People from the "hotter" regions, how do you deal with the heat?
I am from Eastern Europe and this is the hottest summer on my memory. For at least 3 consecutive years the heat is breaking all records.
This stuff is unbearable, I can’t even play video games on my laptop, because it warms up very fast and the keyboard becomes uncomfortable for me to use.
So, could you please share any useful tips on how do you survive the summer?
If you're out and about, I recommend light clothes, something to keep some sun off (EX: a hat or an umbrella or parasol), and a folding fan (even if the air is hot, the breeze is still somewhat nice)
Midwestern US here, it’s been getting hotter and some years our AC just stopped working. I keep my fan turned on almost 24/7 as I can’t breathe well without it on and recently I got blackout curtains with angled curtain rods. Keeps my room much cooler than a blanket over the window
I haven’t seen anyone recommend this yet but for your body itself, try using peppermint castille soap. There’s a brand here called dr.bronners, not sure if you have it in your area but you might be able to find it on Amazon. Really helps keep skin cool, sometimes I’ll just bathe my feet in it if I’ve already showered and just need to cool off a bit.
Also lose the socks and general clothing if you’re at home. A wet rag over a fan may help as well. Drink lots and lots of water. Horror movies also sometimes give me a bit of a chill! Good luck!
San Diegan here. Beach. That’s what we all do. Pool works too. And of course AC.
Get as much cold air inside overnight as possible then close all the doors and windows a little after sunrise. If your house is well insulated it’ll keep it relatively cool until after lunch. Also, keep the blinds closed on the side of the house actively getting sun.
Light weight or moisture wicking clothes.
Fans. Lots of them.
Damp washcloth on your neck or a spray bottle to mist yourself. If you want to step that up, put the washcloth in the freezer for a bit then wipe your face/neck down.
If it makes you feel better, so do I. I’m ALWAYS cold. I’m built for desert weather (except your stupid monsoon season. Fuck that noise).
Everyone’s going on and on about how hot it is this last week, and I’m like guys it’s barely been touched 90 like twice. I’ve been in heaven. I’m finally not cold all the time.
I live in Florida and while this summer has been unusually hot.. it's not that bad. You just get used to the heat. Also make sure you have good A/C in your home & car lol
This is good advice to follow even if you do have air conditioning. Keeping the heat out makes the AC work less. Maybe invest a nice set of thermal curtains.
This is how I got through my youth when I had to work in the sun (wet bandana) Anything that gets you wet with some air flow. It’s like sweating without to electrolyte hit. Works better in low humidity, of course.
I’m lucky now because I have AC and can just stay indoors through the hot part of the day. I still make the house a dark cave after trapping the coolest air I can from overnight.
Ceiling fans should be set to warm weather mode (there should be a switch on the base which changes the direction of spin), you want them to pull hot air up (so the lower edge is the leading side) push cool air down, had it backwards
Cotton/baggy clothes: cotton loses all insulation properties when wet so its nice on a hot day, baggy clothes are generally more breathable
Self-misters are fine, but do not use humidifiers, lower humidity = faster sweat evaporation = cooler you
Drinks w/ ice and/or icecream: cold stuff inside your body will cool you down
Avoid the outside at 1-2pm: this is usually the hottest part of the day
For your laptop: buy a desk fan and point it right at your laptop, has the bonus of cooling you down too
Ceiling fan is opposite. You're cooled by the air going over your body. Typically (in US, at least) that means counter clockwise in summer and clockwise low speed in winter.
Also as to clothes linen layers are fantastic in heat if available.
air will be blown over your body either way, all you're changing is the direction the air is coming from. blowing from the ceiling means blowing hotter risen air
Yeah, ceiling fans are a very rare thing in Eastern Europe. I haven’t ever seen one with my own eyes and I have been to all kinds of places in my country
While viscose dries faster than cotton, cotton is a breathable fabric and lets you sweat, which cools you down. - Indian here, so have some experience living with hot weather.
Loose, long-sleeved cotton clothes will prevent sunburn + cool you down.
I’m in the US and it was 40C (104F) yesterday, which is normal for my area. I spent the whole day either indoors or in the neighborhood pool, and it was perfectly comfortable.
I mean, I bought my window ac at least 10 years ago, the only upkeep is cleaning the filter. no issues. I bought a house with an AC from the 70s or 80s in the wall, also nothing but washing the filters. Sure I'm using electricity, but I wouldn't call that upkeep.
But it’s either this or hospital. Human body can’t cool down in very hot and high humidity environments, for example 40 degrees and 90% humidity. My mother was sent to hospital due to heat stroke, AC is life-saving. It would be better if there were better ways.
Right. I don’t think individuals can or should do much beyond setting their AC at reasonable levels.
The responsibility is on governments to heavily invest in renewables so that we don’t continue on our current trajectory. If governments don’t act, the earth will inevitably force some sort of reduction in energy usage and it’ll be far less comfortable than higher taxes.
Exactly. The issue is with the source of electricity, not with the AC itself. Not to mention that leading by example is nice, but it's not always the best course of action. An individual avoiding AC is a drop in the water, and not going to save the planet, while suffering immensely. Hell, even if every single individual stopped using AC at home (which isn't even close to reality), that wouldn't have a significant effect, compared to what corporations, factories, etc. are doing.
The price of electricity in my country (the UK) has gone stupid high right now. We don’t have AC in our homes normally in the country. But I bought a 2nd hand portable unit about 7 years ago when my first son was born cos I was afraid of him gettin too hot at night. I have a 2nd son now and we have had some record high temps last month and o could only afford yo keep this AC unit on for a like 2 to 3 hours at night time in just his room and only on the hottest days. Anymore than that and we woild struggle to pay the energy bill that follows.
It’s not maintenance cost that’s the issue. It’s energy cost.
Indeed, many places are 40 and 90% within a day, but not simultaneously. You can see in your image how the peak humidity was at 00:00 and the peak temp at 14:00.
Indeed, many places are 40 and 90% within a day, but not simultaneously. You can see in your image how the peak humidity was at 00:00 and the peak temp at 14:00.
I agree. I have lived in hot, humid places without air conditioning. The only solution is to find cool places (in the shade, in a cellar), stay wet, drink lots of water, and avoid physical exertion until the sun goes down.
I am spoiled now. I live in a region with cheap, low-carbon electricity (almost entirely from hydro, nuclear, and wind) and modern infrastructure, so air conditioning is standard practice. I wish the whole world could have the same.
Most of the world does not have central heat and central air.
In many areas, pools can be difficult due to a number of economic, social, and other factors.
Additionally, running AC constantly also puts more heat outside and, depending upon your power source, increases emissions further contributing to global climate issues just making things worse.
If you don’t have air conditioning you can create a shitty version using a bucket of water, a towel and a fan. Just have the towel wick up the water and lay it over the fan.
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