Here’s why millions of Brits MUST NOT sleep with a fan on in the hot weather
AS Brits basked in intense heat over the weekend, many will have pulled out their trusty fans at night to help them sleep in their sauna-like bedrooms.
No doubt they'll want to keep them blasting for a few more days, as temperature forecasts for this week promise some more sweaty nights ahead.
But far from providing relief, this hot-weather hack might cause a fair amount of discomfort for some.
If the air in your bedroom feels warm and stuffy, a fan is just the thing to get it circulating and provide you with a cool breeze.
But this circulating air could bring you fresh misery if you're one of the 10 million Brits who suffers from hay fever.
While the fan makes your bedroom air cooler and fresher, it can blow about pollen and dust, according to The Sleep Advisors - not ideal if you're sensitive to pollen, or have other allergies or asthma.
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"Take a close look at your fan," the sleep experts said . "If it’s been collecting dust on the blades, those particles are flying through the air every time you turn it on."
Hay fever sufferers might want to bear this information in mind this week, as the Met Office predicts levels will be “very high” across all but one region of England and Wales from Tuesday.
Scotland and Northern Ireland will also get their fair share of pollen, with levels expected to be high in most regions from Wednesday until Friday.
Sleeping with your fan on full blast could also dry out your skin, The Sleep Advisors told Women's Health.
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Your nasal passageways are also at risk of getting dry. Despite what you might think, this can make your body produce excess mucus and make you feel bunged up, according to the sleep experts.
Not really what you want when it's baking out out.
Finally, you might wake up with stiff and sore muscles if you sleep with the fab breeze directly on you
"This is because the concentrated cool air can make muscles tense up and cramp," The Sleep Advisors said.
"This problem is especially common for people who sleep with it near their face and neck. If you’ve been waking up with a stiff neck in the morning, it might be because of the constant breeze."
How to stay cool at night instead
If you just can't face going fan-less at night, there are couple other options to consider if you have hay fever or have been waking up with a crick in your neck.
For starters, try keeping a bowl of cool water next to your bed, which you can dip a flannel into and place wherever you need.
GP Dr Sarah Jarvis also suggested taking a cool shower before going to sleep to stave off the heat, and keeping your blinds or curtains shut throughout the day to keep you room cool.
If you don't suffer from hay fever, try keeping your windows open - Andy Kerr, Founder of BOXT, recommended creating 'cross breeze' with your windows - if you have two windows which are in line with each other or positioned diagonally, keep them both open, he said.
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If you can't imagine sleeping without a fan, you could consider getting an air filter to clean up any dust particles.
But experts have recommended you don't sleep naked, even when it's baking outside.
Hayfever symptoms
HAY fever is a common allergic condition. It affects up to 1 in 5 people at some point in their life.
You'll experience hay fever symptoms if you have an allergic reaction to pollen.
The symptoms of hay fever include:
- frequent sneezing
- runny or blocked nose
- itchy, red or watery eyes (allergic conjunctivitis)
- an itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- cough, caused by postnasal drip (mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose)
Less commonly, you may also experience:
- the loss of your sense of smell (anosmia)
- facial pain (caused by blocked sinuses)
- headaches
- earache
- tiredness and fatigue
If you have asthma, your asthma symptoms may get worse when you have hay fever.
Source: NHS