Last summer in the UK went down as the hottest on record, with heatwave temperatures reaching 40.3°C!
As a nation, we're much more accustomed to a relatively mild English Summer, however, if last year is anything to go by, things are heating up! Our next heatwave might be just around the corner.
If you're looking to stay cool without spending thousands of pounds for an air conditioning system, we've got just the solution for you!
Check out our top six tips for staying super cool while the weather is seriously heating up.
1. Be tactical and place ice in front of your fan
You can boost the cooling effect of any fan by placing a container full of ice just in front of it (remember to use a suitable container to collect the melted water. Let’s be honest, no one wants an icy puddle on their kitchen floor!)
Don’t currently own a fan? Our line-up ranges from a small 6-inch clip-on desk fan (perfect for keeping you cool at your office desk) to more sophisticated tower fans that even have a mode for sleep and built-in timers.
2. The most effective way of cooling your body heat? Stay hydrated and soak yourself in icy cool water
On a hot summer’s day you have 2.6 million sweat glands going full force – all attempting to keep you cool through sweat and evaporation. All those lost fluids need replenishing, to do so, official guidelines say that you should consume around eight glasses of water per day, which is around two litres, or three and a half pints (unfortunately, Pimm’s doesn’t count!).
You could also soak your clothes in icy cool water… but that’s probably not the best look if you’re off into work though.
3. Draw your blinds and shut your windows
Take a look at homes in the hottest of climates – there’s a reason why they have tiny windows and super thick walls. Research shows that with fitted PVC windows (that are also shaded), temperatures inside a home can be seven degrees lower than outside. So, when the sun is shining – don’t wait to draw those blinds and shut the windows.
4. Do yoga (or at least one very specific type of yoga exercise)
You’d think that exercise would only heat you up even further in the midst of summer, and yet Yogis around the world claim that one breathing exercise can in fact cool you down (as well as address conditions including heartburn and tummy upsets).
The Sitali Pranayama (Sitali meaning ‘cooling’) involves inhaling moisture from your tongue and mouth, with the aim of feeling an inner breeze throughout your whole body. Want to try it out? Here’s the rundown…
- Sit and breath in and out. Be aware of the flow of your breath.
- Poke your tongue out and roll the outer edges in.
- Breath in slowly, count to three. Then draw your tongue in, close your mouth, and exhale through your nose.
- Then repeat, repeat, repeat for 10 rounds.
5. Want to stay cool? Do NOT paper fan yourself
You’re desperate to cool down. With only a pen and paper to hand, it’s tempting to fold that paper up and get frantically fanning. But just before you do, it may pay to know that if you fan yourself for an hour, you’re going to push your body temperature up by a whole two degrees. So we recommend you try our tips first.
6. Sleeping in the midst of a heat wave - forget silk and cotton
Silk makes you sweat, and you’d forgotten just how irritating cotton was until the hottest summer night yet.
Do yourself a favour now and invest in some bamboo sheets – Bamboo is an incredibly lightweight and soft fabric making it perfect for luxurious bed sheets. In addition to this, it is one of the most breathable materials available, helping increase airflow and preventing you from overheating during the night.
You could also crack open a window if the temperature is finally cooling for the evening, and couple up your bamboo sheets with a ‘chillow’ pillow (marketed as a ‘cool bed for your head’, a chillow is a thin pillow-insert filled with water that will stay cool for between 2 – 3 hours).
So, that’s how to stay cool on even the warmest of days and nights (with not an AC unit in sight). Now the only question that remains, is just how hot this summer will be (let’s face it, as Brits, we’re long overdue some consistent summer sunshine!).
