Expert Advice On Using Your HVAC To Get A Better Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is critical our well-being. Even if kids find sleep boring and don’t want to go to bed, or college students want to party until the sun comes up, no matter what age you are, the amount of sleep you get at night has a critical effect on how you operate the next day.
This is why when you’re at home, HVAC systems like air conditioning can be essential in making sure you get a good night’s sleep. But how? Here are some the factors that air conditioning addresses that make your night’s rest easier.
Humidity Control
There’s that famous saying, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” but what exactly does that mean?
Relative humidity is the factor that matters most when talking about comfort in your own home, or even out and about town.
Humidity is the measure or water vapor that is in the air. The higher the humidity the more water there is, which affects the environment in a few key ways.
First and most important high humidity is something you can feel. The air actually feels thicker, or “muggy,” and tends to feel choking and uncomfortable.
It also means that heat feels hotter, since the humidity carries the heat of the air. Biologically speaking, this also means that the human coping mechanism for heat—namely sweating—doesn’t work. Under normal circumstances, when you sweat, the process of evaporation, that is, the sweat turning into vapor on your skin actually cools you down. With high humidity, your sweat doesn’t evaporate; it remains on your skin. Air conditioning, however, can help to lower relative humidity, making it more comfortable in a room, and easier to sleep.
Use Of Fans
If you still have ceiling fans in your home, don’t assume that the presence of air conditioning has made them useless.
In fact, they can make your AC efforts even more efficient! It’s all a matter of making sure that your ceiling fans are turning in the right direction during the summer.
If your fan is rotating counterclockwise, this circulates warm air downwards. The reason you want to do this is you feel the cooling effect of the air movement—similar to a breeze—but you also get the benefit of more effectively circulating air that your air conditioning uses.
The Ideal Temperature
Of course, keeping things at a comfortable temperature is essential for anyone to get a decent night’s sleep, but what exactly is comfortable?
The recommended average for energy efficiency is 78°, but you may not feel cool enough at this temperature and want it a few—or several—degrees lower.
The most important factor here is what you feel is your comfort level, but always be aware that the lower you set your air conditioning the higher the bills will be. Things can get both hot and humid in San Antonio, TX depending on how the summer is going.
If you want to ensure that you’re still able to get into bed and sleep comfortably without drowning in sweat, air conditioning is important. Just strike the balance between keeping yourself comfortable and watching your energy bills, and you’ll be able to enjoy summer at home without any issues at night.
