Wow, it seems as though our thermometers are just not long enough this year! June in our part of the country is relativewly mild. Some heat, but certainly not all month. What does this kind of heat do to our sleep? Seems you can feel the heat even in an air conditioned enviroment. It is permeating everything. Even our dogs do not want to stay out long.
Sleep can be disrupted by this kind of heat, and frankly there is little we can do about it, except sleep in A/C and on a bed that sleeps at a relative regulated temperature. It is important to try to maintain a regular schedule, and try to cool down prior to bed time. But what if the power goes out and the A/C goes off? Even then there are a couple things that might help.
Sleep in an area with the most ventilation. If you visit any city and go into neighborhoods that were built prior to about 1955, you may notice some differences in the way houses are laid out. A lot of them will have big porches on the front. And those porches often have an area that is relatively secluded by the wall or building. Yes, our grandparents would sleep on the porch when the heat got to this point. Why? Because of the ventilation, heat rises, so if there is a slight breeze it will take the hottest air away, however, be prepared to sweat anyway. Air temperature can still be hot, even though the hottest is leaving, but a few degrees can make a difference.
Another thing we can do is enhance our body's cooling system. Our body uses evaporative cooling to help keep our core temperature regulated, which is a weird way of saying we sweat. The point is to get the sweat off our skin, which is how the body will cool itself. or to cool down the sweat so that it will cool our body. Now some might think, I'll sleep in the bathtub... Not the best idea, but consider this: use cool water to heavily dampen a bed sheet, then sleep under that. In extreme heat you might have to rewet the sheet a few times, but it should cool. If you have any battery powered fans, consider putting them under the foot of the sheet, so it keeps an air pocket between you and the sheet. That will also encourage the evaporative cooling.
The only other suggestion I have is to drive north, until you find cooler days! If you have any suggestions, just make a comment on this blog, we all need help! And looking towards the future, consider the bed you sleep in, and your bedding. Natural fibers, like cotton or bamboo (which is the top of our Comfortaire beds), may offer some respite. For now...
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