Comfort is associated with convenience.
Comfort is a French term accepted by the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) that comes from the English comfort . It is about what provides comfort and generates well-being for the user .
Comfort can be given by some physical object (an armchair , a mattress , a car ) or by some environmental or abstract circumstance (the appropriate temperature , silence , the feeling of security ).
Search for comfort
Human beings tend to seek comfort at all times. In a work environment, such as an office, comfort is usually obtained from the use of a comfortable seat, which prevents back pain. An air conditioning unit in summer and a heating system in winter also contribute to comfort at work , as do transportation facilities to get to the place of employment or the availability of a canteen in the building.
At home, each person can seek their own comfort according to their interests and needs. Some associate comfort with enjoying free time in their own homes, for which there is a wide range of products such as cinema systems, pool tables, swimming pools and whirlpool equipment, among many other offers for those who want to make their homes a complete relaxation center.
Beyond the possibilities of each person, the common time for the search for comfort is on vacation , when everyone wants to relax and enjoy the absence of work obligations. In this case, some rent hotel rooms with all services paid, to reduce their domestic activities to a minimum, while others find enough peace in a natural landscape.
Facilities that provide comfort contribute to well-being.
Thermal well-being
Generally abbreviated as CH , the concept of hygrothermal comfort refers to well-being at a thermal level; In other words, it is the state in which the intervention of our thermoregulatory system is not necessary for the body to feel comfortable in a room. It is possible to record this phenomenon to prevent the recommended rates from being exceeded and causing effects such as sweating.
Our body has the necessary tools to act against climate changes; However, this entails an expenditure of metabolic energy that can be avoided if a microclimate is generated, an environment that causes comfort. In normal situations, the body operates at an average temperature of 37 °C, and is highly sensitive to increases in internal temperature: 6 degrees higher is enough to produce serious consequences, including death.
Temperatures below normal are even more difficult for our body to tolerate: when it reaches 35°C, which is considered hypothermia, a feeling of drowsiness appears and it is possible to enter deep lethargy.
A person who performs moderate physical activity, while sitting in a room, wearing light clothing , can achieve thermal well-being with an average temperature of 23 °C. Another factor taken into account when defining hygrothermal comfort is relative humidity , which is usually taken as the source of discomfort, although our body tolerates it significantly, supporting levels of up to 75%.
It is also necessary to consider radiation , since the body perceives its changes with great precision; This can be seen in situations with a temperature lower than the recommended one but with sunlight entering through a window, which results in an increase in hygrothermal comfort. Underfloor heating technologies and radiators are based on this same principle.
In short, the human body generates heat and exchanges it with its environment; All the thermal phenomena in which it participates must be studied when conditioning a room.