Coping with hot weather

[Bellflower]

Hello. I’m new to this community. And would like some ideas about coping with the heat here in South England. I try the usual things about casual cotton clothes, drinking cool water etc but not coping very well

Keep safe

Bellflower

[gilreid1]

Hi welcome to the forum. What exactly is your heart condition that is making you uncomfortable with the heat ?

[Bellflower in reply to gilreid1]

Hi. Heart failure and ectopic heart beat. On rivaoxaban which is dreadful and will resume trying to change it when GP resumes seeing non-urgent patients

[Scout2017]

Hi Bellflower - try bringing your whole day forward a couple of hours. Get anything important done before it gets too warm, and early to bed after a cool shower? Works for me, anyway! Added bonus these days is not many people about first thing. Stay safe, Bill

[Sunnie2day]

Hiya from NE Scotland! Welcome to the group!

Here's what is helping me (I'm in NE Scotland but we've been having something of a heat wave up here and I'm sensitive to the heat):

**Dunking a terry flannel in ice cold water, wringing it out and then draping the wrung cloth over pulse points like wrists, back of the neck, and on the forehead.

**Running standing or table fans (oscillating are best but sometimes the air stream needs to be directed right at me for optimum effect).

**Opening windows to create a 'cross-breeze'. My kitchen and living room windows are directly opposite so I open those both and then put one of the floor fans at the side of the kitchen doorway to pull cooler air from the north side facing kitchen window and push it out the south side facing living room window. If I do this early enough in the day, the house stays reasonably cool (although yesterday it was 80F in the living room for about an hour during the mid-afternoon, yikes! I had cold compresses on wrists, neck, and forehead and that helped).

**Wearing the least possible amount of constrictive clothing - in the heat I find a sundress and sandals best to keep comfortable. My husband hates-hates-hates short trousers and short sleeve shirts but once the temperature goes over 74F he's in shorts and tee shirts for the duration. I sew - cotton mid-knee nightshirts keep us cooler for sleeping. No duvet, just the bed sheets, and those sheets are 100% cotton for the best comfort.

Hope this helps. You have my total empathy! We visit close friends at Dartmoor every year and the summer heat there got so bad we've only been going down in late autumn to visit the past several years.

[Alison_L in reply to Sunnie2day]

Do you have the dreaded wee midges in the NE, Sunnie?

[Sunnie2day in reply to Alison_L]

Not yet but they'll be here later in the month, the wretched wee hobgoblins! Last year they got in the washing on the line and hid - until we put something on and were bitten within an inch of our lives. grrrrr, love Scotland, hate midges!

[Alison_L in reply to Sunnie2day]

LOL. I didn't realise they have a "season". You'll have to close the windows again then. Although here in London, we're going back to winter tomorrow!

[Sunnie2day in reply to Alison_L]

I saw that weather forecast and thought it was for up here. You have my complete empathy - our 'summers' routinely go between feeling like late winter to mid-autumn and back again, lol. We'll get a few days lovely warm weather but then it goes all autumny again.

I hope you've not got any tender plants out in the garden. I was tempted to take some of my starts out of the greenhouse, glad I didn't now I see 'autumn' is returning to Scotland this evening.

[Alison_L in reply to Sunnie2day]

No, I've got some little sunflowers and tomatoes, but they should be fine.

[080311 in reply to Sunnie2day]

We have been given 11 degrees here in the central belt, as you say Autumn!

[080311 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Horrible little things, I watch them swarm just a foot above the lawn round and round they go! 😩

[Bellflower in reply to Sunnie2day]

Thanks. Cold flannel good idea. I agree loose clothing helps

[Dempo]

I agree about starting the day earlier! I find I am waking up at 5.30, and my husband has been gardening at 6 am. We both stay out of the sun between 11 and 3, and do indoor jobs then, but nothing too strenuous! Maybe have a siesta if possible, later in the day. If you feel yourself starting to overheat, stay in the shade. Try a wet teatowel wrung out and draped around your shoulders and neck, helps a lot to cool your down quickly. Keep hydrated. Last year I discovered doodh soda, which is the best drink ever to cool you in hot weather - simply mix half a glass of full fat milk with lemonade or cream soda or just plain soda water.

Of course, if you are having to go to work, all of this is difficult to manage. When I worked, I relied on something called a handheld mist fan, cost about £15 from Amazon (other suppliers available...). You fill the container with water and it sprays a mist on your face while blowing, very effective.

At night, go for 100% cotton bedding. Try using just a blanket inside a duvet cover, instead of a sweaty duvet.

[Bellflower in reply to Dempo]

hi. Thanks for all info. Don’t think we old stagers could get up so early but the simple idea of a west tea towel is good. Will look for the mist spray.

[S11m]

I find that I can stand the heat better having lost 5½ stone.

When it gets hot I open the attic hatch to let the hot air out of the house.

I open windows on each side of the house in the evening when the outside temperature is lower than inside.

[hutch123]

Best thing i ever purchased was an air conditioning unit, it helps so much. I get up earlier, love pottering about in the pleasant coolness at 6am and have a little snooze mid afternoon. In the heat I think you have to listen to what your body is telling you.

[Bellflower]

Yes Will look at air conditioning units