Does Air Conditioning Impact Sleep In Cincinnati?
The science of sleep is a volatile field of inquiry, and one in which new findings appear often.
Regulating your body temperature during sleep – and with Cincinnati’s extreme highs and lows we are all too familiar with that – is an important component of this topic. Ensuring your Cincinnati Air Conditioner is running at its peak performance is important, but there are other ways AC can impact your sleep that you may not have been aware of.
Air Conditioning & Sleep Research
Just a few weeks ago, a joint research team centered at Japan’s Toyohashi University of Technology published a study about the use of air conditioning during the summer, which appeared in Science Daily:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216094523.htm
According to this research team, headed up by Professor Kazuyo Tsuzuki, the amount of air flow that an air-conditioning system provides may be detrimental to steady and restful sleep. The air stimulates the skin, and though the lowered body temperature may provide comfort, the airflow velocity over certain levels can be disruptive to sleep.
The study suggests that subjects roll over in bed once cool air blows out of the HVAC unit, if the airflow velocity is at 0.14 m/s rather than the lower flow of 0.04 m/s.
It is important to note that the study’s summary states that “when airflow is directed at a human body, even at an insensible velocity, it […] affects the depth of sleep.” Directing the airflow elsewhere in the room, away from the body but still lowering the room’s temperature, may mitigate any of these disruptive effects.
Redirect Your AC Flow
In other words, if you are having difficulty sleeping, you may want to check if your air conditioner is pointed directly at your bed. If it is, you may want to adjust your vents so that the airflow is not directly hitting your body.
Cincinnati Air Conditioning Specialists
For a free Cincinnati consultation about your air conditioning, heating system, and any other temperature-control questions, just get in touch with us at our southern Ohio headquarters, and we would be happy to help you. To reach us, please fill out our online contact form or call the HVAC professionals from Pinnacle Air Solutions at 513.984.HEAT (4328).