Beat The Heat....beyond air-conditioning

A heat wave has gripped the Northeast. In places like Western Massachusetts where three digit temperatures were unheard of, this heat wave has made us appreciate the high comfort factor of our usual climatic conditions. It's not just the temperature, but the humidity, that makes such a heatwave intolerable. And to top that, if you happen to live in an apartment that does not have air-conditioning, it's very important for you to know how to beat the heat! Looking at the status updates and tweets on our most popular networks, I have come to the consensus that not a lot of people actually have an idea about what can be done. Well, I can tell you what I did....and it worked, at least as much as it could....

1. Fluids- You have to stay hydrated to avoid the major complications arising from the heat and resultant dehydration. Drink lots of water (even if you don't feel thirsty). It might be a good idea to have lemon juice with some salt added to it. Gatorade would be excellent. A lot of people don't know this, but in this weather, it's very useful to eat fresh fruits- especially bananas since they are rich in electrolytes.

2. Be in air-conditioned settings as long as you can. I spend most of the time in the department. The problem is, you have to be back home to sleep. And sleep you can't, in such hot and muggy conditions.

3. Quick cold water showers multiple times in a day. They make you feel really good. It's an even better idea to go for one just before going to bed. That could be the difference between going to sleep and lying restless in bed.

4. Shut the windows and blinds during the sunny hours of the day. This prevents the air in the room from heating up, also prevents hot air from entering the room. This would, if not totally keep your room cool, at least limit the temperature your room would reach during the day, making it a quicker cooling process at night.

5.

This could be the difference between you bedroom cooling down to desirable temperatures overnight or not. It's a basic simple 10-15 $ fan kept on the window sill after sundown. What this does is, it brings the cool air from the outdoors into your room replacing the warmer air inside, at an accelerated pace. As we know, hotter air being lighter settles near the ceiling and gives you the pleasure of being in the company of some cool air while you're going to bed. To top that, if you are using another fan in the room, it would mean that the second fan would be circulating cooler air in the room.

6.
This could be a real handy device, especially when it's extremely hot and humid. Firstly, spraying cold tap water around the room and along the walls with this spray would not create the mess that splashing water would; this would lower the temperature in the room marginally-something's better than nothing. Second, if you have a towel handy, you could just spray your face with this for a really refreshing cooling effect. And being water, you can do this as much as you wish to.

7. Wet thin towel as a blind on the open window: This would lower the temperature of the air entering the room. Some people even say that keeping a wet towel in front of a powerful fan/air circulator helps- I haven't tried this. Besides, it is not a self-sustaining trick. But then, nothing mentioned above is!

8. Keep wiping off the sweat. It's really refreshing.

9. Have cool beverages, but not in the sun, unless you want to invite heat stroke.

10. I have noticed that if I somehow keep my face cool and sweat free, it somehow feels a lot better than it would considering the alternative. I cannot explain why this happens, like a lot of other things I suppose.....

Stay cool and may we have our cherished weather back soon!