Post by admin on Aug 31, 2006 7:29:11 GMT -5
How to Sleep Comfortably on a Hot Night
When it's extremely 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. There are ways to get cool and remain cool long enough for you to fall asleep.
Steps
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!
A cool shower will do wonders
Take a cool shower or wipe your body down with a cool wash cloth. Without fully drying yourself, hop back into bed, and let the air slowly dry you. This will keep you cool for a long time allowing you to fall asleep.
Consider using the "Egyptian Method:" Wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water and then wring it out or run it through the spin cycle on your washing machine until the sheet is just wet, but not sopping, 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.
Sleep in a 'spread eagle' position, and think cool thoughts.
If you have curtains made from a light material, like muslin or net, soak them with water (or put them through the washing machine and rehang them). Any breeze at all that blows through your window will immediately be vastly cooler.
A elaborate but effective method can be to use a wet towel hanging from two chairs to hold the ice as the ice water will chill the towel when it melts.
towel method
You can use a thread to connect the bottom of the towel with the container to avoid the annoying dripping sound.
Tips
When sleeping in a hammock air flows over your whole body. A bed absorbs your body heat and keeps you hot. Get out that hammock you bought in Cancun and try sleeping in it with a fan blowing on you.
If you have a waterbed, turn the heater on the waterbed way down. Lay down on the surface of the waterbed. Even if its 85°F (29°C), your body is 98°F (37°C), and the heat transfer rate for direct contact is about 100 times larger than for convection. It could make you so cold you will shiver. Be aware that temperatures set below 85°F can lead to hypothermia with prolonged contact.
Keep the door to your bedroom open, so that there is proper air circulation from other rooms.
Partly fill a plastic bottle with water and then freeze it. Put it in front of the fan, and it'll give the same effect, but is less likely to spill.
Warnings
A bath or shower that is very cold might not be suitable for people who have various medical conditions. To be safe, take a cool or slightly warm shower.
Things You'll Need
A bag of ice cubes.
A shallow container.
A fan.
When it's extremely 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. There are ways to get cool and remain cool long enough for you to fall asleep.
Steps
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!
A cool shower will do wonders
Take a cool shower or wipe your body down with a cool wash cloth. Without fully drying yourself, hop back into bed, and let the air slowly dry you. This will keep you cool for a long time allowing you to fall asleep.
Consider using the "Egyptian Method:" Wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water and then wring it out or run it through the spin cycle on your washing machine until the sheet is just wet, but not sopping, 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.
Sleep in a 'spread eagle' position, and think cool thoughts.
If you have curtains made from a light material, like muslin or net, soak them with water (or put them through the washing machine and rehang them). Any breeze at all that blows through your window will immediately be vastly cooler.
A elaborate but effective method can be to use a wet towel hanging from two chairs to hold the ice as the ice water will chill the towel when it melts.
towel method
You can use a thread to connect the bottom of the towel with the container to avoid the annoying dripping sound.
Tips
When sleeping in a hammock air flows over your whole body. A bed absorbs your body heat and keeps you hot. Get out that hammock you bought in Cancun and try sleeping in it with a fan blowing on you.
If you have a waterbed, turn the heater on the waterbed way down. Lay down on the surface of the waterbed. Even if its 85°F (29°C), your body is 98°F (37°C), and the heat transfer rate for direct contact is about 100 times larger than for convection. It could make you so cold you will shiver. Be aware that temperatures set below 85°F can lead to hypothermia with prolonged contact.
Keep the door to your bedroom open, so that there is proper air circulation from other rooms.
Partly fill a plastic bottle with water and then freeze it. Put it in front of the fan, and it'll give the same effect, but is less likely to spill.
Warnings
A bath or shower that is very cold might not be suitable for people who have various medical conditions. To be safe, take a cool or slightly warm shower.
Things You'll Need
A bag of ice cubes.
A shallow container.
A fan.