When it’s very hot out and you do not have air conditioning, it’s difficult to fall asleep. You can toss and turn to no avail. All this movement will make you even hotter than you already are, but there are ways to get cool and remain cool long enough for you to fall asleep.
Try the “Laurence” method. In the event in which you would like to cool yourself off, you may wish to take your blanket off as this will cool you down or make you “Laurence”. If you require some form of cover for protection, maybe you should consider getting a very thin sheet as opposed to a heavy blanket, quilt or doona.
Plug in your fan and turn it towards you. Purchase a commercial bag of ice cubes. Empty the entire bag into a wide, shallow container (to contain the water as the ice melts) such as a roasting pan. Place the container of ice right in front of the fan (between the fan and you), at the level of the top of the bed. The ice-cooled air will be noticeably cooler than the room air for the amount of time it takes for the ice to melt — which is as long as it should take for you to fall asleep!
Try the window method. Open your window at night time to let cool air breeze through your house.
Try the towel method. Hang a wet towel from two chairs to hold the ice. The melting ice will wet and chill the towel and the fan will blow that cold air on you. Place a container under the towel to catch the melting ice water. You can use a thread to connect the bottom of the towel with the container to avoid the annoying dripping sound
Take a cool shower, bath, or wipe your body down with a cool wash cloth. Without fully drying yourself, hop into bed, and let the air slowly dry you. This will keep you cool for a long time, allowing you to fall asleep. If a shower or bath is not an option, splash cool water on your head, and soak your hands and feet in cool water if possible. Your head, hands and feet are your “radiators” and you’ll feel cooler faster by focusing on those areas. Note that this method is temporary, and more psychologically sound than physiologically accurate, as a cold shower will close your body’s pores, which in the long run will heat your body. Lots of people develop rashes due to heat. Apply talcum powder all over the body after shower to keep body cool and to avoid rashes. There are some special talcum powders available such as shower to shower or a prickly heat powder.
Consider using the “Egyptian Method”: wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water, and wring it or run it through the spin cycle on a washing machine until the sheet is quite damp but not dripping wet. Place the dry towel or sheet on your bed underneath your body and use the wet sheet as your blanket. The damp blanket will keep you cool. Or, during an extreme heat wave, take a light t-shirt, wet it, wring it out and wear it. Evaporation from the shirt will help to keep you cool enough to sleep for a few hours. This is a very simple and environment friendly method of staying cool.
Take a pair of cotton socks, rinse them in cold water, wring them until they are damp and put them on. Cooling your feet lowers the overall temperature of your skin and body.
Sleep in a ‘spread eagle’ position, so heat doesn’t gather around you and think cool thoughts.
Try buckwheat pillows or futons. These don’t retain body heat and feel cool all night long.
Get a few blocks of “blue ice,” normally sold in supermarkets. This is a rectangular plastic block containing a non-toxic chemical that freezes at lower temperatures than ice, and stays cold longer. If possible, get the larger blocks. Freeze them in the freezer during the day and take them to bed with you at night. They don’t get damp when they melt — the chemical stays inside. Put each block inside a sock or something, so it won’t feel so cold, and it will melt more slowly. If you feel warm, put a hand or foot on a block, or curl up next to a few. You’ll soon feel cooler.
On extremely hot nights, lie in a bathtub of cool water until you actually feel rather chilly. You’ll feel cooler for an hour or more after you get out.
Get out of bed and splash cold water on your face (and body if you want). Then wait for a few minutes for the water to evaporate on its own. When you go back to bed you will find your bed seems much cooler and more comfortable because the body heat trapped in the mattress and/or pillow will have dissipated by the time you return to bed.
Dampen a hand towel and lie in bed with it on your forehead. Turn it over and dampen again when needed.
Wet your face Use a damp cloth or towel to wet your face or arms. Stand in front of a fan, or blowing air(while you are still damp). This methods works quickly and easily! It acts like your natural sweat but on a quicker and larger scale.
Get Naked There is always the option of just hopping into bed naked. Use it in combination with any of the other methods listed above. This method is not ideal if you have a roommate, or are living in a dorm. Contrary to popular belief, however, some suggest that it is better to not sleep naked. Rather, wear something light, such as an a-shirt and boxers to wick your sweat. Sleeping naked will keep you cooler but it will also make you sweatier, which will warm you up in the long run.
Sleep downstairs. Warm air rises, so it is cooler downstairs.
Chill your pillowcase Put your sheets,blanket,and pillowcases into freezer bags and put in the freezer all day. This may also help you fall asleep faster, further reducing your exposure to the uncomfortable heat.
Run Your Wrists Under the Cold Tap, your wrists and the inside of your arm are areas where your blood stream flows closest to the surface of your body, running then under cold water for a minute or so will cool your blood down, making your whole body cooler.
Place your hand in a warm glass of water. This will reduce your blood pressure, making you feel more calm and relaxed by slowing the heart rate.
Bring a soft ice pack to bed You can buy “sinus packs” or “thermal sleeves” in most grocery stores. These are much softer than the blue ice compresses and don’t get quite as cold (the blue gel ones can give you ice-burn). Slip a cold sinus pack under your neck or a cold thermal sleeve over your arm. Cooling down the back of your neck helps cool the rest of your body down as well.
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