You shouldn’t sleep with a fan on – but you can with this underrated feature

You’re overlooking this key fan feature, and not only does it happen to be my favourite fan mode, but it makes it easier and more comfortable for you to use a fan at night.

The weather is heating up, so now is the time to invest in a good fan to manage the warmer temperatures. During the night, the hotter weather can get pretty intense which is why many people resort to using a fan in their bedroom. But sleeping with a fan on is something you absolutely shouldn’t be doing.

The main reasons you shouldn’t sleep with a fan on are the cold, circulating air can cause stiff muscles, dry out your skin, trigger allergies and cause your electricity and energy bills to increase. However, if you use this underrated fan feature, you can enjoy some cooling relief in the night while avoiding these negative effects.

One of the best features you might not realise your fan has is sleep mode. The majority of fans on the market today, like fans from Dyson, DREO, Levoit and Shark, come with a specially designed sleep mode which offers quiet, comfortable cooling through the night.

As you might expect, sleep mode isn’t as powerful as your fan’s ‘normal’ mode. Instead, the air flow and circulation is reduced so your fan runs at the lowest and quietest speed setting. It still gives a nice burst of cool air while you sleep rather than an extreme chill which can leave you feeling sore and achy the next day.

Another important part of sleep mode is the noise level. Fans tend to operate between 30 - 70 decibels, the latter of which is similar to the sound a hair dryer makes. If you don’t like the noise of a fan or you want one that operates quietly, you should be looking at a model that produces under 50 decibels of noise.

With sleep mode, you can find fans that operate between 25 - 35 decibels which fan manufacturers describe as ‘whisper-quiet’. They won’t be completely noiseless, but a near, silent fan is easy to ignore and sleep with on in the background compared to a fan operating at higher speeds.

With the noise and speed to a minimum, your fan’s sleep mode also darkens its controls. Most fans have an LED display which shows you what speed, oscillation and other settings it may be on. In sleep mode, your fan will dim or go dark so you won’t have a bright light interrupting your sleep.

Using a fan throughout the night can get expensive, but another handy part of sleep mode is its timer functions. Sleep modes often have an automatic timer which will shut off the fan after a few hours so you’re saving energy with the lower speed and decreased time.