If you’ve ever felt a sniffle coming on in the summer months — particularly when you’re on vacation — then air conditioning could be to blame.
The phenomenon has been widely documented on TikTok, with a few different names coined for the illness, such as “Ayia Napa Flu,” “Air Con Cough” and “Magaluf Flu.”
But what is it, and is it a real illness?
According to a 2004 study in the Journal of Epidemiology, there is some science to support “air con sickness.” Researchers found that being in air conditioning — if the unit has not been maintained or is in a poorly ventilated building — can cause health problems.
Working or living in a poorly ventilated building with air conditioning can raise your risk of “sick building syndrome,” a term used to describe collective symptoms experienced by a building’s occupants, according to the EPA.
Symptoms may include headaches, dry cough, dizziness, nausea, trouble concentrating, fatigue and odor sensitivity.
Add poor sleep to those symptoms.
Keep changing that filter.