Poor Air Quality – The Hidden Reason You’re Feeling Drowsy

It’s not always boring presentations that make you sleepy in meetings – poor air quality can be a major culprit. According to Popular Science magazine, the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) not only damages the atmosphere at high concentrations but also significantly affects indoor air quality.

In enclosed spaces, CO₂ levels tend to rise much higher than outdoors due to human respiration, especially in crowded environments.

At a 2019 astronomy conference in Helsinki, Dr. Adam Ginsburg from the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory secretly monitored CO₂ levels in the meeting room. His readings far exceeded the ASHRAE recommended indoor limit of 1,000–1,200 ppm, peaking at 1,700 ppm after just one hour of lectures. During breaks, when doors were opened for ventilation, CO₂ levels dropped sharply. Participants quickly realized: “No wonder we felt so sleepy – it’s the CO₂!”

High CO₂ concentrations don’t just make people drowsy and unfocused; prolonged exposure can affect the respiratory system, disrupt blood acid-base balance, and even cause acidosis.

So how can we monitor indoor CO₂ levels in real time?

Air quality monitors equipped with CO₂ sensors provide the answer.

The ADW CO₂ sensor, based on Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) technology, accurately measures CO₂ concentration by detecting the absorption of infrared light at specific wavelengths. With built-in signal filtering, amplification, and MCU algorithms, the sensor outputs both PWM analog and UART digital signals, delivering high accuracy and a wide measurement range. It’s the ideal solution for real-time monitoring in schools, conference rooms, factories, and other indoor environments.