Poor indoor air quality can cause a wide variety of issues for your home. While high levels of pollutants can negatively impact your HVAC system, they can also cause a great deal of harm to your health. The severity of how poor air quality impacts your health depends on the type of pollutants present in the air. High levels of allergens and dust can cause an increase in allergy symptoms, while mold and mildew can cause more serious respiratory issues. Here are a few of the ways that poor indoor air quality can affect your health in Spokane, WA.
Respiratory Issues
Respiratory issues are among the most common health effects associated with poor indoor air quality. If your home suffers from poor indoor air quality due to a lack of ventilation, you run the risk of seeing an accumulation of bacteria and viruses. This can lead to respiratory infections like the common cold or flu. These infections can disrupt your daily routine and make it impossible for you to accomplish the tasks that keep your household running.
Elevated Allergy Levels
An increase in allergies is another common health effect caused by poor indoor air quality. The presence of allergens such as dust mites, pet dander and pollen can increase the severity of your allergy symptoms and leave you with a runny nose and itchy eyes. Dealing with severe allergy symptoms can make it unbearable to be inside for prolonged periods of time.
Poor Sleep Quality
The air quality in your home can even impact you while you are sleeping. Nasal congestion, sneezing and coughing caused by allergens can disrupt your sleep and often become stronger at night. If you spend a good portion of the night being awakened by coughing fits, you will not be able to get the deep rest that your body needs. This can have serious long-term health effects if left unchecked.
Humidity levels can also have a big impact on the quality of your sleep. High humidity levels in the summer can lead to uncomfortable nights full of sweat and an inability to properly breathe. In the winter, low humidity levels can lead to a dry sleeping environment that dries out your nasal passages and throat. These uncomfortable sleeping arrangements can make it difficult to slumber uninterrupted throughout the night.
Reduced Ability to Focus
Poor air quality can also have a negative effect on your ability to focus. When your body consumes high levels of allergens and pollutants, it can prevent your brain from getting the oxygen it needs to keep you alert. This can lead to long periods when you find it difficult to focus on complex tasks. This is especially troublesome if you work from home and need to focus on important assignments for an extended period of time.
Fatigue and Headaches
One particular way poor indoor quality negatively impacts your daily life is through poor ventilation. If you regularly use cleaning products or are thinking about painting the walls in your home, you need to make sure you have good ventilation to rid your home of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with these products. If you do not have adequate ventilation and continually breathe these chemicals, you can suffer from headaches, dizziness and fatigue. The side effects are more common during the cold winter months in Spokane, WA, where homes are sealed to keep out the cold air and less fresh air has a chance to enter.
Contact Us to Improve Your Air Quality
Our team at Sturm Heating & Air Conditioning is here to serve your home comfort needs. We can assist with any HVAC repair and even help install a new energy-efficient system. Our team of expert HVAC technicians can also test your home’s air quality to make sure it does not include an excessive level of pollutants and allergens. Our mission is to become your long-term HVAC partner, so we focus on providing a high-quality service for every job, ask us about our air purification. You can rest easy when you contact Sturm Heating & Air Conditioning to handle your air quality concerns as we truly want your home to be as comfortable as possible.
Call us today to see how we can help improve your home’s indoor air quality in Spokane, WA!
