That "Comfortable" AC Temperature Is a Lie. Here's the Ideal Setting for Your Health.

We step into a chilly, air-conditioned room on a hot day and feel a sense of relief. We think of it as comfort. But I have come to believe that our modern obsession with extreme AC temperatures is forcing our bodies into a constant, hidden battle, a battle that drains our energy and can lead to serious health problems.

To understand why, we first need to appreciate the miracle that is our own body. Let's imagine we live in a country where the temperature is a frigid minus 23 degrees Celsius. If we measure our body temperature with a thermometer, it will show a perfect plus 37 degrees Celsius. Now, let's assume we are in a desert where the temperature is a scorching plus 50 degrees Celsius. Even there, our body temperature will be maintained at a steady plus 37 degrees.

What we understand from this is that the body of a healthy human being is a master of self-regulation. And the hero of this story is our skin.

Your Skin: The Ultimate Climate Control System

The internal temperature of our body and the temperature at the surface of our skin are not the same. Our skin is a brilliant, intelligent organ that constantly works to maintain our internal temperature at that perfect +37°C. For this reason, I believe our skin should also be called the Temperature Controlling Organ of our body.

Here's how this amazing system works:

• When the outside temperature is higher than +37°C, our skin cools itself down to bring our internal organs back to the ideal temperature.

• When the outside temperature is lower than +37°C, our skin heats itself up to bring the temperature of our internal organs back up to the ideal.

It is a constant, dynamic process of adaptation.

The Great AC Misunderstanding

Many people think that an AC unit is an "Air Cooler." It is not. It is an "Air Conditioner." Its purpose is to bring the air in a room from extreme high or low temperatures to an acceptable, neutral temperature. In extremely cold countries where it's -25°C, an AC unit is used as a heater to increase the room temperature. In extremely hot countries where it's +50°C, it's used to reduce the room temperature.

The mistake we make is keeping the AC unit at a fixed, extreme temperature, like +17°C or +18°C, regardless of the outside environment. This is a wrong practice. A temperature of +17°C is considered hot for someone in a cold country, while it's cool for someone in a hot country. Therefore, we should adjust the temperature of the AC unit according to our country, the climate, and the season. It is not right to keep the temperature at the same level in all places on all days.

So, What Is the Ideal Temperature for Your AC?

The answer is simple: the ideal temperature is the one where you feel neither cold nor hot. In other words, the temperature of your own skin is the ideal and healthy temperature that should be maintained by the AC unit. It is the temperature that allows your body's own temperature-controlling organ—your skin—to take a rest.

But it has become fashionable nowadays to maintain offices, malls, and all living places at a very low temperature. This results in an unnecessary expenditure of energy in our bodies just to keep ourselves at the required +37°C. We are forcing our skin to work overtime, constantly fighting the artificial climate we've created.

I also observe that Intensive Care Units (ICU) in hospitals are maintained at a very low temperature. This naturally affects the patients badly. It is to be understood that AC units are often kept in ICUs mainly to safeguard the sensitive electronic equipment, not for the benefit of the patients. I hereby appeal to all hospitals to save their patients by keeping the temperatures in ICUs at a normal, neutral level.

My Final Advice on Air Conditioning

Finally, we need to remember that the amount of oxygen in an air-conditioned room will always be much less compared to the amount of oxygen in fresh air. Therefore, my first piece of advice is to avoid the use of AC as far as possible.

If the use of an AC unit in a room is unavoidable, then please keep it at a temperature that is much closer to our body temperature. The purpose of an AC unit should be to help our body maintain its temperature, not to fight against it. If we run the AC unit at a temperature far away from our body temperature, it can cause an unnecessary load on our body and thus result in health problems. Give your skin, your body's heroic protector, a well-deserved break.