Brits warned leaving fan on all night during heatwave could be terrible for your health
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You know what us Brits are like, any nice bit of weather and the washing is out, a beer is cracked open, and you've likely positioned yourself in the perfect spot in the garden for a sun tan.
After a rather damp and cold start to 2023, these past few days have seen temperatures soared above 30°C in large parts of the country.
The hottest day of the year so far was recorded on 4 June which promoted the first heat-health alert of the year for parts of England.
The scorching temperatures are not for everyone though, and while it may be tempting to shut yourself in a dark room with your fan running all night long, you might want to rethink that strategy.
Other than contributing to the already rising electricity bills, it can also have an impact on your sleep.
While it's not exactly a medical emergency, doing this every night could leave you feeling under the weather.
As explained by Sleep Advisor, fans blow dry air around the room, which could lead to all manner of problems, such as dry skin and sinus issues.
The sleep publication added: "If the dryness is particularly extreme, it can result in your body producing excess mucous to try to compensate. Then, you’re more susceptible to blockage, stuffiness, and sinus headaches."
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Another less obvious complication is that you may wake up with sore muscles, as concentrated cool air can make your body tense up and cramp.
This is certainly on the more extreme end of things, and we should also point out that there are some positives to sleeping with a fan on too - such as circulating stale air and helping to regulate body temperature.
If there’s a lot of noise pollution where you live, fans are also a cheap and effective way to provide some background sound to drown out the racket going on outside.
Ultimately, Sleep Advisor suggests avoiding spending the night with the fan cranked up if it's triggering any allergy and asthma symptoms - or if you're experiencing dry skin, eyes, mouth or sinuses.
"Sometimes the equipment also gets excess build-up of pollen and particles that are impossible to remove," it continued.
"If that’s the case, consider an upgrade. Or, if it’s causing issues by drying out your skin and insides, maybe you need something that rotates instead of one that blows directly on you all night.
"You may even want to consider one that has a timer, so you’ll be able to use it to lull you to your dreamland but have it turn off automatically to prevent the constant blast of air all night."
In short, keeping a fan on through the night won't kill you, but if the cons outweigh the pros then maybe upgrade your system or find a new way to keep cool at night.
