THERE’S nothing like a hot, muggy night to stop you from getting a good sleep.
And when you’ve got hay fever, that becomes a bigger problem because you don’t want to open a window.
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Instead, you reach for a fan and hope that it’ll provide enough breeze to send you on your way to the land of nod.
But sleeping with a fan may actually make your allergies even worse.
Nocturnal fanning may dry out your throat because moving air tends to feel drier.
That could then dry out your nasal passages and throat.
Pollen whirlwind
As for hay fever, moving all that air around is also going to circulate dust and pollen.
Dust can accumulate on fans and pollen tends to be trodden into carpets or settles on surfaces in the home.
Particularly if you have pets, pollen can really move around to all parts of your home.
And when you switch your fan on, all those hidden particles get swept up and circulated around your room.
That might be bearable during the day but at night, you’re creating a kind of pollen whirlwind – which you’re lying in the centre of.
The Sleep Advisor advises: “Take a close look at your fan.
“If it’s been collecting dust on the blades, those particles are flying through the air every time you turn it on.”
And it’s not just hay fever sufferers who could wake up feeling rough after a breezy night.
Fans can also cause acne
Sleeping with a fan on can also dry out your skin, which can lead to an overproduction of sebum…and ultimately acne.
The Sleep Advisor also points out that having the fan on all night could even leave you with aches and pains in the morning, as the cool air causes your muscles to tense up and cramp.
In Korea, there’s even a theory that sleeping with an electric fan on will kill you.
‘Fan death’
“Fan death” has been a concern in the country since the 1920s, when a journal published a story warning readers that electric fans could cause sickness, facial paralysis and even asphyxiation due to the circulation of stale air.
And apparently, that fear still exists today.
While it’s extremely unlikely that an electrical fan will kill you, it may exacerbate existing medical issues.
So if you don’t want to wake up with a sore neck, worse hay fever symptoms, and acne, then you might want to consider whether a fan is worth the aggro.
There are other ways to cool down in bed:
1. Sleep naked
In the summer, it can be hard to regulate how hot our bedrooms become but other times, it’s a case of turning off your radiator, throwing open a window and donning your birthday suit.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the quicker you fall asleep, the better quality of sleep you tend to have. One way of reducing the amount of time it takes you to fall into a deep sleep is to lower your body temperature.
Falling temperatures in the body tell it that it’s time for snoozing and a simple way to do that is to take off your clothes.
Reducing body temperature not only helps you get off to sleep faster but may also improve the overall quality of your sleep.
Although your body changes temperature throughout the night, going to sleep naked means that it doesn’t have to cool down quite as vigorously and you can control the temperature more easily by removing or adding duvets and sheets.
2. Cold water bottle
Grab your hot water bottle and fill it with icy slush.
It might give you a bit of a shock in bed but if you are really struggling with overheating, it’s a good way of radiating out a cold hue in the sheets.
3. Freeze your sheets
Sounds odd but putting your sheets in the freezer will make your bed beautifully cool.
Simply fold them into a waterproof bag and pop them in for 15 minutes before re-dressing your bed.
4. Have a flannel
Keep a wet flannel by your bed and lie it over your eyes and press to your temples before you try to go to sleep.
Apply it throughout the night if you feel yourself coming over all hot and sweaty.
5. Use your blinds
The NHS recommends keeping rooms cool by using shades or reflective material outside the windows.
“If this isn’t possible, use light-coloured curtains and keep them closed (metallic blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter),” it explained.
6. Unplug technology
Did you know that plugged in chargers can emit heat?
It probably won’t make a massive difference but you’re better off moving any technology out of the bedroom and unplugging anything that’s charging to reduce any extra heat.
7. Have a bath
Before you get into bed, have a cold shower or bath to take your body temperature down a bit.
And once you’re dry, get into bed in the nude. You’ll feel far more refreshed and you’ll once again make sure that there are no rogue pollen particles nestling anywhere on your body or hair.
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