Yes, living in a cold house can make you sick by increasing risks for respiratory issues (coughs, flu, pneumonia), worsening cardiovascular problems (heart attacks, strokes), lowering immune response, and impacting mental health, with older adults, young children, and those with existing conditions being most vulnerable. Cold air irritates airways, viruses spread more easily in dry, cool indoor conditions, and the body works harder to stay warm, stressing the heart.
There are several ways the cold puts your home at risk. It causes the contraction of materials, weakening them over time. It also increases the chance of water leaks, leading to internal damage. It can even cause burst pipes, especially if your house is poorly insulated.
If you're experiencing allergies, persistent headaches, chronic fatigue, or respiratory issues, it could be a sign that your house is making you sick.
Short answer: Yes--use heating thoughtfully. A moderate, consistent indoor temperature with controlled humidity improves comfort, helps sleep, and can aid recovery; excessive heat and very dry air can worsen symptoms.
Cold homes contribute to excess winter mortality and morbidity. Most of the health burden can be attributed to both respiratory and cardiovascular disease, especially for older people. In children, the excess winter health burden is mostly due to respiratory disease.
The ideal thermostat temperature in the winter is 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you're at home. Energy.gov suggests that 68 degrees is a good room temperature while you're awake at home but recommends lowering it while you're asleep or away.
Indicators of SBS include:
Building occupants complain of symptoms associated with acute discomfort, e.g., headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity to odors.
13 Signs of Negative Energy in a House: Is It Time to Cleanse Your Home?
The first and probably the easiest way we will discuss is changing your air filter regularly. Air filters for your heating and cooling system catch particles and germs in the air outside so they are not transferred into the air inside your home. For most homes, you should be changing your filter every three months.
How to tell if your house is poorly insulated
Cold, dry air can also irritate your airways and make symptoms like wheezing, coughing and breathlessness worse. Cold temperatures can weaken your immune system too, making it harder for you to fight respiratory infections like colds and flu.
You can check room temperature with your phone, but typically not accurately with built-in sensors alone because they measure the phone's internal heat; you need external Bluetooth/Wi-Fi sensors, smart home devices (like a smart thermostat), or sometimes older/specific phones with dedicated sensors, otherwise apps use GPS for general weather, not your room's precise temp.
What Temperature is Too Cold for a House? While everyone has a different tolerance to cold, ideal winter heat settings should generally be at or above 63 °F (17 °C). Excessive cold (anything below 62 °F or 16 °C) in your home can actually raise your blood pressure as your blood “thickens” in the chilly temperatures.
Abstract. Background: Cold ambient temperatures are known to increase blood pressure (BP), but the influence of room temperature remains understudied.
Finally, there's also research to suggest that your immune cells are more sluggish in cold temperatures than in warmer temperatures, which is why feeling cold or spending time in cold weather is more likely to make you sick.
Does your place have one of the 7 symptoms of an unhealthy home?
13 Signs There's a Ghost in Your House
Some of these signs include:
Symptoms
Causes of sick building syndrome
It's probably due to a combination of things, such as: poor ventilation or poorly maintained air conditioning systems. dust, smoke, fumes or fabric fibres in the air. bright or flickering lights.
"Air conditioning sickness" (or Sick Building Syndrome) involves cold/flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, dizziness, dry eyes/skin, sore throat, sinus congestion, coughing, and wheezing, often from poor indoor air quality due to mold/bacteria in dirty units or very dry, cold air, leading to respiratory irritation, headaches, and fatigue. These symptoms usually improve when you leave the air-conditioned environment.
Setting the right temperature in our home is essential to keep warm in winter, but also to improve your productivity and maintain your health. While personal preferences on room temperature may vary, the general guidelines set the ideal indoor temperature between 18 and 22 degrees.
The report recommends that to protect health, we should heat our homes (or at least commonly used living areas), to a comfortable temperature that is no lower than 18°C.
For most healthy adults and kids, sleeping in a room that's between 60°F and 65°F is ideal for quality sleep. That's because your body relies on external temperature cues to manage circadian rhythms. As your core temperature drops, your body signals that it's time to rest.