1. Choose cotton. Save the ooh-la-la
satin, silk, or polyester sheets for
cooler nights. Light-colored bed
linens made of lightweight cotton
( Egyptian or otherwise) are
breathable and excellent for
promoting ventilation and airflow in
the bedroom.
2. Feel the freezer burn. Stick sheets
in the fridge or freezer for a few
minutes before bed. We recommend
placing them in a plastic bag first
(unless eu de frozen pizza is your
fave aromatherapy scent). Granted,
this won’t keep you cool all night,
but it will provide a brief respite from
heat and humidity.
3. Get cold comfort . Here’s a four-
seasons tip for keeping utilities
charges down: Buy a hot water
bottle. In winter, fill it with boiling
water for toasty toes without cranking
the thermostat. During summer, stick
it in the freezer to create a bed-
friendly ice pack.
4. Be creative . If you thought fans
are just for blowing hot air around,
think again! Point box fans out the
windows so they push hot air out ,
and adjust ceiling fan settings so the
blades run counter-clockwise, pulling
hot air up and out instead of just
twirling it around the room.
5. Sleep like an Egyptian. If there
seem to be a lot of Egyptian
references in this list, it’s because
those Nile-dwellers knew how to do
it right. The so-called “Egyptian
method ” involves dampening a sheet
or towel in cool water and using it as
a blanket. We recommend laying the
damp sheets on top of a dry towel to
avoid soaking the mattress.
6. Get loose. Less is definitely more
when it comes to summertime
jammies. Pick a loose, soft cotton
shirt and shorts or underwear. Going
full nudie during a heat wave is
(unsurprisingly) controversial. Some
people believe it helps keep them
cool, while others claim going au
natural means sweat stays on the
body instead of being wicked away
by fabric. We’re going to chalk this
one up to personal preference.
24 Tricks to Survive
Hot Summer Nights
(Without AC): Create
a cross-breeze
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7. Create a cross-breeze. In this
case, hanging out in the cross-hairs
is a good idea. Position a fan across
from a window, so the wind from
outside and the fan combine in a
cooling cross-breeze . Feeling fancy?
Go buck-wild and set up multiple
fans throughout the room to make the
airflow even more boisterous.
8. Go old-school. Remember when
refrigerators were iceboxes that
contained actual blocks of ice? Us
neither. This stay-cool trick is
straight out of the icebox era,
though. Make a DIY air conditioner
by positioning a shallow pan or bowl
(a roasting pan works nicely) full of
ice in front of a fan. The breeze will
pick up cold water from the ice’s
surface as it melts, creating a cooling
mist.
9. Pamper your pulses. Need to cool
down, stat? To chill out super-fast,
apply ice packs or cold compresses
to pulse points at the wrists, neck,
elbows, groin, ankles, and behind the
knees.
10. Get tech-y. We can’t vouch for
its effectiveness, but the chillow—a
high-tech pad that stays cool
through water circulation—seems like
a genius idea.
11. Be a lone wolf. Sorry lovebugs,
but sleeping alone is way better than
spooning for staying cool. Cuddling
with a partner increases body heat,
making the bed a sticky, sweaty pit of
despair instead of a cool, calm oasis.
12. Release your inner Tarzan.
Feeling ambitious (or just really,
really hot)? Rig up a hammock or set
up a simple cot. Both types of beds
are suspended on all sides, which
increases airflow.
14. Stay away from the stove.
Summer is not the time to whip up a
piping hot casserole or roast
chicken. Instead, chow down on cool,
room-temperature dishes ( salads are
clutch) to avoid generating any more
heat in the house. If hot food is in
order, fire up the grill instead of
turning on the oven. And swap big
meals for smaller, lighter dinners that
are easier to metabolize. The body
produces more heat after you chow
down on a huge steak than a platter
of fruits, veggies, and legumes.
15. Fill up the tank. Get a leg up on
hydration by drinking a glass of water
before bed. Tossing and turning and
sweating at night can result in
dehydration, so get some H20 in the
tank beforehand. (Pro tip: Just eight
ounces will do the trick, unless
you’re really into those 3am
bathroom runs.)
24 Tricks to Survive
Hot Summer Nights
(Without AC): Cool
Off
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13. Cool off. A cold shower takes on
a whole new meaning come
summertime. Rinsing off under a
stream of tepid H20 brings down the
core body temperature and rinses off
sweat (ick) so you can hit the hay
feeling cool and clean.
16. Get low. Hot air rises, so set up
your bed, hammock, or cot as close
to the ground as possible to beat the
heat. In a one-story home, that
means hauling the mattress down
from a sleeping loft or high bed and
putting it on the floor. If you live in a
multi-floor house or apartment, sleep
on the ground floor or in the
basement instead of an upper story.
17. Turn off the lights. This tip is
pretty self-explanatory. Light bulbs
(even environmentally-friendly CFLs)
give off heat. Fortunately, summer
means it stays light until eight or
nine at night. Take advantage of
natural light as much as possible,
and keep rooms cool after dark by
using lights minimally or not at all
(romantic candle-lit dinner, anyone?).
18. Hang out. Cool down a whole
room by hanging a wet sheet in front
of an open window. The breeze
blowing in will quickly bring down
the room’s temperature.
19. Encourage cold feet. Those ten
little piggies are pretty sensitive to
temperature because there are lots of
pulse points in the feet and ankles.
Cool down the whole body by
dunking (clean!) feet in cold water
before hitting the hay. Better yet,
keep a bucket of water near the bed
and dip feet whenever you’re feeling
hot throughout the night.
20. Unplug at night. As in, literally
disconnect electronics. Gadgets and
other small appliances give off heat,
even when turned off. Reduce total
heat in the house (and save energy!)
by keeping plugs out of sockets
when the appliances are not in use.
21. Camp at home. Got access to a
safe outdoor space like a roof,
courtyard, or backyard? Practice
those camping skills (and stay
cooler ) by pitching a tent and
sleeping al fresco.
22. Hog the bed. Sleeping alone (see
No. 11 above) has its perks,
including plenty of space to stretch
out. Snoozing in spread eagle
position (i.e. with arms and legs not
touching each other) is best for
reducing body heat and letting air
circulate around the body. Hit the hay
in this sleep position to keep limbs
from getting crazy sweaty.
23. Go rustic. When temperatures
soar, trade in that extra-comfy
mattress for a minimalist straw or
bamboo mat. These all-natural
sleeping surfaces are less
comfortable, but they don’t retain
heat like a puffy, cloth-covered
mattress.
24. Get creative with grains. Rice and
buckwheat aren’t just for eating!
These cupboard staples can also
keep you cool on hot nights. Stock
up on buckwheat pillows, which
don’t absorb heat like cotton and
down. And for a cold compress on
really hot nights, fill a sock with rice,
tie it off, and stick it in the freezer for
an hour or so. The compress will
stay chilly for up to 30 minutes,
definitely enough time to nod off.