Warning about sleeping with air conditioning on after British woman ends up in hospital with infection

According to a young Briton in hospital in Turkey, sleeping with the air conditioning on can cause tonsillitis.

Liana Foster from North London travelled to Antalya in Turkey for a family holiday earlier this month.

But just two days later, the 24-year-old woman woke up feeling “groggy” and noticed white spots on her tonsils.

After being rushed to hospital, doctors diagnosed her with a “very serious case” of tonsillitis, a condition in which the tonsils, small glands at the back of the throat, become inflamed.

Ms Foster, a content creator and biomedical scientist, was put on a drip and said doctors told her her condition was “likely” caused by the “mouldy air” from her hotel room’s air conditioning.

Liana Foster, from North London, travelled to Antalya in Turkey with her family earlier in July. But just two days later, the 24-year-old said she woke up feeling ‘groggy’ and noticed white spots on her tonsils

After being rushed to hospital, doctors diagnosed her with a “very serious case” of the common condition, which occurs when the tonsils become inflamed, and she was put on a drip

Despite feeling unwell after her first night, she decided not to visit the hotel’s regular doctor because it was ‘expensive’. It was only after she felt ‘really bad’ on her second morning that she went to the hospital

She said: ‘I felt really drowsy and I also got a sore throat. I was really shaking. I couldn’t eat or drink.

‘I thought it was Covid again. My temperature was bad, my body ached.

‘I went to the hospital and they said I have a severe case of tonsillitis.

“They said it could be the air conditioning. It was pretty boring the last few days of the holiday.”

Although she did not feel well after her first night, she decided not to go to the hotel doctor because it was ‘expensive’.

It was only when she felt “really bad” on the second morning that she went to the hospital.

She added: ‘The first night we had it [the air con] very low in the room.

“I think I sleep through my mouth more. It made me sick.”

‘The doctor said it was probably from the air conditioning. They say it could be stale air.

‘I couldn’t take oral antibiotics, so I had to have injections twice a day for three days. I was in a lot of pain.’

The tonsils, two clumps of tissue at the back of the mouth, are part of the immune system’s first line of defense against bacteria and viruses that enter through the mouth. This means they can easily become infected themselves.

The symptoms of tonsillitis usually worsen within two to four days.

The condition itself is not contagious, but the infections that cause it are.

In most cases, tonsillitis goes away on its own or with a short course of antibiotics.

Here, the content creator and scientist claimed that doctors also told her it was “probably” due to “moldy air” from her hotel room’s air conditioning

The tonsils – two clumps of tissue at the back of the mouth – are part of the immune system’s first line of defense against bacteria and viruses that enter through the mouth, meaning they can easily become infected.

In recurrent or severe cases, surgery to remove the tonsils is the only effective option.

Mrs Foster’s doctors said the infection was likely caused by the air conditioning, but the condition can also be caused by a number of common bacterial or viral infections.

Mrs Foster, who is now taking oral medication, said: ‘I think we would have been fine if we hadn’t slept with the air conditioning on.

‘I’ve had tonsillitis before, but it was never this bad.

‘If bacteria enter through the throat, they can reach her heart and other organs.’

Liana now wants to warn others to think twice before sleeping with the air conditioning on unless they know it is regularly maintained.