As we’ve been feeling, the temperatures are rising and it’s going to get hot! We’ve already done a summer survival guide for on site, but what about when you’re at home sweating your butt off? Here are 5 great hacks to try to keep yourself cool this summer.
1. Maximise your fan
Got a ceiling fan? Awesome, here’s what you actually need to do to help it cool you down. You need to adjust it so it’s turning counterclockwise during the summer to help circulate the cool air down to you. If you’ve got a standing fan, you can also pop a bowl of ice in front of it so the fan blows all that cool air your way. Got an aircon? Yeah, just use that instead, lucky bugger.
2. Freeze your sheets
We’re not even kidding. If the heat is really getting to you and you can’t sleep at all, chuck your sheets in the freezer for a bit to cool them down. And another tip to help you sleep is to grab your hot water bottle and actually fill it with icy cold water. While you’re at it, pick up one of those insulated drink bottles and fill it with cold water too – one sip will cool you right down!
3. Use the barbie
As if you needed an excuse to get the barbie going! It’s actually a really good way to keep your house cool. If you used the oven instead, it would heat up pretty damn quick. Yeah, it might get hot for you standing out there barbecuing, but it’s not for long, and it’s definitely worth it to keep the heat out of your home.
4. Don’t workout before bed
If you’re one of those people who like to keep in shape, summer can be the worst. To avoid the heat, you might try to exercise in the cooler evenings, but this can actually make it harder for you to sleep. When you exercise your body temperature skyrockets, so you should try to stop working out a few hours before you go to sleep to let your body cool down.
5. Take a tepid shower
We really mean tepid. Like lukewarm. Not hot (obviously) but also not freezing cold. As much as you’d like to take an icy cold shower when it’s hot, it actually can have the opposite effect. When it’s cold your body temperature rises to counteract the cold water. Opt for a slightly warmer, tepid shower for maximum results.