Summertime is everyone’s favorite time of year. Time to hit the beach, go hiking, kick back at home with a great book, or even spend hours binge-watching Netflix.
That’s the relaxing part of summer, the part we all enjoy. The other part of summer is the part we need to watch out for: the heat.
Summertime temps can make our lives miserable. Day after day of high temperatures leaves everyone irritable and angry. It’s a good thing there are plenty of ways to beat the heat and keep our enjoyable hours at a maximum. Here are some of the best ways to stay cool without spending an arm and a leg on a two-month beach vacation.
Change your clothes
The best fabric to wear in the summertime is cotton. Whether it’s shirts, pants or even underwear, you will stay much cooler if you wear all cotton garments. Cotton clothing breathes and allows heat to pass from your body into the air.
You can also achieve an additional degree of coolness by wearing loose-fitting clothing. This lets the air pass next to your skin and helps you stay cool in the heat.
Cool the air without an A/C unit
Keeping cool with an air conditioning unit works great. But if you don’t want to foot those sky-high utility bills, there are some alternatives you can use to keep your cool.
Build a DIY air conditioner. Place a shallow pan full of ice in front of a Dyson fan. As the air from the fan blows over the pan, it picks up cool moisture from the melting ice and blows that onto your skin. It sounds old school but works like a charm to keep you cool and refreshed.
- Use your spare sheets. Take your extra cotton sheets and soak them in water. Hang them in front of an open window, so the outside breeze blows through the wet sheets into the room.
Use cold compresses
Soak a cloth in ice water and apply that cloth to pulse points on your body. The four points that work best to cool you off are your wrists, ankles, forehead, and the back of your neck.
More fluids, more often
Staying well-hydrated all year is important, but in the summertime heat, it becomes even more vital. The very best beverage to help you stay cool from the inside out is water. Stay away from sugary drinks and alcohol. Neither of those will provide the same amount of cooling relief that water does.
Stay low
Hot air rises. Cool air sinks. Before you go to sleep at night, pull your mattress onto the floor. That is the coolest spot in your bedroom. Just those few inches can make a big difference in how well you sleep.
Unplug it
Using any electric device generates heat. Even if you turn everything off in your home at night, your electronic devices still create extra heat through a trickle charge if they are plugged in. Pull those plugs out and keep your home cooler.
Summer is a great time of the year. And if you use these tips to keep your life cooler, you are going to enjoy this season even more than usual.
