The heat is horrible. Let's share heat survival ideas!!

[icnmgrjill]

OMG... we are being hammered here in Nor Cal just like so many of you are being hit throughout the country. It was 117 up at my sisters ranch and easily 110 at my house. Last night was, I think, the worst night I've ever had due to heat. Didn't sleep from about 1AM to 6AM... except in small bits and starts. Of course, having a skunk spray outside my bedroom window at 3am didn't help AT ALL. Akk!

Today is abit better... it's about 10 degrees less than yesterday, thank god, but I still think that we should share our best heat survival strategies. So, here's what I do.

Close all the windows and drapes at about 10am... or when the temperature outside hits over 75.

I have fans throughout the house to move air.

We have one swamp cooler... but we've learned that you have to use it for an hour, then stop for an hour... to avoid making a swamp in the house... literally. Muggy heat is so much worse than dry heat.

I don't do anything athletic... just take it totally easy.

Cool or cold showers as needed

I use a wet towel around my neck!

Eat sparingly... and hydrate frequently.

Love to hear anyone elses ideas...We're desperate!

Jill

[ICNJess]

Get some ice and put a fan in front of that to blow the cool around. Kinda messy, but it does work. We keep our house totally locked up and dark and try to use as little electricity as possible. I remember in kindergarten, when it was really hot and we didn't have air, the teacher used to run our wrists under cold water, and that did help.

[Trishann]

I know by experience that cool bath is good but won't do the job by itself, You need to try to get cool inside the body. Eating ice, popsicle, or something very cold helps alot. Definitely plenty of water and wearing very light clothes. And especially what Jill said about exercising, relaxing can help.

Blessings, Trishann

[sacausa]

I have air conditioning in my house... but when I lived in South Africa we didn't have ac (most houses didn't, even the mansions!).... if you live close to a beach, or have a pool or public pool... I think it's best to get out and go swimming! Or, go to the mall and do some window shopping ;) ooooh, and eat tons of icecream!!!:smile tee

[ICLori]

When I couldn't sleep because of the heat, at various times in my life, I'd go into the shower with either a sheet or a towel, and get it wet with cold water (after first taking a cool shower myself to cool down.) The combination of a fan and the evaporation from the wet cold towel or sheet placed over me, was wonderful. The coolness didn't last forever, of course, but it lasted long enough to let me fall asleep.

Also, there is a product called a "chillow" which helps keep your head cool (no more hot pillows.) I just ordered a couple on a recommendation from a friend. Apparently they work great at helping to keep you cool. I got mine from Drugstore.com but there are several places around the internet selling them.

Blessings, hope it cools down soon (global warming, yuck!)

Lori

[dancemomof2]

OK I have A/C also but I am using alot of SPF50 and floating in the pool alot.

[SharonA]

Buy a bedroom window A/C to run at night. I can't sleep when I am in a warm room. Also, I always have a pedestal fan in the bedroom and use it every night, even in the winter. I just don't point it at me in the winter. I have to have air moving in the room to sleep well.

[ICNDonna]

It's 102 in the shade here --- very hot, hot, hot! Two years ago we bought two window air conditioners for our upstairs bedrooms and they have been a life-saver for us. I have a fan at the bottom of the stairs and it's only about 72 in our family room.

We'll go swimming this evening and that really helps us cool down and stay cool until bed time.

Don't forget your pets! I've been wetting a small towel in cold water and putting it on our dalmation's tummy --- she loves it and rolls over so I can reach all of her tummy. And be sure your pets have plenty of water to drink.

We've been drinking lots, and added a little extra salt to our diet today just to play it safe.

Donna

[Mel53H]

I have a window AC and it works wonders. They don't cost as much as they used to. I got mine for about $200 and have seen them lower than that. I have had it for a couple of years. I used to live in Calif and suffered through the summers without an AC. Not anymore!! This heat is horrible! Friday and Saturday there was no wind. None! nada! We had a stagnet air warning. Today, we have a little breeze, a hot breeze, but a breeze none -the- less.

When I lived in Calif., I used to get a small towel, wet it and put it on my body with the fan blowing towards me. That is all I could do.. Husband did not like air conditioning.

[tigger_gal]

thank god my aunt gave me her ac's last year.. I don't have any clue how I would have surived when it got so hot. I just stay in and hope for the best..

[creatingkarma]

I periodically stick my head in the freezer.

[Sarojini]

We have central air conditioning in our house, but we still avoid things in the heat -- like, we try to use the oven/stove as little as possible :lmao: I'm serious, though... that stove really puts out a lot of heat. We make cool fruit salads, regular salads... sometimes we buy a ready made shrimp cocktail platter at the store and eat the cool shrimp with our salad. Stuff like that.

We try to refrain from opening the doors a lot when we're home, and we also close the blinds to our sliding glass doors during the heat of the afternoon -- we have 5 sliding glass doors and a bay window, and that can let in heat!!

Finally, this is a tip from college, where I did not have A/C -- I went to college in Boston at MIT, and a lot of us would work in labs over the summer for pay, and they'd let us stay in the dorms for that. The dorm I was in didn't have A/C, and had these long skinny windows that a window unit couldn't fit into. So, engineers that we were, we figured this out -- it sounds VERY stupid, but it works!!

Get a fan that is about the height of your bed, so that the whole fan blade area is just over the foot of the bed. Take your top sheet and attach it to the fan cage with pins, binder clips, or whatever you have around -- just fasten it securely and so that the sheet doesn't get stuck in the blades ;) Turn fan on. Top sheet will billow up. Get in bed under top sheet and note that fan is producing a "wind tunnel" effect which is quite cooling, especially if you get in after a shower and aren't quite dry. Sleep.

Wake up in night shivering and reaching for your flannel jammies. ;)

I did this a number of times and honestly, I did want my winter jammies in the middle of the night!! The wind tunnel is great!!!

[windwalker]

I have window a/c's BUT, other ways I cool off are, I have these little things you wrap around your neck, they have gel things in them, you soak em 15 min in water then wrap em around your neck, head, wherever. You can put them in the fridge for a bit to recool them since they only last an hour to two. I even use that at work, I work in a High school kitchen and around the friers its hot! Another thing I have is one of those spray type water bottles w/a fan connected to it, so I mist myself and fan all at the same time. Lots of cooler showers, play in the sprinkler w/my daughter (not often, dont like the swimsuit thing lol!), even a cool cloth or soak my feet in cooler water for a bit. Even one of those lunch type icepacks can help.

[mary124]

At home, have the A/C and fans on, shades and drapes closed. Don't use the oven unless need to, as that heats up the house. I either use the microwave or have ready to made stuff.

At work, I don't have to worry too much, as the A/C is on full blast, sometimes, I have to have on my space heater!! ( and this is with a sweater on).

[SharonA]

Karma...:biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh: I periodically stick my head in the freezer....Now that must be a sight. :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:

[patricia1]

While I dont have much to add as to keeping cool.

I would like to say to remember to check on elder neighbors and family members and like Donna said dont forget the pets. For those who have outside dogs we bought our bassetts a small baby pool and keep it filled with water. My girl bassett loves it and will get in it and sit, my boy does not care for it....But that is an idea for the dogs in our lives.

[hollipop]

I go into a 134 degree sauna for 30 minutes every day, so 117 must feel great! :lmao:

Actually, since I started going to the sauna regularly, I find that the hot weather here in Houston, Tx doesn't bother me so much anymore...for real!

[mary124]

Holly:

Besides the hot weather you have in Houston, you have the humidity. I know when I lived in Calif., the hot weather didn't bother me that much, but when I lived in Houston between the hot weather and humidity I couldn't take it. I now live up here in the Austin area, yes its hot but its not humid.

[July]

Iced peppermint tea (in addition to soothing IBS) seems to be refreshing and cools me off.:hi:

[icsonja]

I lived in Phoenix for 15 years where I went thru being pregnant in the summer and I now live in very hot West Texas , it has been 100 or above for more than 45 days already, so I use the crockpot alot, do chores such as shopping or laundry or house cleaning either very early or very late, we have adopted the Hispanic custom of resting thru the hottest part of the day.
A window AC in the bedroom is worth evry penny and putting a block of ice in a evap/swamp cooler will help too.
My personal care tip is to use my foot bath with cool, not freezing cold water (or your body will try to warm you up).A soak in a tepid tub for at least ten minutes is great amd use powder if you can. Sweating just makes me feel icky!
Watch for signs of heat exhaustion which many meds we take is a risk, the signs are clammy skin, feeling cold, dizziness, faintness any worse symptoms and you need to go to the ER in case of Heat Stroke.
Oh and a little car tip, leave car windows open a tad all around so that the car can stay a little cooler and NEVER leave a child or pet in a cae even with the ac on for any reason. it only takes minutes for a catasrophe to happen
and never let your kids in a pool without an adult there at all times, have a celll phone or cordless phone at poolside, but dont let your attention wander, it is no accident that Phoenix has the highest drowning rate of kids in the country.
And if you can drink alcohol, dont do it when it is so hot, it is dehydrating and one drink in 100 degree heat is the same as 3 in 75 degree weather.
Stay cool, stay inside, escape to the mall, iceskate(or take the kids) try the movies if you can sit. Just try to chill!!!
Love all
Sonja

[IC SARAH-CPP]

Wow Donna I agree about the pets. I live in Cali too and it was 117 in my city too, it is awful. Our neighbor leaves their huge rotwelier out in yard all day long. I feel SO bad for her. She is black and I took her some ice yesterday and she was literally burning hot. I am going over to talk to them tonight. That amounts to animal cruelty, in my mind.
We run our AC as much as we can. THey are talking of black outs again here in CA, so I always turn everything off from 4-7, which is peak energy time.
To keep cool I wear white t-shirts and no bottoms( at home!), wrap cool rags around my neck, eat ice, drink LOTS of water, lay still on the couch, sleep downstairs, and try to stay inside! My husband is a glass blower and works in front of a torch! I have forbidden him to work while it is like this. I think it is unsafe.
They said it will "break" to 100 this weekend!! Yea, not. I hate living where it is so hot. I LOVE winter.
Try to stay cool everyone!
Sarah

[ICLori]

Just wanted to say, I received my two chillows (one for hubby, one for me) and put the water in, and squished the air out. They are soooo cool! I wish I had ordered 4 of them. Maybe I will go ahead and get two more - one for each of our pillows, one for each of us to lie on.

It really works the way it says it does. Nice and cool. Anyway, I'm happy (and cooler.) I don't like trying to sleep when it's warm. We have A/C but it's still pretty warm in the house.

Blessings,
Lori

[momw/ic]

Everyone has some really good tips. After having IC since the summer of 2002 I have finally figured out that I flare in the summer from mid July to the end of August. Could it be the heat? I don't know....this summer confirmed it when I had not thought a thing about it and about a week and a half ago I started into what has turned out to be a HUGE flare-up.

We have A/C but our upstairs still gets extremely warm because it is just too hot outside to easily cool the upstairs. About 9:30am I will turn the A/C down to 70 degrees and get the house really cool. I keep all of the blinds closed and the doors closed as well. I turn off all of the lights and I turn on all of the ceiling fans. I have smaller fans in all of the bedrooms so I turn those on also. I will put a fan about half way up the stairs so it can bring cool air from downstairs and blow it upstairs. I also wear my soft satin/silk nightgowns as long as I am at home in the house. They are the coolest things I own! I also don't hesitate to put an ice pack on my shoulders or legs, too. Whatever works! I also do not use the oven or stove top (I have a gas range so the open flame really heats up the room), I will wash the clothes but don't dry them until evening (or use cool toss), no curling irons or hair dryers, and lastly I don't rev up my laptop unless I just absolutely have to. Since I started with the hot flashes this year I have become a pro at keeping the heat at bay..........good luck to everyone else!