Temperatures are continuing to climb with no end in sight. Beat the heat with these creative tips for staying cool.
Chill your sheets
Instead of turning your pillow onto the “cold side” every five minutes, try throwing your pillow cases, sheets and blanket into storage bags and then putting them in the freezer. The cooler linen will keep you comfortable on a hot night.
Run your wrists under cold water
Blood flows close to your skin in your wrists and the insides of your arms. Sleepingrelief.com suggests running them under cold water for about a minute. Cooling these areas will also cool down the rest of your body.
Blow air over ice
No air conditioning? Make your own. Sleepingrelief.com suggests filling up a large shallow container with ice and placing it between you and a fan before you go to bed. The amount of time it takes the ice to melt should be just enough time for you to fall asleep.
Eat spicy foods
It's no coincidence that some of the warmest climates boast some of the spiciest foods. The Huffington Post reports that eating spicy foods actually cools you down. Spicy foods make you sweat, which helps cool you down faster.
Turn off TVs and computers when not in use
TVs and computers on sleep mode still give off heat energy. It is best to turn them off when not in use so you don’t add to the heat in your house.
Sleep downstairs
Since heat rises, your house is likely to be cooler on the ground floor. Sleeping downstairs may be a more comfortable way to sleep during a heat wave.
Oldhouseweb.com suggests ways to keep cool in an old house, such as leaving your attic hatch open for airflow. That way, rising heat has somewhere to escape to.
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