What’s the important thing to staying cool throughout a warmth wave? A fan might not be the reply, researchers say

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — After a light July, August is basically heating up. What’s the important thing to staying cool? It may shock you to be taught that an electrical fan won’t be the reply.

When temperatures soar, Wendy Ramos cannot reside with out her electrical followers.

“I have it all the time. I have one at work, even at home. I just sit in front of it and turn it on,” Ramos mentioned.

However, a number of research discover that utilizing a fan with out an air conditioner in excessive, dry warmth could cause extra hurt than good. Some discover that arduous to consider.

“I’ll probably still keep using fans because I feel like it helps me,” mentioned Megan Delbarian.

But science says in any other case. Researchers say when outdoors air reaches the identical temperature as your physique, that is when your fan can flip right into a convection oven.

“Skin temperature maxes out at around 95 Fahrenheit, pushing just warmer air over the skin surface is just going to cause the body to gain heat more rapidly,” mentioned Dr. Robert Meade, a researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Meade studied 18 seniors for a number of hours with a fan in a 96-degree room. While their physique temperatures did drop a level or two, it isn’t sufficient.

“They just can’t provide as much cooling, and this is just physiology and physics,” Meade mentioned.

Other analysis discovered that utilizing a fan in excessive warmth could be particularly detrimental to individuals with coronary heart illness. In warmth, the guts has to work exhausting to deliver heat blood to the floor.

“The increase in how much blood the heart has to pump is what’s thought to precipitate adverse cardiovascular events during heat waves. And actually, cardiovascular events are the major killer during heat waves,” Meade mentioned.

But in terms of working a fan at night time, Meade says that is a method that truly works.

“If the outdoor temperature is actually cooler, drops below your indoor temperature, you can actually use a fan to help draw air in from the outside and help cool the home that way,” he defined.

When does a fan work in excessive warmth? Since your physique makes use of sweat and evaporation to expel warmth, Meade says you possibly can improve that with a fan and water.

Experts say earlier than you sit in entrance of a fan, moist your pores and skin first, and use a twig bottle to maintain it constant after it evaporates. Or you possibly can saturate a towel and maintain it round your neck.

“There is some promising research showing you can get improvements in how much heat you’re losing, reductions in how hard your heart is working, reductions in body temperature,” Meade mentioned.

For many, that is comforting information.