How Your AC Can Improve Both Comfort and Health

West Palm Beach, Florida, is a popular place for people on vacation as well as residents who enjoy the mild winters. During the summer, however, the entire state would be much less comfortable without air conditioning. In the 1830s, U.S. Army troops in Florida described it as hideous and loathsome. It was “swampy, low, excessively hot, sickly, and repulsive in all its features,” but air conditioning turned it into a pleasant paradise. Your air conditioner can improve your health and comfort by preventing heat stroke, raising your indoor air quality, helping you get better sleep, and improving your mental health.

Prevents Heatstroke

According to The Journal of Emergency Medicine, more than 3,000 people died from heatstroke from 2006 to 2010. It’s caused by an environment that’s too warm or lots of exertion. Symptoms include a high body temperature, low blood pressure, muscle cramps, headaches, nausea, confusion, dizziness, weakness, excessive sweating, and seizures. Older people and infants are more vulnerable, especially if they have heart issues or other illnesses.

For this reason, keeping your air conditioner working well could be essential for your family’s safety in Florida’s hot summer weather. The high humidity in the region can also prevent sweat from evaporating as quickly, making it more difficult to get rid of excess heat. After working or playing outdoors, it’s a good idea to come inside and cool off.

If your air conditioner isn’t running properly, you should get it repaired by a professional immediately. However, you can prevent these inconvenient, potentially hazardous breakdowns by scheduling regular maintenance on your equipment. An expert can find and repair any issues before they cause a breakdown and affect your family’s health.

Improves Your Indoor Air Quality

Air conditioners have air filters to catch contaminants such as dirt, dust, pet dander, pollen, and biological growth. They can reduce dirt on your floors and furniture and let you vacuum and dust less often. They can also prevent allergy or asthma symptoms, rashes, nosebleeds, eye irritation, fatigue, frequent colds, and many other health problems caused by poor indoor air quality.

Since air conditioners control your home’s humidity as well as its temperature, they can prevent many problems that tend to occur in high-humidity areas such as unpleasant smells from biological growth and water damage. Reducing the humidity also prevents the invasion of pests such as cockroaches, centipedes, or silverfish, which prefer a moist environment.

For the best possible air quality in your home, you should change the HVAC air filter at least once a month. Not only will this help filter out airborne contaminants, but it will also help the system operate more efficiently.

Allows Better Sleep

Getting plenty of sleep is essential for your productivity. A lack of rest could lead to an accident like a car crash, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and many other issues. People convert short-term memories to long-term memories during their sleep, and they can’t retain information or concentrate well without it. A lack of sleep can lead to depression, and severe sleep deprivation can even cause hallucinations.

Air conditioning can keep you from getting a stuffy nose or other issues at night because of poor indoor air quality. It can also keep you from waking up because you’re too hot. According to The National Sleep Foundation, people’s body temperatures decrease naturally during sleep, making the ideal thermostat setting between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Some ductless air conditioners have more than one indoor air handler, and many other systems have dampers in their ductwork to send conditioned air where it’s needed most. That way, you can choose the temperature you prefer for your bedroom without impacting people who could still be awake in the rest of your home.

Stephen K. Denny, Inc. is a Trane Comfort Specialist, and we have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. We have been providing quality products for all of your heating and air conditioning needs since 1990. We can help you keep your air conditioner working well, increase your indoor air quality, and make sure that your family stays healthy. For outstanding service from our friendly, knowledgeable technicians, call us anytime at (561) 250-7415.

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