Brace yourselves for some high temperatures this week. And we all know that trying to drift off to sleep in an overheated room can be a real nightmare, but there are some easy ways that you can cool things down before bedtime – no air conditioning required.

Simple, effective and often surprising, here are four of the best tips for keeping cool come nighttime. 

Freeze

To beat the heat at bedtime, it makes sense to utilise the coldest asset in your house: your freezer. Putting your sheets in the freezer for a few minutes before you head to bed is a great way to keep yourself cool. A fridge will do the trick, too. While the cold sensation won’t see you through the night, it’s a good tactic to keep you cool and calm while you settle down to sleep. 

And why stop there? Some people also freeze bottles of water to leave by their feet while they sleep. In a similar fashion, you can also repurpose your handy winter hot water bottle by filling it halfway and freezing it. The material it’s made out of will prevent it from melting too quickly and sweating onto your bed. 

A bowl of ice and a fan (if you’ve got one)

Reaching into your freezer can also supply you with a great resource that is particularly useful when paired with an electric fan. Just fill a shallow bowl with ice, aim the fan at it and turn it on. The breeze chills as it travels over the ice, making the air cool and refreshing as it hits you. It’s basically DIY air-con without the expense. 

Be strategic with your windows and blinds

For this one, you have to be a bit more proactive and keep your eye on what the sun is doing. If you like to wake up early, make sure you open up the windows for as long as you can before the sun comes up, which will let you get some air into the room. 

Once the sunlight starts creeping in, or before you head out for the day, close the windows and shut your blinds or curtains. By keeping the light out of the room you prevent heat from building up as the day goes on. Then, when the evening rolls around and the sun sets for the day, open up the blinds and windows again.

Create your own cool breeze

If you do want to keep the window open and the air coming in, you can combine the last two steps to create your own cool breeze indoors. For this, get a damp sheet or towel and hang it over your open window. 

It’s the same principle as the bowl of ice and electric fan method: the breeze that comes in from outside will cool as it passes through the wet fabric. It’s a great way to cheat the elements on a hot day and will provide you with the sort of much-needed chill that can be so elusive on nights like this. 

Image: Getty