July 5, 2018

How to Stay Cool and Healthy in Hot Weather

Nick Everything Else events, health 8 Comments

Right now the UK is sweltering in a summer heatwave that shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Many people are enjoying the warm sun, but when it goes on for days/weeks on end it can become tiring and debilitating. And for older people and those with chronic health conditions especially, it can be extremely uncomfortable and have a harmful effect on health. Heat exhaustion and (especially) heat stroke are potentially very serious conditions.

So today I thought I’d share some tips on keeping cool and healthy in the heat. I also asked some of my fellow UK bloggers for their top tips as well, so I’ll be sharing them here too.

I’ll start with my own tips, though…

1. Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water. It’s a well-known fact that in older people the sense of thirst doesn’t always work so well and it’s easy to get dehydrated without realising it. Aim to top up your fluids regularly, and have a bottle, jug or at least a glass of water beside you at all times.

2. Sprinkle water over your skin and/or clothes to help stay cool.

3. In the hot weather, fans can be lifesavers. There are plenty of different models on sale in shops and supermarkets and online stores such as Amazon. If you can, get one with variable speeds, so you can adjust it according to conditions. You can even get fans with remote controls, like this one:

4. If you work at a computer, consider buying a USB fan. I bought one for just £4 from my local Morrisons and it is keeping me cool while I write this blog post! They are also available very cheaply on Amazon – like the one below, for example.

5. Air conditioning is wonderful in this weather. But in the UK few people have it in their homes, as it’s bulky, expensive to buy and run, and would only be useful occasionally. A cheap and cheerful alternative is to freeze bottles of water (plastic not glass) and put them in front of a fan – this will help cool the air passing through. You can also buy personal air coolers such as the one below which work on the same principle. They are cheap enough, although not having tried one I can’t vouch for how effective they would be!

6. Shut windows and draw the curtains or blinds when it is hotter outside. This will help keep hot air and radiant heat from the sun out. You can open the windows for ventilation when it is cooler.

7. Check up regularly on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be less able to look after themselves.

More Cool Tips!

As mentioned above, I also asked some of my UK blogging colleagues for their tips and ideas. Here is a selection. I have put my own comments in italics after them where relevant.

Vicky Eves from the I Beat Debt blog said: “ This is a bit unorthodox, but the pet cooling mats you can get from places like B&M are amazing to either rest your feet on, or sit against. They really help!

That’s a great idea! I found a similar one on Amazon (see image link below).

Laura Dempster from Thrifty Londoner wrote: “I like to keep hydrated in the hot weather (like we all do!). If I’m going out and about sometimes I will put a water bottle in the freezer overnight. Since it’s so hot, as soon as I go outside the ice begins to melt and it means my drink stays that little bit cooler for longer.”

That’s a nice, easy tip! Just be sure to use plastic bottles rather than glass.

Nicola Kaye from Mum on a Budget wrote: “I have filled up an empty spray bottle with a mixture of water and Aloe Vera gel (shake well) – I have been spraying it on my face and neck a few times a day, it is really cooling.

Yep, great idea. It would of course work with plain water too.

Mel Trudgett of Mel’s Money Mindset commented: “When I was in my early 20s I went to Spain in the middle of August and stayed in a cheap hotel with no air-con! It was well over 45 degrees in our room overnight. I found that the only thing that helped me was putting a cold, damp cloth on my feet and one on my head. This really helped to cool me down and I was able to sleep. I still do this if my daughter has a fever. I also run cold water on my wrists (or put a frozen bottle of water on them) and that cools me down very quickly.

Claudia Vogt from Retro Claude said: “It makes your house look like a squatter’s den, but if you tape the reflective blankets that athletes use at the end of races to your windows it really helps to keep the heat out. They are only about £3 from Amazon. I know lots of mums do this with babies’ bedrooms in the heat.

Here’s an image link to the sort of thing Claudia means (I assume) on Amazon.

Victoria Elizabeth Currell of Our Life on Sea said: “I keep my blinds drawn upstairs and the windows only open a fraction during the day in the heat. Then as soon as it gets a little cooler in the evening I open my windows wide. This way it keeps the hot air out during the day and allows the cooler air in for the evening. I’ve started that this year and it has totally changed the temperature of the upstairs of my house.”

Michelle Rice of Utterly Scrummy Food for Families wrote: “I put four wet face cloths in a bag in the freezer for my children to cool down after school. I also freeze their water bottles for packed lunches.”

Natalie Ray of Plutonium Sox suggested “Open water swimming! I swim in the river every Monday morning. Great for cooling down and the perfect way to start the week. It’s free too!

Appealing as it sounds, open water swimming probably isn’t for everyone, but even swimming in a pool can be a great way to cool down. I belong to the Virgin Active club in Lichfield which has both indoor and outdoor pools. I make as much use as I can of the latter!

Jane Hanson of Lady Janey wrote: “Drink lots of tea! Scientific studies have shown that hot beverages can actually cool you down on a hot day.”

I do like a nice cup of tea 🙂 The science behind this is described in this article on the Huffington Post site. Apparently it works by making you lose more heat through sweating. This won’t work so well on muggy, humid days, though.

Amanda Shortman of The Family Patch offered two suggestions: “(1) Cool down the pulse points (wrists, neck, etc) by either running under water or using a cool pack. I find this cools me down far more effectively than anything else. And (2) drink things like coconut water to try and help keep a good balance of electrolytes. I have only just started this, but I am already finding that it helps reduce some of the more extreme fatigue and dizziness I experience in this heat as opposed to simply drinking water all day. I get the small 330ml cartons and have one of those a day along with plenty of water.”

Lynn James who blogs as Mrs Mummypenny said: “Get a diddy paddling pool (we were sent a foldaway one from Aldi and it’s perfect) and cool your feet down in it. If your feet are cool the rest of your body will cool down as well. Drinks tons of water, and I mean three litres a day. Hydration is so important in this weather

Sue Foster from Suefoster.info wrote: “When I can’t sleep at night I wet a towel and wring it out, then lay it over me. This cools the body down, so I can get some sleep.”

Finally, here’s a link to a recent post by Caz, who blogs at Invisibly Me. In her post Caz sets out a range of products and resources for keeping cool in the hot weather.

Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions, and apologies to those whose tips I wasn’t able to use, mainly because they were too similar to others listed.

• Please see also this page of advice and tips from the NHS.

As always, feel free to leave any comments or questions below. And of course, if you have any other suggestions for keeping cool in the heat, please do post them also.

Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links to some Amazon products. If you click through these and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This will not affect the price you are charged by Amazon in any way.