The mercury has soared upwards in the UK over the past week, seeing London reach 37 degrees Celsius.
In common with much of Britain, my other half and I simply couldn’t sleep. We took turns to have cold showers and adjust the fan speed.
So how does one keep cool at night and in general during a heatwave?
If you have a cool shower and then allow the water to evaporate off your skin… It will definitely help cool you down.
A hot water bottle filled with cold water and ice helps – keep it temporarily in the freezer, but be careful about putting ice onto skin – it burns!
A cool flannel around your neck helps, plus putting sheets in the freezer, being careful not to risk any ice burns. There are cooling gel packs and pillows available on Amazon, but surely these must warm up fairly quickly?
In other words, there is no perfect solution.
This summer, many of us are spending more time at home due to Covid-19. A lot of homes can overheat, so it’s important we continue to check on older people and those with underlying health conditions, particularly if they’re living alone and may be socially isolated.
Overall, it’s time to be nice. As grumpy as being overheated makes all of us feel!
Finally, if you can afford £250 on a portable air con unit and have somewhere to vent the pipe, then ultimately, that’s the answer. Why didn’t I buy one at the beginning of the summer? It’s a given that if I buy one now, it’ll be the kiss of death for any further warm days!
