Poorly adjusted, oriented in the wrong direction or little maintained, air conditioning can become a real source of discomfort, even a factor of ENT infections. Details with a pulmonologist-allergologist.
Every summer is the same catchphrase. The exterior heat, especially during periods of heat wave, pushes us to rush on the remote control of the air conditioner to lower the thermostat. Only here, if the room is cool like a cave, some symptoms can occur a few hours later: flowing nose, gratotes or persistent cough. And inevitably, we tend to accuse the air conditioning of being responsible for it, but is this really the case? Can an excess of air conditioning make us sick or is it a received idea?
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The dangers of poorly maintained air conditioning
For pulmonologist-allergologist Madiha Ellaffi, specialist in sleep respiratory problems in children and adults, the problem does not come from the air conditioner in itself but rather from his misuse. “The most important risk is when the device has not been cleaned for a long time or is poorly maintained,” said the health professional, also president of the Association Health Respiratory France Occitanie. Germs can develop there, including bacteria such as legionellosis which can cause infection resulting in severe, even fatal pneumonia. ”
Indeed, in the event of dysfunction or presence of stagnant water in the system, air conditioning then becomes a real propellant of pathogenic microorganisms, like bacteria but also mold. “A patient complained of having sinusitis over sinusitis until she understands that her air conditioning module had had a water damage. Molds had developed inside, and with each start -up of its air conditioning, it was recaping the germs in the air to its sinuses and its respiratory mucous membranes, “explains Dr. Madiha Ellaffi.
A stirred air that awakens allergies
In the same way, air conditioning can also worsen allergic problems by stirring the allergens present in the environment. Dust, animal hairs, mites, pollens … it puts into circulation which stagnates in poorly ventilated rooms. “Allergic patients feel it right away. They arrive in an air-conditioned room, and very quickly, it scratches, it stings, it coughs, “describes the pulmonologist-allergologist.
Watch out for temperature differences
But even in a perfectly clean room, air conditioning can cause another size problem. This trap, according to Dr. Madiha Ellaffi, is the sudden temperature variations, between the very hot outside and the air -conditioned interior. “This gap will irritate the airways and the respiratory tract, already slightly irritated by the ambient dry air,” said the specialist.
In this sense, is it correct to say that we “catch cold” because of this artificial cold? “We can feel symptoms that will be more an answer to irritation without necessarily being infection behind,” says Dr. Madiha Ellaffi. According to her, these symptoms generally disappear within hours once the air conditioner is moved away.
However, in some cases, these irritations can create a terrain favorable to ENT infections, more particularly in people already sensitive to temperature changes. “In this case, if you come across a microbe (which happens regularly), there is more risk that it can settle and develop in the airways,” warns the pulmonologist-allergologist.
The right reflexes to adopt
To protect it, the health professional recommends limiting this temperature difference between the interior and the outside to 5-6 degrees maximum. “For example, if it is 35 ° C outside, you should not put your air conditioning on 25 ° C, that’s too much,” she recommends.
What to do when you don’t have a hand on the thermostat? “We cannot always control air conditioning in shared spaces at work,” admits Dr. Madiha Ellaffi. However, some simple reflexes can help protect yourself: do not sit in front of the air flow, prevent it from being directed on the face, carry a light stole if you feel the irritation go up. And at home? We take care of a regular maintenance of the system, by checking the absence of stagnant water and if necessary, we regularly change the filters.
What about the bedroom? One might think that a cold breath harms the tranquility and immunity of the sleeper. But according to the pulmonologist-allergologist, this is often the opposite. “Heat is a sleep disruptor. If we manage to lower the temperature by a few degrees at night, we sleep much better, ”she says. Again, provided that you do not direct fresh air on yourself.
