Sleeping with the Air Conditioner On: Should You Do it?

June 3, 2019

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    With the sizzling summer months almost upon us, it’s almost time to keep the air conditioner running all day and all night. But have you ever wondered whether it is safe to sleep with your AC on during the night?

    While air conditioning clearly brings many perks, like purifying the air in your home, spending time in well air-conditioned rooms every day and every night doesn’t seem healthy. Well, is it safe?

    No matter what kind of AC-related doubts you may have, don’t hesitate to rely on the best Scottsdale air conditioning repair to give you all the answers and make sure your AC is always in pristine condition for your maximum enjoyment. Keep reading to find out whether you should sleep with your AC on!

    Is it bad to sleep with AC on?

    In short, scientists and experts seem to agree that leaving your AC on during the night is pretty safe. What’s more, some actually recommend it since the optimal temperature for sleeping seems to be on the cooler end of the spectrum.

    However, there’s a number of things you should keep in mind if you want to ensure a good night’s sleep with your AC running. In order to help yourself sleep well without compromising your health, make sure you do the following:

    • Choose the right temperature: the optimal temperature for sleeping according to the National Sleep Foundation is anywhere between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Clean the filters regularly: to ensure your AC unit doesn’t return dust and microbes into your room, make sure your filters are not dirty.
    • Direct the airflow upwards: it’s not a good idea to sleep with cold air blowing directly on you unless you want to risk getting a cold or waking up all sore.
    • Use a timer: before you go to sleep, set your desired temperature and program the AC to switch off during the night since at that point your body will have already cooled down enough for you to sleep well.

    Does air conditioning make you sleepy?

    The reason why experts recommend sleeping in cooler temperatures is that lowering the thermostat setting can make you drowsy and help you sleep better. But why does this happen?

    As you’ve probably noticed, falling asleep in high temperatures is near impossible. This is because your body temperature needs to drop a couple of degrees In order for you to fall asleep. Going to sleep in a cooler room enables your body to cool down faster and makes it easier for you to drift off.

    Can I leave my air conditioner on all night?

    While we’ve established that falling asleep with the AC on can help you sleep well, leaving it on all night might actually be harmful to your health and sleeping cycle. Here are some of the reasons why:

    • Your body temperature can drop too low: while lower temperatures will make it easier to drift off to sleep, setting the thermostat too low for too long can negatively affect your immune system.
    • It can reduce hormone production: sleeping in temperatures that are too cold can hinder your body’s ability to produce some important hormones necessary for good health.
    • The noise might disrupt your sleep: if your AC is old or not properly maintained, it can produce loud sounds while working which might keep you awake or lower the quality of your sleep without you realizing.
    • It can leave you dehydrated: sleeping with the AC on for too long can dry out your skin, mouth, throat and other parts of your body since it not only cools down the air but dehumidifies it as well.

    Depend on the leading Scottsdale air conditioning repair

    When you live in the Greater Phoenix Area, it can be extremely difficult to resist the temptation to keep your air conditioner on all night. Why would you risk tossing and turning in sweat when you can just switch on your trusted AC and sleep like a baby?

    The only way to make sure your air conditioner is nothing but beneficial for your health is to keep your unit’s performance optimal with proper maintenance. That’s why Hughes Air Heating & Cooling is here to take care of any AC problems you might be dealing with and tell you all about how the AC works in your home.

    How did the air conditioner get its name? How can you know whether your AC needs repair? Why won’t my AC turn on? Reach out to us and get all the answers today!

    What Exactly Does Your Air Conditioner Do?

    June 3, 2019

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      Finding a household in Arizona which doesn’t have an air conditioning system to cool it down during the sweltering summers is almost an impossible mission. However, despite AC units being so common, many people still aren’t sure how air conditioners actually work.

      Luckily, the leading Scottsdale air conditioning service will gladly help its neighbors with any AC issues and questions they might have. Is it bad to sleep with the AC on? How was air conditioning invented? Should you leave the AC running all day? No matter what you want to know, we’re always here to give you any AC-related information you might need. Read on!

      Does AC take air from outside?

      Should you use your air conditioner if the air outside is polluted or is high in pollen? Does your AC even pull air from outside the house? A short answer to these common questions is: no. Most air conditioners don’t take air from outside in order to cool your house. So, how does an AC unit work then?

      A typical air conditioner has an indoor and outdoor unit which are connected by refrigerant lines. These lines don’t bring in the air from outside but allow a cooling substance, i.e. the refrigerant to pass through them and transfer the heat from inside your home to the outside by converting from gas to liquid and back again.

      But where does the air coming into your house come from? Well, your indoor unit has a conditioner air intake grille equipped with a filter which lets through air but keeps dirt, dust and debris out. The air from the inside of your house passes through the filter and over the cooling coils before being blown out the front. This means that your AC unit actually recycles and cools the air that is already in your home without bringing in the air from outside.

      Is air conditioning just cold air?

      Does this mean that the air coming from your AC is just cold air? Actually, as you probably know, the definition of cold is simply the absence or lack of heat. Thus, your air conditioner can’t actually create cool air but removes the heat from the warm air inside your home.

      In order to effectively cool your home, your AC unit relies on its three most important components:

      The inside unit of your AC takes in the air from inside your home, passes it over the evaporator coil which removes the heat from the air by using the refrigerant. The cooling substance then flows through the condenser and into the compressor which compresses it and heats it to a higher temperature than the outside air.

      This enables the refrigerant to cool down while it passes through the outdoor unit and flow back to the indoor unit to keep absorbing heat. This process repeats itself until the AC manages to reach your desired temperature inside your home.

      Does my air conditioner purify air?

      While we’ve established that your AC unit doesn’t bring in polluted air from outside, you might be surprised to find out that it can actually clean the air in your home. When the air flows through the filter, your unit keeps dust from returning into the inside space. That’s why cleaning or changing the filter regularly is essential if you want to enhance the efficiency of your unit and keep the air clean.  

      Not only that but your air conditioner can also help remove excess moisture. When hot air is blown over the evaporator coil, humidity from the air is captured on the coils and taken away through the drain lines leading out of your unit.

      Hire the foremost Scottsdale air conditioning service

      Now that you know how air conditioning works inside your home, you can sit back and enjoy your cool house with no worries. What’s more, understanding the way your AC functions enables you to prevent many common issues and avoid unnecessary repair costs.   

      In case you’re dealing with more serious AC-related problems or need someone to install your new AC unit, rely on the seasoned experts at Hughes Air to take care of it with utmost professionalism and expertise. Sit back and relax or go and explore Camelback Mountain while our experienced technicians do their magic. Reach out to us today!