Staying cool when summer temperatures reach record highs isn’t just about staying comfortable, overheating can lead to serious heat-related illness. Heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and sleeplessness are common during the sweltering dog days of summer. Here are eight tips to help you survive the summer bedtime heat.

Choose lightweight natural fabrics

Reserve your satin, silk, polyester, and wool fabrics for cooler weather. This summer goes with light-colored bed linens and clothing made from lightweight fabrics made from plant fibers like linen or seersucker. These fabrics are woven in such a way that they are held away from the body, promoting heat dispersion and air circulation.

Sometimes wet blankets are awesome!

The ancient Egyptians knew a thing or two about dealing with nighttime heat. The so-called “Egyptian blanket” or “Egyptian method” suggests dampening a sheet or towel in cool water and using it as a blanket. We recommend not oversaturating the sheet, it just needs to be dam- not drenched. Also remember to lay down a dry towel to avoid soaking your mattress. It’s also possible to cool an entire room using nothing more than a wet sheet and a open window. Hang the sheet in front of the open window. The moisture in the sheet will cool the breeze as it passes through, quickly cooling the room.

Old-school life hack 

Next hot summer night try this old-school DIY air conditioner.This trick comes from back in the good ol’ days when refrigerators were just over sized ice chests. All you need is a shallow pan or similar container, some ice, and a fan. Fill your container with ice and place it in front of the fan. As the ice melts, the fan’s air current will pick up the cool water vapor from the ice’s surface, creating a cooling breeze.

Drop it low

Escape the heat by getting low. It’s well known that hot air rises, so move your sleeping situation as low to the ground as possible. If you live in a multi-floor home, camp out on your ground floor.

Remove the heat by getting creative with your fans.

Adjust your ceiling fans so that the blades turn counter clockwise, pulling hot air up and out instead of pushing it down towards you. Have a couple of box fans? Position one fan across from a window and the other pointed out out of the same window to push hot air out. Together, both fans will create a cooling cross breeze.

 Stay hydrated!

Tossing, turning and sweating all night uses up a lot of water. Prevent dehydration by drinking a glass of water before bed and a soon as you wake up. Just don’t over do it before bedtime, unless your a fan of stubbing your toe on the way to the bathroom at 4 A.M. Also remember to limit caffeine and alcohol consumption. These drinks may be fun, but they will also lead to dehydration.

Need to cool down in a hurry?

Try running cold water or applying ice packs to pulse points at your ankles, behind your knees, elbows, groin, neck, or wrists. This life hack uses your circulatory system to disperse heat from your body into the ice pack, you’ll feel cool and refreshed in moments!

Going Commando

less is more on hot summer nights. Try minimalist summer sleep wear, or better yet, ditch your jammies all together! Sleeping au naturale means less fabric so you have less insulation on your body, and thus less heat or sweat. Some people may argue that going full nudie is more uncomfortable because sweat stays on the body rather than being wicked away by fabric. At the end of the day, It comes down to personal preference.

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