How to beat the sundown sear while you sleep
Some people may have the heat from the scorching summer sun under control during the day, as temperatures are expected to soar past 100 this week. But the battle to stay cool at night while sleeping begins shortly after dusk.
“It’s brutal,” said Puja Parikh, who lives in Loudoun County, Virginia. “The ACs and fans are doing their jobs 24 hours, probably overloading the system. That’s the best we can do.”
But Dr. Kwame Akoto, a Baltimore County-based family physician at Kaiser Permanente, said there are ways to turn off the air conditioning unit and beat the heat during sleep. First, fire up the fan.
“That’s a great way to keep your body cool overnight,” he said. “And if you can, it may be a good idea to open windows for more airflow as well.”
Akoto said open windows will create a cross-breeze, driving room temperature down even more.
Another option for bedtime relief: try creating a do-it-yourself mist fan in the bedroom.
“There’s a quick and easy way to do it,” Akoto told WTOP. “As your fan is blowing, put a bowl of ice in front of it. As the ice melts, the fan will blow cool mist on you.”
Virginia resident Katie Abbott shared another cooling hack involving fans. “We put a fan in front of one of our vent units to move the cool air around even more,” she said. “It’s helped — my husband is very creative.”
Finally, try to take a cold shower before bed and make sure to wear cotton.
“Your pajamas, your undergarments and … your bedsheets,” Akoto said. “The fabric helps keep your body cool, what we call thermoregulation. And that prevents you from overheating.”