Louisiana Sleep Hack: Why Experts Say Ditch the Ceiling Fan at Night

If you’re anything like most people, you can’t sleep in a hot room.  Or even a warm one… personally, I have to have it just this side of cold.  And that means at least two fans going, the ceiling fan, and a floor fan, for both the air and the white noise.

And summers in Louisiana are not for the faint of heart.  And they’re nothing to play around with.  Temperatures can top 100 for multiple days through late June through August.  That means the nights can sometimes not even get out of the 80’s. And that puts quite the strain on the ol’ Carrier.

I even thought I found the perfect bed on Instagram, but my wife wouldn’t go for it.

But even though you might be thinking you’re just augmenting the cooling effect of the AC, experts say Louisiana residents should NOT be running the ceiling fan at night.

How to Combat the Night Heat Without the Ceiling Fan

There are other things you could do to try to beat the heat without running your ceiling fan.

• Turn off the fan before going to bed- or set it to turn off with a timer
• Don’t use a lot of, or heavy comforters or quilts, and wear light, loose-fitting, (or even no pajamas)
• In the fall and spring, we like to keep our windows open at night and enjoy the fresh air.
• If you do use the fan, make sure you keep the blades clean to not circulate more dust in the air.

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Why Experts Say You Shouldn’t Use a Ceiling Fan at Night

According to an article in mattressnextday.co.uk, there are several reasons you shouldn’t run your ceiling fan at night.

Allergies and Asthma-   With the fan running, you’re certainly circulating air throughout the room, but you could also be spreading dust mites, spores, pollen, and other allergens.

Increased Congestion-  With the increased circulation this could also dry out the air, which then could dry out your eyes, nose and throat, causing a stuffy nose and possibly a sinus headache.

Coughing Fits-  With the dust and other irritants, combined with the drier air, it could also cause excessive coughing fits through the night.

Spreading Germs and Infection-  If someone in the house is sick, the fan could also be circulating infectious germs which could cause others in the house to get sick as well.

But after all of that, the experts could say running a ceiling fan at night would cause you to go blind, bald and lose all your teeth... I'd still be running both of my fans... and sleeping like a blind, bald, toothless baby.