Dr Hilary discusses health impacts of central heating
As the nights grow colder it becomes tempting to keep our heating on for longer and longer.
Many of us will hold off as best we can, mainly due to the astronomical cost of energy bills.
However, an expert has warned of a myriad of other reasons against this – including some potential health risks.
Rebecca Swain, mattress expert from Winstons Beds explained: “We’ve arrived at that time of the year where many of us have had to turn our radiators on because of the cold temperatures.
“While many of us like to heat our bedrooms so we can get to sleep comfortably, we want to urge people not to keep the heating on throughout the entire night.
READ MORE Bed sheets don’t need to be washed as often when using the ‘ideal’ temperature
“The optimum temperature to sleep in is from 17 to 19C. Any higher can result in dry skin, coughing, sneezing and even mould taking over.”
She shared eight reasons why you shouldn’t be sleeping with the heating on at night.
Dry skin
Warm air can strip natural oils from the skin, Rebecca warned. This can cause unwanted dryness and itchiness to occur if the heating is left on overnight.
Difficulty breathing
The heating can dry out the air and make the room feel stuffy and uncomfortable to sleep in.
She said: “It can make it feel harder to breathe in and cause dry throats and nasty coughs.”
Don’t miss…
Having a lie in could be bad for your health, sleep expert warns[EXPERT]
Sleep expert issues urgent warning about spotting black mould in your mattress[INSIGHT]
More than one in five adults have fallen asleep at work, study finds[STUDY]
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Night sweats
It can become quite uncomfortable sleeping with the heating on especially if it causes excess sweat in the bed.
“Avoid having the heating on at night otherwise, you’ll face having to remove stubborn yellow stains from bedding,” she advised.
Mould on the walls
While having the heating on for a short period in the morning can help prevent mould growth, having it on all night can cause the warmer air to hold and trap excess moisture.
Rebecca said: “When the warm air comes into contact with the cold windows, it can cause window condensation which can develop into a mould problem.”
Cold-like symptoms
We are already vulnerable to these symptoms due to viruses circulating in the winter, but they can also be caused by our sleeping environment.
“Stuffy noses and sneezing are common problems to suffer from in the morning by having the radiators turned on at night,” she said.
“Radiators can accumulate high levels of dust which causes allergies to flare up.”
Swollen feet
She continued: “Our feet tend to swell when our body is trying to cool down and regulate its temperature.”
Therefore, if you notice you’re waking up with swollen feet, this could be an indication that you’re sleeping in a room where the temperature is too high.
Bugs
According to Rebecca, pesky bugs like fleas, flies and bed bugs thrive in warm environments so don’t be surprised if you notice tiny specs on the bedding.
“Spray some peppermint oil around the room to help deter them”, she recommended.
Wasted energy
She added: “One of the most shocking results of having the heating on during the night will be the cost of the energy bill at the end of the month.”
So if you want a budget-friendly way to keep warm in the bedroom, opt for fluffy socks and a hot water bottle.
Source: Read Full Article