Should You Sleep in a Car with Air Conditioning on in Hot Weather?

When the power goes out on a hot day or when you’re tired after a long trip, many people have the idea of sleeping in a car with the air conditioning on. This is not impossible, but it should be done correctly to ensure safety.

There have been many cases of fatalities due to suffocation when sleeping in a car with the air conditioning on.

A car is a small space where you should only close your eyes for a moment when you feel tired or sleepy on a long drive, sleeping in a car with the air conditioning on for many hours or overnight is really dangerous. If you want or have to do so, for objective reasons, first check if the car has enough fuel or power for many hours. Next, set an alarm so that it’s really just a short nap in the car, avoid the situation of oversleeping in the car.

Why shouldn’t you sleep for hours in a car with the air conditioning on?

The air conditioning system in a car uses two modes of air intake during the cooling process: recirculation mode and outside air mode. Recirculation mode cools down faster because it only recirculates the air in the cabin, while outside air mode cools down slower but brings in a higher oxygen-rich outdoor air into the car.

Therefore, if the car has been using recirculation mode for too long, it will make you feel suffocated and tired due to lack of oxygen. At this time, it is necessary to open the windows or switch to outside air mode.

On most newer car models, even when you have the air conditioning in recirculation mode, the system will automatically switch to outside air mode after a certain period of time to increase the oxygen content inside the car.

However, because the car is parked in one place, the air surrounding the car is mainly exhaust fumes, so the outside air intake at this time does not help to bring more oxygen into the cabin.

In addition, if the car with the air conditioning on is parked for too long, there is a risk of running out of fuel or the engine overheating because the forced cooling system is not working, causing the air conditioning to stop working, the cabin running out of oxygen, and the person sleeping in the car may gradually pass out and die.

What should you pay attention to when sleeping in a car?

Firstly, choose an open and shady place to park, limit the exhaust fumes from dispersing quickly and avoid lingering around the car.

Secondly, in the summer, it is difficult to sleep in a car without the air conditioning on, so the solution to get oxygen is to slightly open the windows about 1.5-2.5cm.

Thirdly, set an alarm continuously for 15-30-45-60 minutes to avoid oversleeping in the car for too long, to avoid being too tired or sleepy and unwittingly turn off the alarm.

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