During the winter months, especially during crowded situations when people are buying gifts and gathering supplies for their holiday celebrations, illnesses tend to spread more frequently. You will often see more instances of cold and flu symptoms in your family. It's only natural to wonder how your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system might affect your health. In particular, you may be curious about how temperature influences your health.

Does Going from Hot to Cold Really Make You Sick?

You and your family may be much busier during the winter months, coming and going as you run errands, go shopping and take care of last-minute tasks before out-of-town relatives arrive for the holiday celebrations. This means you will be moving from the cold outdoors into heated buildings and going back and forth much more often than usual.

As long as you stay properly bundled up, you should not expect to get sick when moving from a heated building to the cold outside environment. People sometimes think that making transitions from hot to cold makes them sick, but actually they are just feeling uncomfortable as they move from a drier, hotter location to a colder one.

Only viruses will cause you to get sick, not transitions from hot to cold. It is an old wife's tale that going from hot to cold will cause an illness. Feel free to run your HVAC system as you normally would during the winter and enjoy the comfort of a cozy, warm home.

Less Moisture in the Air

When you turn up the heat, your home will naturally become drier. Keeping your home too hot will remove moisture from the air, affecting your eyes and sinuses. This can lead to respiratory illnesses. Many of our customers find it beneficial to use a humidifier.

A whole house humidifier will keep your home's air much more comfortable and will prevent drying of the eyes and mucus membranes. Our expertly trained technicians will be happy to consult with you about your options for a humidifying system.

Will Keeping My Home Warmer in the Winter Attract Pests and Rodents?

One of the trade-offs of keeping your home warm and cozy during the winter is that the additional heat can tend to attract rodents and pests. These little critters are going to do whatever they can to escape the freezing temperatures, which can make your heated domicile quite appealing.

For example, you might start hearing the sounds of mice scratching and running around in your ceiling or walls. A hole with a diameter as small as a pencil can be an entry point to your home for mice, so it would be a good idea for you to make a thorough inspection of your property. You may also see bugs, such as an invasion of ants looking for warmth during the cold season.

For greater peace of mind, you will want to contact a trusted pest control services firm to evaluate your home situation and take measures to prevent infestations.

The experts at David Gray Heating & Air take pride in helping homeowners in the greater Jacksonville, Florida area and beyond with all their heating, ventilation and air conditioning needs. We hope that all of our valued customers are staying warm and healthy this winter. For more information on keeping your home comfortable and healthy during the cold winter months or to schedule an appointment for service, please feel free to contact David Gray Heating & Air today.