As Britain swelters through its third heatwave of the year, with temperatures forecast to exceed 30C again, Independent readers have been sharing the ingenious – and sometimes questionable – lengths they’re going to in order to survive the heat.
Lydia Spencer-Elliott’s report on the nationwide sleep crisis, which found nearly half of adults losing at least three hours’ rest a night, prompted a wave of comments from readers keen to share their own coping strategies, from bedroom fixes to full lifestyle overhauls.
Some are taking cues from hotter climates altogether, suggesting Britain adopt continental-style siesta hours, while others have invested in air conditioning units, arguing the upfront cost is worth it for a good night’s sleep.
Elsewhere, readers described DIY cooling tricks picked up from years spent living or working in extreme heat, from wet-scarf routines to homemade wind-chill setups involving nothing more than cold water and a desk fan.
For some, the solution is as simple as stripping back to a bare mattress and an open window.
Buy an aircon unit
Here’s how to cope, buy an aircon unit. If you own your home and it’s possible get a fixed one. If not get a portable. At the very least install a ceiling fan. A good AC unit is not expensive to run and doubles as a heater. The way the climate is going it’s an investment and if you can manage to afford just one room you at least have a haven to escape to.
Stripping back the bedding
I can’t understand the need to have sheets and duvets up to your chin in this weather. My mother used to say, just lie on top of the bed.
Here in France on holiday, the additional problem is that the mozzies get in through the gaps in the shutters and I am bitten on my hands and feet. They are fussy though, my wife doesn’t get bitten.
DIY wind-chill cooling
I would suggest to everyone that they should be getting a personal body cooler if they can afford it, but there are many in the world who cannot. For them I have a cheap solution, using the wind chill factor: cover your naked flesh with cold water and stand in front of a fan until chilly. If you have done it too long you will feel a cold sting even in the hottest countries, so adjust the time in front of the fan. Fans are both cheaper than air conditioning, and better for the environment.
Swapping out the duvet
I use a summer duvet that’s only 4.5 tog. No one knows what tog means but it said on the packet summer use. We are currently experiencing the summer and to be honest the 4.5 tog is far too warm for me. Should I ask for a refund? Sheets and blankets would be far better. Take all the blankets off and just have a sheet above you. In ’76 we were still using blankets, duvets had yet to make an appearance down our street.
Cooling tricks learned abroad
I live in India (17 years). I don’t have A/C because it makes going out 100 per cent worse. Keep windows and curtains closed and buy a table fan. Air movement is better than still. Run a thin cotton scarf under a cold tap, slightly wring and wear. This is so beneficial and can also be used to mop a sweaty face. Men in India do this, then wrap the scarf round their head, so they have protection from the sun and it’s cooling. Sleeping at night I have a lungi which I do the same trick with and either have it as a cool sheet over me or hug it like a hot water bottle. When it gets up to 44 degrees I have several lungis dotted around the bed so I can easily grab a new cold one when needed. Start drinking water as early as possible. Rehydration salts’ effectiveness diminishes with time.
Money well spent
I bought a portable aircon unit about six years ago which I use in a small bedroom. It creates a cordon frigidaire in the property. It costs 21p an hour to run. Money well spent.
Sleeping uncovered
I have taken to sleeping on top of the covers. I have a fan blowing across the bed which I share with my pooch as I don’t have a human partner. So far I am maintaining my usual amount of sleep each night.
Evaporative cooling
The best way to make your living place tolerable in high heat is to use not an air conditioner but an evaporative cooler. With evap, the windows stay open, air circulates and is cooled. Instead of drying out everything, the humidity is tempered. I’ve lived in Southern California, the Sonoran Desert and in 5000 foot elevations of New Mexico – an evap cooler, combined with overhead fans, makes life pleasant in heat of 120F.
Siesta culture
In hot countries people sleep for an hour or so in the afternoon after lunch. That extra sleep compensates for the loss of sleep at night. We should adopt French working hours from May to September.
Aircon needed
Here in Australia meanwhile, I am sleeping very well. It’s only 7 degrees at night! I know it won’t last though but it does help that we have lots of aircon. I was in the UK in July 2022 when it reached 38 degrees and that was a struggle without either aircon or a fan available.
Going even lighter with bedding
In the summer I usually use a 2.5 or even 1.5 tog duvet but even those are too hot at the moment so I’m just using a plain cotton, not poly cotton, flat sheet. I don’t really need it but it just seems odd not to be covered with something.
Remain indoors
Hot places are manageable if you’re young, much less so when you’re old. I’ve been to some really hot places but much depends on the humidity. In the Wadi Hadramaut it reached 47C one day and my test multimeter melted. In Mexico once while driving at midday, my vehicle’s aircon failed. It was 45C. I stopped at a roadside stall to buy fluids and remarked I’d hardly seen any other vehicles. The vendor nodded. Only crazy people are on the roads at this time.
The heat makes work unbearable too
Where I work I’ve raised this, it’s sweltering in the hospital, no airflow, I’m 58, I’ve been given work unsuitable for me at my age, in this temperature, as a maintenance engineer, they don’t care, and told me to just get on with it.
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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