Expert explains why you shouldn't keep your fan on all night
Bad habit or not, sleeping with your fan on all night in hot weather is a habit most of us are guilty of.
There's nothing worse than not being able to sleep in sweltering temperatures, and keeping your fan on all night is a relief from sweaty sheets and all-night irritability.
However, I have some bad news for you, as a sleep advisor has said that our little guilty pleasure is actually really bad for us. Typical.
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Experts have warned that we really shouldn't be keeping our fans on all night, explaining that doing so actually has many negative health impacts.
The first issue is that sleeping with a fan circulates dust straight at you, as well as pollen. This means that your fan could actually be triggering for those who suffer from allergies or asthma, Sleep Advisor reports.
"Take a close look at your fan," The Sleep Advisor suggests. "If it’s been collecting dust on the blades, those particles are flying through the air every time you turn it on."
This isn't the only issue that can occur if you lay by a fan for too long.
The expert adds that people's skin may well suffer, too, because the air blowing at them can dry it out. It can also dry your nasal passages, meaning you wake up feeling like you have a cold because your body produces excess mucus.
And that's not all - it can also encourage your muscles to stiffen, too.
"This is because the concentrated cool air can make muscles tense up and cramp," the experts explain.
This is a particular issue for those who sleep with a fan right next to their necks.
Damn, we really can't have anything, can we?
Despite the bad news and clear side effects to our health, our energy bill will certainly thank us for switching off the fan and finding other - less costly - solutions to keeping cool at night.
I know you might be thinking (especially considering how groggy the weather is today) that summer is over, but according to the weather forecast, we have a few more days of sun ahead - forecasting 24 degrees from Saturday onwards.
In that case, why not try some other techniques to keep you cool at night?
According to British Gas, some of these genius hacks include; closing windows and curtains, keeping your doors closed, switching out heavy mattresses for some bamboo bedding (that's a new one for me) and eating your meals outside.
Although it doesn't look like we have a heatwave on the horizon, these tips will be just as handy for next summer too.
Saskia Calliste