Air conditioning is effecting my sleep

[Luuk Chaai]

21 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

 

It's usually set to around 23 degrees, sometimes 24 during these cooler days. I sometimes i am waking up around 1pm, so a/c on is vital. 

 

Opening window is not an option  during the evening usually due to mosquitos. I do air the room during the day though. 

 

The a/c system we have is meant to be one of these new eco effiencent ones. Personally i can't see how. Even when the temperature is reached, it keeps blowing. Apparently this is meant to be more efficient for the room. 

I keep it on 22 at night ...  level 2 of 4 on the fan setting.  plus an air purifier .  ( i like overkill )

and I like a window open .. soothing sounds and scents   ....  and..  I have screens on all my windows

[save the frogs]

i cant stand air conditioning

and it's bad for healt

thats why i hate living with other people, who all like air conditioning full blast.

[hotchilli]

22 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

When in Thailand, the heat obviously lends to sleeping with the AC on all night. The system we have keeps air flowing, even when the temperature is reached. But my sleep is effected .... i wake up as if i've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I literally feel hungover for 10-20 minutes getting up, such a heavy feeling. I'm not drinking alcohol or any drugs. 

 

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

 

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

 

What's going on here ?

Turn the a/c off, open a window and turn on a fan

[Coota]

22 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

When in Thailand, the heat obviously lends to sleeping with the AC on all night. The system we have keeps air flowing, even when the temperature is reached. But my sleep is effected .... i wake up as if i've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I literally feel hungover for 10-20 minutes getting up, such a heavy feeling. I'm not drinking alcohol or any drugs. 

 

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

 

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

 

What's going on here ?

I had a similar problem flare up about 3 years ago, I was living in south east Queensland at the time and the weather was not as hot and extreme as Thailand. I went to my local Doctor convinced it was a reaction to my 3 covid vaccinations as the symptoms started not long after receiving my last vaxx. The Doctor told me I had a sleeping disorder. He told me my symptons all pointed to this. He gave me a referral to see a sleep specialist. I didn't end up seeing the specialist as I returned to live in Thailand but still continued to suffer the symptoms you have. I did some research and concluded that I was mouth breathing all night which was depriving my body of oxygen. As part of my research I found out I could tape my mouth shut with a small piece of surgical tape placed verticaly over my mouth but could still open my mouth a little in case of emergency. I could also break the tape seal easily by opening my mouth. This seemed to work as I was not waking up with a dry mouth but still had a few minor symptons. My sister uses a CPAP machine for sleeping as she has a diagnosed sleeping disorder and frequently stops breathing while sleeping so I bought one locally here in Thailand. It seemed to work the first time I used it but after that I found it impossible to sleep wearing it. I tried various masks but still could not get used to the thing so I ended up selling it and going back to the tape again.

 

The tape system is far from satisfactory now and, this morning I awoke feeling the same as you described with an added layer of slight nausea so I'm not sure what my next step will be. I'm 70 and can't really be bothered trying to get this fixed. I do find that whenever I go on a holiday and sleep in a different environment I don't have the same problem but figure it would soon flare up if I stayed at the same place for a long period. I live in rural Surin.

 

Hope this helps.

[Henryford]

I never sleep with the AC on, disturbs my sleep too. Try to get used to sleeping with just a fan directed at the bed.

[KannikaP]

22 hours ago, scotty1286 said:

or just a more efficient AC compressor type?

More efficient than an Inverter?

[scotty1286]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

More efficient than an Inverter?

No, I think inverter type are the most efficient, I have been wrong before though....

[ravip]

On 9/23/2024 at 6:37 AM, DonniePeverley said:

When in Thailand, the heat obviously lends to sleeping with the AC on all night. The system we have keeps air flowing, even when the temperature is reached. But my sleep is effected .... i wake up as if i've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I literally feel hungover for 10-20 minutes getting up, such a heavy feeling. I'm not drinking alcohol or any drugs. 

 

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

 

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

 

What's going on here ?

Can it be due to dehydration? 

 

I've heard of placing a bucket of water in the room or hanging a wet towel. Never tried them myself, but worth giving it a shot for whatever it's worth.

[newbee2022]

23 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

When in Thailand, the heat obviously lends to sleeping with the AC on all night. The system we have keeps air flowing, even when the temperature is reached. But my sleep is effected .... i wake up as if i've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I literally feel hungover for 10-20 minutes getting up, such a heavy feeling. I'm not drinking alcohol or any drugs. 

 

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

 

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

 

What's going on here ?

Stay in UK or get used to Aircon. 😂🤗🤣

Now honestly:

Maybe it's a solution if the airflow is not directly going into your face. Move your bed will solve your problem.

[Thingamabob]

On 9/23/2024 at 8:07 AM, DonniePeverley said:

When in Thailand, the heat obviously lends to sleeping with the AC on all night. The system we have keeps air flowing, even when the temperature is reached. But my sleep is effected .... i wake up as if i've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I literally feel hungover for 10-20 minutes getting up, such a heavy feeling. I'm not drinking alcohol or any drugs. 

 

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

 

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

 

What's going on here ?

Open the A/C for a short time, thereafter fan only. 

[KannikaP]

30 minutes ago, scotty1286 said:

No, I think inverter type are the most efficient, I have been wrong before though....

You are correct.

[NorthernRyland]

21 hours ago, Lacessit said:

At 23 C, the OP is breathing dehumidified air all night. It's no wonder he is waking up feeling terrible. He is dehydrating his lungs, and the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. Dryness makes one more vulnerable to infections, as well as coughing and congestion.

 

 

I don't know about this. I was just back in Colorado for 2 months and the relative humidity is like 25%. Now back in Thailand and dealing with 95+% humidity. The dry air is hard to adjust too but it's free of mold at least.

 

Why does the OP think it's the AC instead of other factors like mold? It may be the specific room/location you're in has a mold problem. I've found this to be true for myself who gets asthma in Thailand but not back home.

 

 

[Lacessit]

40 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

I don't know about this. I was just back in Colorado for 2 months and the relative humidity is like 25%. Now back in Thailand and dealing with 95+% humidity. The dry air is hard to adjust too but it's free of mold at least.

 

Why does the OP think it's the AC instead of other factors like mold? It may be the specific room/location you're in has a mold problem. I've found this to be true for myself who gets asthma in Thailand but not back home.

 

 

The symptoms of asthma are not the same as the OP described.

 

High humidity environments are conducive to incorporating allergens such as pollens and mold spores. Hence your asthma is worse here.

 

The OP has also said he does not have his symptoms, sleeping with a fan only.

 

You are welcome to Colorado. When I was there, every time I touched a door knob I was zapped by static electricity.

[4MyEgo]

On 9/23/2024 at 11:33 AM, DonniePeverley said:

I will look into the humidifier issue. Honestly, back in the UK and no a/c system and waking up is a breeze. In Thailand even if i get my full quota of sleep i am waking up in such an extreme rough way. 

 

You can sleep without the air conditioner on, i.e. turn it on for 30 minutes at 26 degree on slow speed, turn a fan on speed 2 at the most, then turn the air conditioner off, if the room is well insulated, the room should remain cool.

 

If the above doesn't work, again, air conditioner at 26 on low speed and keep a small bottle of water next to your bed.

 

I wake up once twice a night, it's normal as we get older, I take a swig of water, go for a P, then back to bed, and at around 4am will wake up again, take a swig of water and go back to bed, either having gone to the toilet again or not.

 

If your unit is old, lift the cover, check if you have cleaned the filters, if they're clean, ask yourself when the last time you had your unit cleaned, usually every year or two or three depending on how often you use it, costs about 500 baht.

 

The part you say it keeps blowing, well if it's an inverter, the air conditioner will go to the idle position when the room is at the required temperature, e.g. if it's on 26, it will go to idle when it reaches 26, it will blow air like a fan until the room temperature drops again, then will start blowing cooler air in again, and repeat throughout the night.

 

Hope this helps, try it when you get back. 

[NorthernRyland]

16 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The OP has also said he does not have his symptoms, sleeping with a fan only.

 

You are welcome to Colorado. When I was there, every time I touched a door knob I was zapped by static electricity.

 

He said "Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great. " so it must be a different building or location, that's why I asked. I never knew I had a mold allergy until I moved to Thailand. I imagine other people have this too.

 

The dry air burns my lungs for like 2 weeks and my nose dries out and gets congested until it stabilizes. Never heard of static electricity problems though. Many people with bad allergies have been forced to move to desert climates which fixes their problems. 

[Sydebolle]

a) sleep without a/c but fan only
b) set the temperature to 26, 27 or 28 centigrades
c) get an air-conditioner, which adjusts the temperature in the morning hours by increasing temperature automatically (i.e. Trane)

[Coota]

I really think you are all missing the point and concentrating too much on the air con and not the fact that the OP is exhibiting obvious signs of a sleeping disorder which may be affected by the aircon.

 

I realised that I slept with my air con on all last night and didn't switch it off and use the fan like I usually do because it was a cooler night and the previous night the fan made me cold so. last night I used the air con alone set on 26 because I could adjust it without getting out of bed. Was comfortable all night temperature wise but woke up worse than I normally do. I usually wake up pretty rough but this morning had a bit of nausea so it seems that the air con can make a sleeping disorder worse.

[Stevemercer]

I set my AC at 26 degrees and set the remote for it to shut off at midnight (if the weather is cooler) or 2:00 am in the hot weather. I have the ceiling fan on, but often wake up and turn the speed higher when the AC has shut off.

 

This works for me, preventing dry throat and the 'hangover' feeling when waking up.

[connda]

This time of year?  I barely use it at night.  Cool the room before going to bed then turn it off. 

It's called acclimatizing.  Live here long enough and you'll get use to the local weather conditions and adapt.

[Dazinoz]

58 minutes ago, connda said:

This time of year?  I barely use it at night.  Cool the room before going to bed then turn it off. 

It's called acclimatizing.  Live here long enough and you'll get use to the local weather conditions and adapt.

I been here 11 years and still need AC most nights. I cant acclimatize.

 

But everyone is different. If we were all the same life would be boring.

 

[Denim]

8 hours ago, Dazinoz said:

I think he is referring to the older style  through wall/window mount all in one units. Everything is in one box and no piping needed. Just needs a very large hole through the wall. I had a couple back in Oz before splits became cheap enough .They usually have a damper that can be set to open or closed. Closed the air recycles in the room as per a normal split unit, and open it lets some fresh cold air in from outside.

 

Pretty rare now but I did a quick search online and can still be purchased.

 

These were what was used in Thailand some 40 odd years ago. Most hotels I stayed in had them. Aside from anything else they were a lot noisier than the split type and when badly installed , rattled like hell. They are still very common in the Philippines and you can get them on Lazada.

 

One advantage with them is that you can pretty much install them yourself as no complicated plumbing to deal with.

 

 

[snowgard]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:08 AM, Gsxrnz said:

 

I solved that problem - demoted her to the spare room, although she is always "on-call". I have to defrost her before use though.

 

A/c at 22 degrees, thick duvet, full-on pyjamas, and socks. Feels like a fridge when you walk in. 

 

I'm actually convinced that a lot of it is mind over matter - they think the lower the temperature the better.

 

I once looked for a hotel hack that can display a false temperature on the a/c. You set it at a desired temperature and no matter what the user adjusts the remote to, it stays at that temperature. Unfortunately all I could find is a hack that works on ducted or cassette systems.

 

I have it on 26°C and it's exactly how I need it.

[geisha]

On 9/23/2024 at 3:07 AM, DonniePeverley said:

When in Thailand, the heat obviously lends to sleeping with the AC on all night. The system we have keeps air flowing, even when the temperature is reached. But my sleep is effected .... i wake up as if i've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I literally feel hungover for 10-20 minutes getting up, such a heavy feeling. I'm not drinking alcohol or any drugs. 

 

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

 

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

 

What's going on here ?

I’ve always slept with a good quality fan about 5/6 meters from my bed . Not on high ! The better quality nones are very quiet. Get used to pointing it in exactly the direction you need it ( not towards your head!) . I sleep perfectly all night. (The worse is the air cons that have dirty filters, wash them . And don’t sleep under them. Your bed should be as far away as possible from the air on. ) 

[Goattee]

On 9/22/2024 at 6:07 PM, DonniePeverley said:

I can only put it down to the a/c. Couple of times i've slept at mates in cooler temperature with just a fan and it's great.  

I am currently back in the UK, and the weather is cool. Sleeping much better. 

What's going on here ?

 

I don't start with the more exotic ideas-- although they may be relevant. I have found that the following variables contribute to a lower quality sleeping enviroment:

• Degree of humidity-
  Air conditioning necessarily dries out the environment.
  We're circulating outdoors in a relatively high humidity in Thailand. (And even the UK.)
  I got myself a humidifer and run it all night at a low level. I do find that this helps. 
• Drafts-
  I find that whatever the air source-- fan or A/C-- if there is a sustained draft hitting (or surrounding) my face all night long, this can lead to all kinds of unpleasant side effects.
• Temperature-
  I agree with the person who recommended keeping the A/C temperature as high as possible. Only sufficient to let it cycle occasionally. You don't want to sleep as if you're living in a meat locker.

[mstevens]

On 9/24/2024 at 12:08 PM, Coota said:

I do find that whenever I go on a holiday and sleep in a different environment I don't have the same problem but figure it would soon flare up if I stayed at the same place for a long period. I live in rural Surin.

 

Something to consider is mould i.e. you have mould in your environment. It might not be visible, but if it's there, and especially if it's been there a long time, it plays havoc with your health. One of the classic signs of mould in your environment is that you have sleep issues which resolve when you are away from your home / usual place of sleeping, and then you sleep just fine.

[mstevens]

On 9/24/2024 at 2:07 PM, Lacessit said:

The symptoms of asthma are not the same as the OP described.

 

High humidity environments are conducive to incorporating allergens such as pollens and mold spores. Hence your asthma is worse here.

 

The OP has also said he does not have his symptoms, sleeping with a fan only.

 

It could well be mould in his air-conditioning system. This is not widely known, but is far from uncommon. A good place to find more info about this is at the Reddit Mould group: https://www.reddit.com/r/ToxicMoldExposure/

[mstevens]

3 minutes ago, mstevens said:

 

It could well be mould in his air-conditioning system. Mould illness is not widely known, but at the same time is far from uncommon. A good place to find more info about it is at the Reddit Mould group: https://www.reddit.com/r/ToxicMoldExposure/

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 9/23/2024 at 3:40 PM, Gsxrnz said:

OP, I was bored today so I decided to conduct a semi-scientific a/c experiment for you.

 

I used my indoor/outdoor whether station.  Outside temp and humidity on the left, sensor is in a shaded open area. Inside Temp and humidity on the right. 

 

The inside sensor is set at 180 degrees to the a/c unit, and about 5 metres distance. Room size is about 45 sq.mtrs. 

 

A/C unit is a Daikin FTKM18NV2s at 17,700 BTU.

 

The time/date are not set correctly, but you can accept the time differentials from photo to photo.

Here are the readings after the a/c has been turned off for 10 hours and the room has been open to the outside atmosphere (glass sliding doors wide open) for about 3 hours. You will see the inside/outside readings are virtually the same.

 

 

 

I then closed the door and turned on the a/c set to 27 degrees. It took 15 minutes to achieve 27.3 degrees and 54% humidity.

It stayed at this reading for a constant 4 minutes.  That’s when I took the picture.

 

 

I then set a/c to 24 degrees. It took 27 minutes to reach 24.3 degrees and 38% humidity. It stayed there for a constant 4 minutes.

 

 

 

It was then that I escaped outdoors to defrost myself.

 

As you can see at 27 degrees the humidity is a comfortable 54%.  At 24 Degrees it drops to 38%

According to Wikipedia, the humidity in Antarctica ranges from 55 to 67 %.

It’s little wonder you suffer from a dry throat with a setting of 24 degrees and humidity lower than penguins are comfortable with.

According to Wikipedia, the humidity in Antarctica ranges from 55 to 67 %.

 

You might want to amend that. The Wikipedia I found didn't give a figure, but it did say

The air in Antarctica is also very dry. The low temperatures result in a very low absolute humidity, which means that dry skin and cracked lips are a continual problem for scientists and expeditioners working on the continent.[18]

 

From a different source

https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/antarctica/extreme-temperatures/temperature-albedo

 

Relative humidity in Antarctica can be as low as 1%!

 

Our base has to humidify the air in the sleeping quarters to make it acceptable.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 9/24/2024 at 7:56 PM, Denim said:

 

These were what was used in Thailand some 40 odd years ago. Most hotels I stayed in had them. Aside from anything else they were a lot noisier than the split type and when badly installed , rattled like hell. They are still very common in the Philippines and you can get them on Lazada.

 

One advantage with them is that you can pretty much install them yourself as no complicated plumbing to deal with.

 

 

They were the only sort in Saudi when I was there in the 90s that I saw.