Should you sleep in a car with the air conditioning on when it's hot?

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

There have been many cases of death due to suffocation when falling asleep in a car with the air conditioner on.

Sleeping in a car with the air conditioning on is possible, but should be avoided, because it can kill you. Illustration: Aircon-Servicing

A car is a small space, where you should only take a nap when you feel tired or sleepy on a long trip, and sleeping in a car with the air conditioner on for hours or all night is really dangerous. If you want or are forced to do so, for objective reasons, first check carefully whether the car has enough gas or electricity for many hours. Next, you should set an alarm so that it is really just a short nap in the car, avoiding the situation of sleeping too long in the car.

Why shouldn't you sleep for hours in a car with the air conditioner on?

The car air conditioning system uses two modes of air intake during the cooling process: internal air intake and external air intake. The internal air intake mode cools faster because it only takes in the circulating air in the cabin, while the external air intake mode cools slower but brings in more oxygen-rich outside air into the car.

Therefore, if the car uses the air intake mode for too long, it will make you feel stuffy and tired due to lack of oxygen. At this time, you need to open the window or turn on the outside air intake mode.

On most new car models, even if you turn on the inside air intake mode, the air conditioning system will automatically take in outside air after a certain period of time to increase the oxygen inside the car.

However, because the car is stopped in one place, the air surrounding the car is mainly exhaust gas from the exhaust pipe, so there will be a high concentration of CO, making taking in outside air at this time not help bring more oxygen into the cabin.

In addition, if a car with the air conditioner on and stops in one place for too long, there is a risk of running out of gas or the engine overheating due to the forced cooling system not working, causing the air conditioner to stop working, the car to run out of oxygen, and the sleeper may gradually faint and die.

What should be noted when sleeping in the car?

First, choose a cool, shady place to park your car to limit the exhaust fumes from the exhaust pipe from quickly dissipating and not lingering around the car.

Second, in the summer, it is difficult to sleep in a car without the air conditioner on, so the solution to get oxygen is to open the window about 1.5 - 2.5cm.

Third, set the alarm for 15-30-45-60 minutes consecutively to avoid falling asleep in the car for too long, avoid being too tired or sleepy and unconsciously turning off the alarm and going back to sleep.