When the thermometer gets carried away, it's not easy to sleep in these conditions!
Especially when you don't have air conditioning at home.
We sweat and wake up during the night, so hot.
Surviving a summer with very high temperatures without an air conditioner seems impossible.
However, our grandparents did it without worry! How? 'Or' What ? They knew tricks to cool off.
Read on for these tried-and-true tricks to keep you cool on hot nights:
Set aside satin, silk, or polyester sheets for cooler nights. For warm nights, choose lightweight cotton sheets instead. like this one for example.
Why ? Because this type of material breathes much better. Cotton provides better ventilation and air circulation in the bed and bedroom.
Place your sheets in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before going to bed. We recommend that you put them in a plastic bag (unless the smell of frozen pizza is your favorite flavor).
Of course, it won't chill you all night, but it should make it easier to fall asleep and enjoy a brief moment of cooling.
Here is a tip that will serve you both in summer and winter:buy a hot water bottle.
In winter, fill the hot water bottle with boiling water to warm your frozen toes without blowing up your heating bill. In summer, put it in the freezer to cool your bed easily.
If you thought fans were just for blowing warm air around the house, think again! Place the fan towards the windows so that it pushes the warm air outside.
It's especially effective in the evening when your room has been hot from the sun all day and it's starting to get cooler outside.
Do you know the Egyptian method for sleeping when it's very hot? She is straightforward. Just wet a large towel or sheet in cold water. Then wring it out to remove as much water as possible and cover yourself with it in bed. You can also spin it by running a spin cycle in the washing machine.
To avoid getting your mattress wet, you can add a dry towel under your body. This moist wrap should cool you down and help you withstand the heat better.
On warm nights, the less clothes you wear the better! Choose loose and soft cotton clothes, both for the top and for the bottom. Because even if sleeping naked has many advantages, it is not necessarily the best solution when the temperatures rise.
Why ? Because by sleeping naked, perspiration evaporates less easily than if there is a fabric on your skin. In any case, avoid silk or clothing made of synthetic fibers such as nylon, because your skin will breathe less well and you will be even hotter!
Don't have an air conditioner at home? No worries ! Just make one yourself. To do this, position a bottle of frozen water just in front of a fan.
The blowing of the fan will cool as it passes over the frozen bottle and refresh you pleasantly. It also works with a saucepan or bowl filled with ice cubes. If you don't have a fan, we recommend this one.
Position a fan in front of a window, so that the wind from outside and the fan combine to create a stronger draft. In this case, the fan must be directed towards the interior of the room and not towards the exterior, contrary to what has been said above.
You can even add several fans distributed throughout the room to create an even stronger air current.
Do you need to freshen up quickly? To lower your body temperature quickly, put an ice pack or cold compresses on your body's pulse points.
That is, inside your wrists, elbows, on the neck, groin, ankles and behind the knees. This is where your body is most sensitive to heat.
Sorry for those who love cuddles, but sleeping alone is much more effective in keeping you warm at night.
Cuddling in bed increases your body heat, which makes the bed sticky and sweaty. Better to sleep alone or move away from each other to avoid raising the temperature in bed.
Feeling adventurous (or just really, really hot)? Why not hang a hammock in your house and sleep in it? Are you not convinced ? Know that a classic mattress absorbs your body heat and keeps you warm...
And when it's hot, you sweat and the moisture between your body and the mattress has a hard time evaporating. While sleeping one night in a hammock, the air will be able to circulate freely all around your body. Much more refreshing! If you don't have a hammock, we recommend this one.
So that thirst does not wake you up during the night, drink 1 glass of water before going to bed. Indeed, by dint of tossing and sweating during the night, you risk dehydrating yourself.
So think about drinking. But no need to drink more than 2 glasses of water at the risk of having to run to the bathroom at 3 am.
A cold shower is not the same experience during the scorching summer heat as it is the rest of the year. Even if you're a chilly person, try to lower the water temperature as much as possible, or even use no hot water at all!
Rinsing under a jet of cold water quickly lowers your body temperature, but not only:all the sweat will disappear and you will feel fresh and clean.
Hot air rises. So remember to put your bed, hammock or mattress as close to the ground as possible to beat the heat. In a single-story home, that means taking your mattress down from a loft or high bed onto the floor. Preferably on tiles.
If you live in a house with several floors, try to sleep on the ground floor or, better, in the basement, instead of sleeping on the upper floors.
The trick is in the title! Light bulbs, even low-energy ones, give off heat. Fortunately, during the summer it gets dark later, until 8 or 9 in the evening.
Take advantage of as much natural light as possible before turning on the light. And when it gets dark, try to keep the rooms cool by using as little light as possible.
Freshen up an entire room by simply hanging a wet sheet in front of an open window.
The breeze that will pass through the wet sheet will quickly lower the temperature of the room.
Summer is not the best time to concoct a roast chicken or a cassoulet! Instead, prefer dishes that do not require cooking, such as a good mixed salad.
This will prevent you from generating even more heat in the house. If you feel like eating hot, light the barbecue in the garden instead of turning on the oven inside the house.
Also remember to eat light in the evening by choosing dishes that are easy to digest and therefore not too greasy. Why ? Because the body produces more heat when you wolf down a big burger than when you eat a fruit and vegetable salad.
The toes are very sensitive to temperature. It's because of all the pulse points on the feet and ankles.
Cool your whole body by dipping your feet in cold water before going to bed. Even better, keep a basin of water next to the bed and put your feet in it whenever you get too hot during the night.
In the rooms, there are often plenty of electronic devices that produce heat without you knowing it. And this, even if they are supposedly extinct!
Reduce heat in the home and bedroom (while saving energy!) by completely unplugging appliances from electrical outlets when not in use.
Do you have access to an outdoor space such as a garden, yard or roof that is safe enough to sleep in?
Why not camp outside to keep it cooler and also practice camping with your kids by pitching a tent?
Sleeping alone has its advantages (see #10). One of them is having plenty of room to stretch out as much as you want. Try falling asleep in the star position with your arms and legs apart, without them touching.
Why ? Because it will reduce your body heat and the air will circulate better around your body. Try it and feel the difference in sweat.
