Science

Tomorrow the best science fiction series of the moment returns, with a twist in its story that has given it a perfect score

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This July 3 comes to AppleTV the third season of ‘Silo‘. And this marks the halfway point of the series: in December 2024, Apple confirmed the simultaneous renewal of a third and fourth season, and stated that the latter was conceived as the definitive closure of the story. We are halfway through this exciting series, and everything seems to indicate that we are once again facing an event: the third season boasts 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoesthe best so far. ‘Silo’ is set in a toxic and uninhabitable future in which 10,000 people live locked in a gigantic 144-story underground silo, with no memory of how or why they got there, and firmly believing that going outside means certain death. The series follows Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), a low-level engineer who, after the suspicious death of the sheriff, begins to unravel the thread of lies that sustain the social order of the underground complex. In this new season, Juliette has become mayor of Silo 18, but with memory gaps about what she has experienced outside, with the community trying to rebuild itself after the rebellion of the previous season and facing a new threat. In parallel, the season opens a second timeline set centuries agocentered on a congressman and a journalist who begin to uncover the conspiracy that would end up leading to the construction of the silos. This half “from the past” largely adapts ‘Shift’, the second book of Hugh Howey’s trilogy on which the series is inspired and which Minotauro has published in Spanish, and is the main novelty of this season compared to the previous two, focused almost exclusively on Juliette’s present. The praise for this new season has not stopped appearing in the last week, and the originality of the time jump stands out above all. The setting, interpretations and, as always on Apple TV+, ambition of the series, make it an absolutely essential event for science fiction lovers. In Xataka | Today one of the most acclaimed Marvel superhero series of all time returns to Disney+

We believed that sleeping with our dog or cat was a comforting and healthy idea. Science shows that it destroys your night’s rest

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More than ten years ago it was carried out a survey of 23,000 pet owners. There were curious data: a quarter of them admitted treating their pet as if they were small children and a little less than 75% admitted keeping photos of them. But perhaps the most striking thing is that half admitted sleeping with their pets. There is no memory of a sociological division of this magnitude since the potato omelet. So we’ve been wondering what science said about sleeping with your dog or cat. Do people really sleep with their pets? The truth is that sleep researchers haven’t paid much attention to the topic. We have a lot of pseudo-theories about ‘dominance’ or ‘doggy soul’ that are very successful on reality television, but the research in the ‘human-animal co-sleeping‘was a relatively forgotten area that in recent years has experienced a boom. As we have spoken on other occasions, sleep is a more cultural phenomenon than it seems and changes a lot between regions and times (Blunden, Thompson and Dawson; Worthman and Melby; Munroe, Munroe and Whiting). In the same way that it was relatively recently that Western societies separated resting places by age (children and adults), it was only relatively recently that spaces between humans and animals were completely separated. In fact, there are many cultures in which these coexistence practices are maintained naturally. And the most solid studies (Albert and Bulcroft; Westgarth et al.; Overgaauw) coincide with the survey in that there is a 50% split in co-sleeping with dogs and cats – which are the most common nocturnal companions (Albert and Bulcroft). And it’s curious because Since 2018 we know that dogs are less annoying than cats. In this sense, it cannot be said that the results of the survey are surprising. Research maintains that humans continue to show a strong attachment to their pets and are often considered important members of the family (Archer). As it says Smiththis is not free: animals are a source of support, affection, comfort, security and stability which can have important health benefits. It is true that the size of the pet has a lot to do with it and if we look in more detail (for example, in dogs) we see that 76.85% of Yorkshire Terriers or 62.96% of Chihuahuas sleep with their owners compared to 18.18% of Saint Bernards or 30.27% of Labradors. Even so, the percentage of Saint Bernards is a very high percentage. In addition to what Eckstein already pointed out, other factors that intervene are the number of children in the family (more likely where there are no children – Albert and Bulcroft) or gender (more likely with women). Some problems of sharing a bed with pets Research suggests there are some potential problems with sharing bedding with animals. Health risks. These include some immune responses, allergies, asthma or hypersensitivity pneumonitis; Bites and scratches can also occur through which infectious diseases associated with domestic animals can be contracted (Plaut, Zimmerman and Goldstein). Those most susceptible to these types of problems are young children, pregnant women and immunocompromised patients (Smith). However, the overall health risks are very low; almost insignificant if the animals receive medical care and maintain proper hygiene. Sleep problems. In general, the main problems related to sleep quality involve companions (kicking, snoring, etc.) and children, but pets also play an important role. Without going any further, a study from the Mayo Clinic found that fifty-three percent of pet owners who slept with their pets had problems resulting from it. Nevertheless, it is difficult to know the real impact of these interruptions because they are very short interruptions that by themselves explain little: however, it seems that Yes, there is a difference between sleeping in the bedroom or in the bed.. This is because interruptions can be related to temperature imbalances between humans and pets; as well as differences in sleep and wake cycles (Campbell and Tobler). If they only sleep in the bedroom, everything becomes easier. Behavior problems in animals. Jagoe and Serpell found that dogs that are allowed to sleep with their owners may experience an increase in aggression and separation-related problems. Effect on interpersonal relationships. Finally, animals can be an important source of conflict and stress in relationships. Coming to generate intimacy problems (Jagoe and Serpell) Should we sleep with our pets? Smith and his research team found that sleeping with pets in the bed had a small impact on sleep quality in the time taken to fall asleep or feeling tired when waking up. However, the authors maintain that the continued practice of co-sleeping with pets indicates benefits of social support, social interaction and personal safetydespite the disadvantages. In general, it seems that science agrees with common sense. Sleeping accompanied by animals can have some problems but always related to previous problems at a health and behavioral level. And, on the other hand, if our pet is healthy, has proper hygiene and a ‘good education’, not only are there no problems, but it can have very positive effects. The evidence has been divided in recent yearsbut remains unanimous in this regard Images | Faith Goble, John Liu, Tony Alter, Jon-Eric Melsæter. Xataka | We have been looking at Noah’s syndrome as a minority and controlled problem for years. we were wrong *An earlier version of this article was published in January 2016

Using umbrellas against the sun is the latest fashion in Spain. Science is clear to what extent it really protects us

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It is increasingly common to see how people walk down the street with an umbrella in their hands to protect themselves from the sun. This habit was something that was very internalized among the Asian tourists that we saw in our cities, but with the thermometers breaking records and the sun beating down on the streets, the umbrella is increasingly popular to prevent the sun’s rays from hitting our skin. The underlying idea. As we say, it may be quite logical to cover ourselves from the sun with an umbrella to prevent ultraviolet radiation from freely affecting our skin, something that can cause serious skin problems. But the real question we should ask ourselves here is: does using an umbrella to protect ourselves from the sun really work? It has been investigated. This is something that has already been measured by specialist dermatologists through from a study published in 2013 in JAMA Dermatology. And the results were quite good, since after analyzing dozens of standard hand umbrellas, it was found that they were capable of blocking between 77% and 99% of ultraviolet radiation. But the problem is that not all umbrellas are the same, since the study revealed that black or very dark umbrellas They are the most effective, consistently blocking more than 90% of ultraviolet rays. This is critical, especially for marketers who are already assigning numerical protection factors to umbrellas. as if they were creams. The invisible enemy. The problem of starting to use an umbrella on our streets to protect ourselves can generate a general doubt: can we go outside without sunscreen? Here the resounding answer from dermatologists is no. The key point that the scientific evidence emphasizes is that shade is a partial protective measure. And the sun not only burns us by projecting its rays directly onto our heads from the sky, but there is also what is known as diffuse and reflected ultraviolet radiation. A common effect. To explain this, we must understand that UV rays bounce off the surfaces around us, such as asphalt, sidewalks, pool water, beach sand, or glass in buildings. All that bounced radiation enters through the sides and under the umbrella, directly impacting our exposed skin. This is the same principle that we apply when we go to the beach, where many people, despite being constantly under an umbrella, come home and have several burns on their skin. This is where we clearly see that ultraviolet radiation also attacks despite being under an umbrella. It’s proven. Here a study published in 2017 tested the beach umbrella against a high SPF sunscreen, and the results showed that the group that relied solely on the shade of the umbrella suffered from sunburn. That is why it is always recommended to apply sunscreen before exposing yourself to ultraviolet radiation in order to avoid burns and the rest of the unwanted effects that the sun has on the skin. In Xataka | Science warns of the dangerous success of anti-suncream hoaxes on TikTok: “Despite being a minority, this content is influential”

Science suggests that we are ignoring ultradian rhythms

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We have been hearing about the circadian rhythmsand we know well that the blue light from screens before sleeping is bad or that the melatonin sends at night to induce sleep. However, there is a second biological clock that is much less talked about, but which dictates exactly why at 11:30 in the morning we feel invincible, but when 1:00 p.m. arrives we cannot keep our eyes open to work. These are the ultradian rhythms. Its foundation. Far from being an invention of productivity gurus, the existence of these rhythms is deeply rooted in our physiology and hormonal secretionespecially during sleep. But the important thing is that understanding them will not give us superpowers, but according to scientific and neurobiological literature, it does explain how the brain “battery” works. What are they? To understand ultradian rhythms, we must travel to the 1950s and focus on Nathaniel Kleitman, the pioneering researcher who discovered REM sleep. At this point, Kleitman and his team realized that we don’t sleep in one uniform stretch, but rather our night is divided into cycles that last between 90 and 120 minutes. During each cycle, we go through several stages, such as light sleep, deep sleep and also REM sleep. Once we reach this we start again, and this is what is known as the ultradian rhythm. It is maintained. Logic could make us think that this cycle remains only in sleep, but here Kleitman postulated the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle (BRAC). With this theory on the table, it was proposed that this same 90-minute clock does not turn off when we wake up, but rather that during the day our brain continues to operate in waves. In this way, we can see that we have peaks of high alertness and concentration of about 90 minutes, followed by valleys of fatigue of about 20 minutes where the body requires a rest to recover. A hormonal issue. Something that is well known is that the secretion of hormones is not done continuously like an open tap, but in pulses or “peaks” that are synchronized with these 90-minute cycles. For example, growth hormone is essential to repair our tissues and its maximum peak is linked to the stages of deep sleep that occur in the first ultradian cycles of the night. This means that, if these first 90-180 minutes of sleep are disturbed, the body will not repair itself in the same way. Respect the ultradian rhythm. Among the tips we can follow to control these cycles is the 90/20 rule at work. And if we assume Kleitman’s BRAC cycle, the optimal window of mindfulness lasts about 90 minutes and then we enter a moment of fatigue where we do not perform in the same way. That is why it may be best to work for 90 minutes and then take a real break away from the work screen, for 15-20 minutes to reset this cycle. But the moment of waking up is also essential, since feeling tired when getting out of bed usually occurs because the alarm went off in the middle of the slow wave sleep phase or deep sleep. That is why calculating the hours of sleep in blocks of 90 minutes increases the probability that we will wake up at the end of these cycles and be able to get up with much more energy. Images | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | Neither red light makes you sleepy, nor white noise is magic: what science says about the trend of “hacking” the bedroom

We have searched for the formula for the definitive pre-workout breakfast. The answer from science is much simpler

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Everyone who gets up early to go to the gym has wondered on some occasion whether it is better to go to the gym without having any breakfast, just have a coffee to get energy, or prepare a large, very satiating breakfast. In this case, the quick information that we find on the Internet can lead to confusion, since depending on what you look at it will show very different advice, and that is why you have to focus. what the experts point out. The body’s gasoline. If you are going to do a high-intensity workout that is not limited to simply taking a morning walk, logically you have to offer some fuel to the body in the form of carbohydrates. These are the undisputed kings to have quick and efficient energy when, for example, starting to lift a lot of weight on a bench. Here the different guides agree that consuming carbohydrates before exercise helps maintain blood glucose levels and preserves glycogen reserves in the muscles, which are our most immediate fuel. That is, they prevent you from running out of “battery” in the middle of the session and end up giving the dreaded ‘bird’ when training. And this is what the famous ‘pre-workouts’ rely on in the form of quick doses of carbohydrates that are absorbed very quickly. The protein. In addition to fuel, it is also noted that adding a moderate amount of protein in the morning is appropriate. This is based on the need to prevent muscle damage and promote recovery, especially if the routine includes strength training. When to take it. The biggest mistake before training is not always ‘what’ you eat, but ‘when’. Here the evidence establishes an optimal window of 1 to 4 hours before exercise to make a solid intake rich in carbohydrates. However, in the real world, few get up at four in the morning to eat breakfast before hitting the gym at seven in the morning. The strategy. If the time frame is short, the strategy must change drastically, since organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency they point Because there are several digestive enemies in pre-workout: Fiber should be avoided since it slows down gastric emptying and can cause serious intestinal discomfort with great effort. You should avoid fats due to heavy and energetically costly digestion, making foods that are easier to digest ideal before training. Just before starting training, it is not best to take protein, since it will not be digested and will not arrive in time to be useful in training, meaning it should be taken an hour before training or after it. There is no definitive breakfast. If someone offers a series of preparations without distinguishing the audience for which they are intended, the truth is that they are lying. The most important point here is that nutrition should always be individualized for the needs of each person, because breakfast for someone who is going to make a great effort is not the same as breakfast for another person who will limit themselves to taking a brisk walk. The time between breakfast and the start of exercise is also important, since the tighter it is, the more priority must be given to light foods that are absorbed quickly. All this means that it is not easy advice and should not be limited to a generic recipe book. Images | Anastase Maragos In Xataka | Walking does not count as “exercising”: for the 10,000 steps a day to be effective, the x3 rule must be applied

We believed that loneliness was just an emotional problem. Science points out that it is a risk factor for dozens of diseases.

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Loneliness is undoubtedly a scourge that is integrated into our society and that on many occasions goes unnoticed, especially affecting older people who are practically confined to being at home and with little social contact. And although this is something that a priori can remain in the psychological fieldthe reality is that loneliness emerges as a major public health threat as it is related to very serious diseases. A big risk. When we talk about risk factors in the field of medicine, we immediately think about nutrition or lack of exercise that are related to very serious diseases. But loneliness must also be added to this entire list, since numerous studies have found a direct association with cardiovascular, neurological and metabolic pathologies, although unraveling the exact cause continues to be one of the great challenges of current medical literature. The problem. In 2023, the United States Surgeon General public a devastating report pointing out that we were facing an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation.” And it was not a mere poetic metaphor, since the WHO has been warning that social disconnection not only affects us emotionally, but also alters our body to the point of increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, dementia and premature death. A measurable impact. When we talk about disease risk, cardiovascular health is the first to suffer. Here, a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published in it Journal of the American Heart Associationconcluded bluntly that loneliness and social isolation are independent risk factors for poorer heart and brain health. And the percentages are not anecdotal, since a meta-analysis pointed out that loneliness or social isolation is associated with a 29% increase in the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease and a 32% increase in the risk of stroke. It goes further. A massive analysis led by the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2026, after following more than 400,000 peopleconfirmed a strong association between isolation and multimorbidity, highlighting that physical social isolation is a relevant risk factor even if the person does not subjectively perceive that loneliness. The case of dementia. Among dementias, the most important disease is undoubtedly Alzheimer’s and the data are clear in pointing out that unwanted loneliness is an important risk factor for all dementias. Among the reasons that exist, the Alzheimer Center of Barcelona points out in a recent note as follows: “The relationship between isolation and cognitive decline is supported by research showing how a lack of social interaction impoverishes vocabulary, reduces cognitive flexibility, and accelerates brain decline.” Here the advice given to be less likely to suffer from this disease when you reach a risk age is to participate in group activities, take advantage of technology to maintain contact or create a social routine. In mental health. In addition to the organic section, if we move on to mental illnesses, the fact that there is no adequate social support network also leads to an increase in the probability of illnesses as important as depression or even the schizophrenia. Many causes can influence here, such as genetic factors, but in the end a cluster of situations can generate the final trigger for the disease. The great nuance. The question we must ask ourselves here is the following: do we get sick because of the biological impact of disconnection, or because loneliness is accompanied by other conditions? And here the science suggests that isolated people tend to do less physical activity, have poorer diets and have a greater propensity for smoking or alcoholism. Factors that can trigger a whole battery of serious diseases. Even with these factors in the equation, loneliness demonstrates surprising predictive strength. For example, recent research in patients with diabetes revealed that loneliness was associated with a greater probability of suffering from coronary heart disease, even outweighing several classic risk factors. Images | Anthony Tran In Xataka | Generation Z is both the most connected and the loneliest in history. And there is nothing casual about it

What science says about the bedroom hacking trend

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When there is a problem at bedtimewe try to do anything to get a restful sleep with the goal of being able to perform well throughout the day. Given this situation, on the Internet there are a large number of tricks almost miraculous that they promise us to sleep in a different way, such as the use of red lightswhite noise machines or even pillow sprays. The perspective. All this sounds good, almost like a biological hack within the reach of a purchase click, but the reality is that when we look at the scientific evidence that supports these tricks, we find a much less magical and much more boring reality. Most of these tricks do not induce sleep, and in the best cases the evidence points to a weak correlation at best. The red light. He using this type of light to sleepthe reality is that it is one of the most widespread practices or advice that is normally given in social circles. And the reality is that we are facing a scientific truth that has been misinterpreted until it has become a marketing claim. What we do know is that the blue light emitted by our cool LED lampshades and bulbs It is deeply harmful before sleeping because it stops the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that regulates our circadian clock, in its tracks. Given this, clinical guidelines explain that dim red light has a wavelength that has a much smaller impact on our circadian rhythm. You have a problem. Just because red light doesn’t ‘suppress melatonin’ doesn’t mean it ‘induces sleep’. Here various studies on the circadian response to light exposure conclude that red light does not have a hypnotic effect. That is, turning on a red light in your room is not going to magically make you sleepy, but rather the medically defensible use of red light is like a harm reduction mechanism. What we must stay with is that if we absolutely need to have a light on at night (to read a little or go to the bathroom), the red one is the one that will least destabilize the brain. But to sleep well, it is best not to have any type of light in the room. The white noise. This is the other great pillar that makes up the ideal sleeping environment. The premise here is that a constant sound like that of an untuned television or a waterfall helps relax the brain, but the reality is that we must be quite careful with this. Here is a compelling review published in Sleep Medicine analyzed the evidence behind the use of white noise as a sleep aid and was able to conclude that there is great heterogeneity between studies, so the evidence we have to say that this practice is good for sleep is very weak. In fact, the results ranged from people whose sleep improved slightly to people who slept worse because of the continuous noise. And there is more. A second study pointed to nocturnal auditory stimulation in order to have a better quality of sleep, but the reality is that, although there are small studies with positive results, there is no strong evidence to generally recommend the use of white or pink noise. The only truly defensible use of white noise is not as a “brain relaxant,” but as an acoustic masker. And if, for example, you live next to a road or have noisy neighbors, white noise creates a flat sound barrier that prevents the brain from registering those sudden noise peaks, which are what cause the hated awakenings. But using continuous white noise in an already quiet room not only lacks scientific support, but some specialists warn of possible long-term adverse effects on hearing and sleep architecture. The smells. Regarding pillow sprays, which generally have a lavender or chamomile base, we fully enter the field of aromatherapy. In this case it is logical that a pleasant smell can have a relaxing effect, but there is no clinical evidence that points to it affecting sleep architecture in any way. The best advice. What has been proven is that you should always be in a room with absolute darkness, no noise of any kind, and a cool temperature. Everything else is accessories for which there is still no sufficiently reliable evidence. Images | Pars Sahin In Xataka | We thought that sleeping was only good for rest. It actually helps us build new muscle.

Showering with cold water before sleeping in a heat wave seems like the best idea. Science warns that it is a big mistake

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Heat waves are already with us and in many places in recent days we have seen how they has far exceeded 40 ºC in many parts of our country. But the problem is not only that it is difficult to leave the house, but that sleeping becomes practically impossible for many peoplehaving a very fragmented sleep with different awakenings or even suffering from insomnia due to not being able to fall asleep. A solution. Faced with this great problem, common sense and desperation push us to get under the shower to be able to cool our body as much as possible just before entering bed to at least be a little cooler and try to fall asleep. But the problem here is that showering activates our body and can have a quite different effect than what we are looking for, making it very difficult to fall asleep. The mechanism of sleep. Something that we must keep in mind is that for our brain to understand that it is time to sleep, it needs a very specific physiological signal, which is the drop in the body’s core temperature. But when we take a shower of ice water, we get instant relief on the skin, but we cause our blood vessels to constrict so that our blood does not drop below its precious 36-37 ºC. In other words, the blood vessels They close to protect the internal heat of the body by sending less blood to our skin. The result. Although we get very fresh skin, a few minutes after getting out of the shower, the body experiences a rebound effect, retaining central heat and remaining in a state of alert because for the body there is a threat to which it has had to respond. On the other hand, warm or hot water does just the opposite, since, according to the group of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, hot water stimulates the thermoregulatory system, causing blood to travel from the inner core of the body to the extremities. This facilitates a massive dissipation of body heat once we leave the bathroom, and that subsequent drop in core temperature is the biological switch that induces sleep. The warm water. Knowing all this, we can conclude that we should not use hot or cold water when showering, but that the middle ground is what we should look for. This is what an exhaustive review published in the journal points out. Sleep Medicine, where it was analyzed thousands of data to reach the conclusion that the optimal water temperature to improve sleep quality is between 40 and 42.5 ºC. But in a context of great heat like the one we are experiencing, experts clarify that the ideal is to look for the point of warm water, since the objective is not to roast ourselves, but to relax the blood vessels to promote heat loss from inside the body. The time. Showering and immediately getting into bed (or getting on top of the sheets) doesn’t work at all, since the body needs time to cool down. This same study we were referring to showed that the optimal time to take this shower is between 1 and 2 hours before going to bed. And best of all, it is something that has been shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. These data are reinforced by a large-scale observational study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, where, after analyzing more than 1,000 adultsresearchers confirmed that bathing between 61 and 180 minutes before going to bed is directly associated with faster falling asleep, thanks to physiological changes that are related to body heat. Images | Slaap In Xataka | An expert clarifies the main mistake of sleeping with air conditioning: “It is totally unnatural and we rest worse”

Science confirms how many minutes of weight training per week reduce the risk of mortality

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For decades, when we thought about doing physical exercise, our minds almost automatically went to get older. cardiovascular activity. Running, swimming or cycling have been star recommendations to keep the heart healthy and extend life expectancy. Or at least live with a better quality of life. However, little by little we are normalizing the need to prioritize strength exercises at any age. How long. This is one of the big questions that anyone who needs to quantify the amount of exercise they do per day can ask themselves. There are clear recommendations, such as walk one hour a day at a brisk pacebut in strength we were quite orphaned. Now a new and monumental analysis has come to put exact figures on what until now were general recommendations, establishing a precise time window to maximize our years of life. What has been seen. The finding comes from a large observational study which has had 147,374 participants and exhaustive follow-up that has extended up to 30 years. Its good results have been published in the magazine British Journal of Sports Medicine. And when it comes to lifting weights or doing resistance exercises, intuition could dictate that “the more, the better”, but human physiology provides more limited metrics. The study data found that spending between 90 and 119 minutes weekly in resistance training routines was directly associated with lower overall mortality. In other words, spending between an hour and a half and two hours a week working our muscles is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause. We have to be adjusted. What is truly revealing about this study lies in what happens when those 120 minutes are exceeded of weekly exercise. Anyone might think that the longer the time, the less likely you are to develop a major disease, but the reality is that above this time the benefits seem to stagnate. This shows that maximum efficiency is achieved in that limited period of time, demystifying the need to spend endless days in the weight room to obtain many more protective advantages at the metabolic level that allow us to extend our life a little more or make it of a higher quality. You have to combine it. Although strength training shines in this study, abandoning cardiovascular exercises would be a profound mistake. Here the research group itself pointed out that combining strength exercises with aerobic activity offered the best possible results, since this duality confirms that a hybrid approach dramatically maximizes long-term survival benefits. It’s backed up. In the past there were reviews that explored the relationship between training and mortality, this being one more that gives it much more strength so that it ultimately continues to be recommended for consultation to anyone, regardless of age. Because exercise here does not understand age, and strength exercise can be for the youngest, but also for the elderly who need to preserve their muscle to have a better quality of life in their last years of life. Images | Anastase Maragos In Xataka | In the fever to train strength, the gym has faced competition: more and more people train on the street

This is how it ruins our rest according to science

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On the most suffocating nights of summer, leaving the air conditioning on until dawn seems like the only way to get some sleep. However, what begins as relief often turns into a sore throat, congestion, dry eyes, and a strange feeling of tiredness the next morning. And this is simply something that our elders already repeated to us: Continuous air conditioning is not good for your health. The alteration of rest. During the natural sleep cycle, core body temperature decreases physiologically, but subjecting the body to a continuous flow of cold air comes into direct conflict with this mechanism, so our rest is not entirely efficient. Here, a study published in Extreme Physiology & Medicine analyzed how air flow impacts the quality of rest, and they saw that people who slept with the air jet impacting their body had a greater number of micro-awakenings, which prevented them from achieving a deep and restful sleep. And there is more. Furthermore, this continuous air causes an increase in heart rate and body movements, especially affecting light sleep. The conclusion here is that the flow of cold air should never be directed directly towards a sleeping person, since they will wake up much more tired than they should. Added to this is also the mechanical effect on the musculoskeletal system that, by enduring constant cold, causes the contraction of blood vessels, which results in muscle hardening and the classic neck or back contractures as soon as you wake up. A paradise for viruses. One of the great mysteries of summer is why we get colds if it’s not cold. Here the Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology It is estimated that 20% of summer colds They are the fault of air conditioning, which lowers the temperature of our mucous membranes and makes them more susceptible to microorganisms. It is studied. In this case, pioneering research from Yale University demonstrated the thermal dependence of our antiviral response. It was clearly seen that when we breathe cold air, the temperature inside the nose drops from the usual 37-36 °C to about 33 °C. At this lower temperature, the local immune system collapses and the secretion of extracellular vesicles, which is our first line of defense, drops by 42%, losing up to 77% of the receptors that act as “decoys” to trap pathogens and destroy them before they cause disease. Given that approximately 20% of people carry asymptomatic rhinovirus in their nasal passages, this cooling allows the virus to find its way, doubling its replication capacity in infected cells and, therefore, becoming much more pathogenic. The humidity. The other great invisible enemy of air conditioning is extreme dehumidification, since for our respiratory system to function correctly, the relative humidity of the environment must be between 40% and 60%. The problem is that air conditioning equipment extracts that humidity and makes the environment much drier until this percentage plummets below 40%. Here we have studies that observed that in environments with humidity around 24%, there is a severe decrease in nasal permeability and an increase in mucosal inflammation. The explanation is that, as the humidity drops, the respiratory cilia lose their mobility, and this is essential because these cilia are small ‘hairs’ that move to prevent a virus or bacteria from settling on our mucosa. Its effects. Breathing this dry air all the time not only causes rhinitis or pharyngitis, but it can trigger attacks in patients with asthma or COPD. But in addition, it also affects the eyes, causing irritation, the skin and also makes us much more sensitive to allergens. How to use it. To avoid these unwanted effects, the correct thing to do would be to turn on the air conditioning 30 minutes before going to sleep to cool the room, and turn it off when the function is shortened or programmed. Sleep which modulates the temperature and ends up turning off the equipment. The temperature is also essential, and the correct thing would be to never drop below 22 ºC, staying between 23 and 25 ºC. And if we go further, a humidifier can be used to maintain that 40-60% humidity in the room, which is essential to keep our barriers in their optimal state. Images | Magnificent Slaapwijsheid.nl In Xataka | An expert clarifies the main mistake of sleeping with air conditioning: “It is totally unnatural and we rest worse”

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