, the cooling system has become almost ubiquitous, cooling our homes, offices, and even vehicles. But for all the comfort that air conditioning affords us, it is also important to maintain the system properly and to keep the air conditioned room well ventilated. In case the system is not properly maintained, it can have adverse effects on our health.
Air conditions reduce moisture in the room, and in doing so, also reduce moisture from our skin, turning it dry, informs Magao-based physician Dr Uday Chafadkar, a physician from Margao. “There is chance that eye infections could increase in air-condition because our eyes too will lose their moisture,” he says.
A dry eye condition causes irritation and dryness in the eyes. It can burn, sting and even harm your vision. Though air conditioning is not the direct reason to blame for dry eyes, people dealing with this condition complain of a lot of discomfort while sitting in an air-conditioned room for too long.
“Secondly, there is hardly any circulation of air in such rooms, so the possibility of allergies spreading from one person to another is very high.” In order to prevent this, it is important to keep the room ventilated from time to time, and clean the air conditioning system regularly, says Chafadkar.
It is also advised to avoid setting the temperatures too low on air conditioning. People working in a workplace with extreme air-conditioning complain of a feeling of fatigue and chronic headaches. They also experience mucous membrane irritation and breathing problems. Sitting in low-temperature air-conditioned rooms for prolonged hours can make you more vulnerable to cold, cough and flu, say experts.
