Natural ways to stay cool - Ceiling fans raise serotonin and air conditioners put toxic coolant in the air

[Perry Staltic]

I mean I always have a fan on in my room directed at me because I literally can't fall asleep if the room gets too hot, I never noticed anything negative from it

I used to do that. The fan background noise would make me sleep like a baby.

 

[SamYo123]

It takes 2 seconds of experimentation to confirm that it's correct

Charlie mentioned the EMF factor - they emit loads of EMF and as well as it emulates wind and wind (bad weather) raises stress hormones/puts one in survival mode

if a fan is the only thing and humidty is stressing more then put the fan on

 

[VitoScaletta]

I mean I always have a fan on in my room directed at me because I literally can't fall asleep if the room gets too hot, I never noticed anything negative from it

My father used to live in the Caucasus, and in the summer when it was really hot at night, he showered in cold water before bed and opened his window to his room, lying wet and with the cool breeze on his body. Bonus was if he had a fan

Haven't tried this but sounds like it'd work

 

[cedric]

Does evaporation from fans take away negative ions from the body like waterfalls?

Does Waterfall Aerosol Influence Mucosal Immunity And Chronic Stress?

Does waterfall aerosol influence mucosal immunity and chronic stress? A randomized controlled clinical trial The present controlled and randomized clinical study addressed the question whether the specific environment of a waterfall provides additional beneficial effects for prophylactic and...

raypeatforum.com

" Currently, we know that the immense power of the falling water cracks small water droplets in a specific way, resulting in small nano particles carrying a negative charge, whereas the created bigger fragments are charged positively. The specific environment around waterfalls is characterized by these mainly negatively charged “Lenard’s ions” hovering in the air, while the positive-charged fragments sink to the ground [10, 60–62]. The airborne nano-aeorosol is assumed to trigger a variety of biological effects, e.g., mild activation of the immune system, inducing a balance between TH1/TH2 immunity, stabilizing the autonomous nervous system, and improving blood flow [16, 63–65]. In a mouse model, water-generated negative ions have been shown to enhance cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells [66]. It is also conceivable that the high concentration of negative air ions near waterfalls could
influence the human microbiota. Furthermore, the waterfall environment itself provides a specific microbiologic atmosphere, which may directly effect the microbiota of skin and mucosal surfaces [14]. This waterfall-altered microbiome could act as an immunological adjuvant and thus be responsible for the observed effects on mucosal immunity.

Negative air ions have also been shown to influence psychologic well-being by an increased serotonin level [18] and to enhance positive emotional processing in seasonal affective disorder [67] and have also been associated with lower depression scores [68]. An “added value” concerning the mood-raising effect may simply originate from the extraordinary beauty of the waterfall itself [69]."

 

[Mazzle]

Get a cotton throw or shawl. Wet it. Ring it out and drape over shoulders.

 

[yerrag]

Cats change their sleep quarters if given choice and I notice they sleep on top of a ref in cold weather. They would sleep on a wooden floor when it's very warm.

Because of high cost of heating and cooling, I've taken to following my cat except when it's not practical. Like sleeping on top of a ref lol.

In the recent hot summer spell, I went with sleeping on the wooden floor, but then added a bamboo mat. Not sleeping on a cushion also helps, as the cushion heats up from body heat.

I gave a very small Vornado fan (a really tiny one) to give me a small breeze. If I feel uncomfortable from having no cushion, I would lie prone as I find the back sweats more than the front.

Also helps to sleep on the ground floor and not on the 2nd floor where there is the heat radiating from the attic.

Also better to sleep in a room with wooden walls than concrete walls as wood traps less heat, and walls made of porous rock make for cooler rooms compared to concrete rooms, as the room quickly takes in the outside temperature when the weather cools past midnight.

Certainly having trees around the house help keep the radiant heat of the sun from accumulating in the house so that the house cools more quickly as night sets in.

A shower before bed cools as well, even more when it takes away the sticky feel in the skin especially when humid.

 

[AspiringSage]

Long ago, in what feels like a different life, I was an HVAC technician/electricians apprentice. I still hold a number of HVAC licenses and certs, including under the federal Clean Air Act in the US.

While, I don’t have time to write an extremely involved reply this evening. I’ll respond briefly, I wouldn’t consider trace leakage of commonly used residential refrigerant gases to be a significant biological threat in any reasonably well ventilated space. The total refrigerant change weight of most of these systems is a few kg at most and they will stop functioning when only a fraction (say 1/5th) of the charge weight has leaked. The federal standard for leakage is 3% per year from any given system and most have negligible leakage until they suddenly fail.

Furthermore, in a traditional split system/mini split system, most leaks will occur near the compressor (outdoor unit) where vibration is concentrated and where the service ports are brazed onto the refrigerant line set. Leaks on indoor coils are less likely because there isn’t as much vibration and there are no indoor service ports.

Refrigerant leaks from indoor coils and indoor flare fittings occasionally happen; but, it wasn’t nearly as common as outdoor leaks in my experience. Refrigerant leakage from a properly installed split system or mini split AC/heat pump is pretty far down my list of health concerns. There are a hundred other sources of chemicals indoors/outdoors that would worry me first.

 

[OliviaD]

Wow - that's too bad.. I love fans.. the old fashioned box fans .. on low :)

 

[AspiringSage]

I would expect that the brushed AC motors in traditional ceiling fans and some floor fans would create a lot of EMI/EMF. Worn out spots on the rotor, worn down brushes, carbon, oil where it shouldn’t be or just each contact point can make little sparks which can produce radio frequency (spark gap radio). Heck even the practice of just switching the hot wire instead of the hot and neutral at the wall/on the device. The induction type motors in some fans would likely make less EMI/EMF.

 

[AspiringSage]

Anyone have natural methods they would like to share?

In my opinion, the three best natural ways of staying cool require supportive architecture:

1. An earth bermed house. Essentially, at least two walls of the house are buried nearly up to the roofline. The structural requirements and hence cost are lower than a fully underground house. While still conferring many of the benefits of constant earth temp. A long roof overhang can be used to allow warming light into the building when the sun is low in the sky/exclude direct light when the sun is high in the sky

Bermed House

2. A solar chimney driven ventilation system and heat exchanger. Basically, a chimney designed to collect infrared heat from sun light is used as a pump to draw cool air from ground to air heat exchanger. It will be necessary to have some damper installed to limit off excessive ventilation (drafts) on cooler days. This solar chimney is easily enhanced with a fan mounted high up in the solar chimney to draw extra air when needed.

Solar Chimney

3. Living roof, a layer of earth and sod is laid on-top of a reinforced low pitch roof to provide thermal mass and evaporative cooling

Living Roof

A properly designed structure combining all three approaches would exchange air naturally and would have very low heating and cooling requirements.

At a more practical level consider lowering your bed to take advantage of lower temperature air closer to the floor. Consider the segmented sleep/afternoon siesta commonly practiced by cultures in hot climates e.g. get up very early and work before it’s too hot then nap and work/socialize after it’s cooled off again. Also consider the long, lite weight, white (or light colored) and flowing clothing worn by some cultures in desert climates.

 

[rayban]

Why don't you order an actual neurotransmissor urine test to check if your serotonin is actually raised? high serotonin sympthons are too generic to guess.

 

[yerrag]

In my opinion, the three best natural ways of staying cool require supportive architecture:

1. An earth bermed house. Essentially, at least two walls of the house are buried nearly up to the roofline. The structural requirements and hence cost are lower than a fully underground house. While still conferring many of the benefits of constant earth temp. A long roof overhang can be used to allow warming light into the building when the sun is low in the sky/exclude direct light when the sun is high in the sky

Bermed House

2. A solar chimney driven ventilation system and heat exchanger. Basically, a chimney designed to collect infrared heat from sun light is used as a pump to draw cool air from ground to air heat exchanger. It will be necessary to have some damper installed to limit off excessive ventilation (drafts) on cooler days. This solar chimney is easily enhanced with a fan mounted high up in the solar chimney to draw extra air when needed.

Solar Chimney

3. Living roof, a layer of earth and sod is laid on-top of a reinforced low pitch roof to provide thermal mass and evaporative cooling

Living Roof

A properly designed structure combining all three approaches would exchange air naturally and would have very low heating and cooling requirements.

At a more practical level consider lowering your bed to take advantage of lower temperature air closer to the floor. Consider the segmented sleep/afternoon siesta commonly practiced by cultures in hot climates e.g. get up very early and work before it’s too hot then nap and work/socialize after it’s cooled off again. Also consider the long, lite weight, white (or light colored) and flowing clothing worn by some cultures in desert climates.

The living roof is one solution I like to develop for my use.

I currently have vine that drapes over a metal roof but it's only there because I have been putting off pruning the vine. It would be perfect except that it would cause the roof to rust and eventually cause leaks and require expensive repair.

But if roofing materials were available that are both sturdy and doesn't rust, and are affordable, it would be possible to have the vine spread over the entire roof. And this would keep the radiant energy of the sun from warming up the house. In the tropics, this would be a boon all year round as there is no winter that needs the sun's warmth.

 

[AspiringSage]

The living roof is one solution I like to develop for my use.

I currently have vine that drapes over a metal roof but it's only there because I have been putting off pruning the vine. It would be perfect except that it would cause the roof to rust and eventually cause leaks and require expensive repair.

But if roofing materials were available that are both sturdy and doesn't rust, and are affordable, it would be possible to have the vine spread over the entire roof. And this would keep the radiant energy of the sun from warming up the house. In the tropics, this would be a boon all year round as there is no winter that needs the sun's warmth.

Spray applied polyurea is the most impressive coating that I have encountered. It’s seriously tough, UV resistant and has amazing adhesion. Polyurea is traditionally used to line pickup truck beds, concrete tanks in alkaline/acidic environments, deep basement walls, commercial roofs, etc. It has to be professionally applied, and personally, I’d take a short vacation when such things are being sprayed. But if you want to keep a roof from rusting or a concrete slab from leaking under vegetation then I’d take a long hard look.

 

[yerrag]

Spray applied polyurea is the most impressive coating that I have encountered. It’s seriously tough, UV resistant and has amazing adhesion. Polyurea is traditionally used to line pickup truck beds, concrete tanks in alkaline/acidic environments, deep basement walls, commercial roofs, etc. It has to be professionally applied, and personally, I’d take a short vacation when such things are being sprayed. But if you want to keep a roof from rusting or a concrete slab from leaking under vegetation then I’d take a long hard look.

I'll check it out. Thanks!

 

[Source Code]

In TCM they say cold wind is the spear head of all disease

 

[yerrag]

In TCM they say cold wind is the spear head of all disease

In the Northern Hemisphere, the nearer the pole the more this rings true. Near the equator, it is nice to get a draft of Siberian air.

 

[Source Code]

A nice breeze is ok, I was talking to someone that said they had a stroke and worked out it was because of a fan pointing at that side of their head in their office

 

[shine]

I think if you're healthy your body can take both hot and cold temperatures and it self regulates. I don't have a problem exercising in the sun at 90+ degrees, I just sweat a lot.

I mean I always have a fan on in my room directed at me because I literally can't fall asleep if the room gets too hot, I never noticed anything negative from it

Have you tried melatonin for sleep? I use 250-500 mcg of it prior to sleep during the summer time when it is still bright outside at 10 pm and super hot. Helps a lot with falling asleep.

 

[Katia]

When air moves, it loses water. Could be that fans/air conditioning pull water to them, as they will heat when working. So the air on the room will be dryer. Low humidity air is kind of sand on mucosas. Irritant. And if you already has some inflammation, a little bit more ( from the dry air) would be noticeable.

 

[InChristAlone]

When air moves, it loses water. Could be that fans/air conditioning pull water to them, as they will heat when working. So the air on the room will be dryer. Low humidity air is kind of sand on mucosas. Irritant. And if you already has some inflammation, a little bit more ( from the dry air) would be noticeable.

+1. It's the dry air that really does it.