There are many things that are awesome about summer. Trying to sleep when it’s a zillion degrees out, however? Is not one of them. Luckily, one of yesterday’s more informative AskReddit threads has solutions aplenty. A Redditor by the name of canadianviking asked the community what they do to keep cool enough to sleep in the dead of summer — and whether you’re looking for something super creative or super simple, there’s almost certainly at least one tip you can adopt for yourself.
Me? I live in a place with central A/C now (one of the advantages to moving out of the city), so temperature control isn’t nearly as much an issue at the moment. My last apartment in New York, though, required an elaborate system: The A/C unit was in the living room, so I would set up a fan in my bedroom doorway to help circulate the cool air into my room. Then, since my legs always overheated way more than my torso, I’d stick another fan at the foot of my bed and position it so it blew upwards from my feet. Usually I’d ditch the blanket in favor of a top sheet alone, but if my upper half got chilly while my bottom half stayed perfect, I’d pull the blanket back on in the middle of the night such that it only covered everything from the waist up.
Complicated? Just a little. But hey, it worked — and it’s not as nearly complicated as some of Reddit’s other ideas. Read on for more!
1. Make a Cool Tent
As far as I’m concerned, WhereDemonsDie wins this entire thread. Not only is it ingenious, it also speaks to my not-so-inner child in a big, big way. Pillow forts are the best. For the curious, here’s how this enterprising Redditor did it:
2. Go for the Goosebumps
Happily, explore_my_mind discovered that (s)he was not alone in utilizing this technique; a whole army of goosebumps supporters came out of the woodwork after this comment. I had no idea it was so popular!
3. The Water Fan Trick
For the curious, this is the picture to which latebird is referring:
4. Cool Your Pillow
This is the super high-tech, significantly longer-lasting version of putting your pillowcase in the freezer for a few hours before you go to bed.
5. Do the Water Dunk
I used to do this, too, with the additional step of tossing some water on my arms and the back of my neck. It worked a treat on nights when I didn't want to turn my A/C on.
6. Move to Norway
Okay, I’ll be honest: The real reason I included this one is the comment chain that followed it:
Damn you, Norwegians! Damn your eyes!
7. Double Up Your Fans
Clever! The problem with using just one oscillating fan is that while it will keep the air moving in your room, it gets monstrously hot whenever it points away from your body. This way, you’ve always got one fan blowing on you and the other stirring the rest of the air. Nice.
8. Get Your Phone to Do the Work for You
I have no idea how it works, but apparently employing If This Then That will do wonders when it comes to maximizing your coolness and minimizing your electricity bill.
9. Keep One Leg In and One Leg Out
TheQueenOfTopHats is just one of a huge array of Redditors who use this trick. What is it about legs that can so easily either cool us down or overheat us? Can anyone explain it to me? Because I’d really love to know.
10. Have a System
It looks like tPSoLC has this whole “keeping cool while sleeping” thing down to a science. Take notes, everyone!
Of course, sometimes you’ve just got to…
11. Suck It Up
Sorry, belgianguy. Maybe you should cool down with a glass of iced tea?
Image: reddit
