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Cumulative heat stress is the danger, so it's actually hot nights that kill people, probably because of impaired sleep quality. (Aside from heatstroke, most of

Cumulative heat stress is the danger, so it's actually hot nights that kill people, probably because of impaired sleep quality. (Aside from heatstroke, most of these excess deaths occur in people already in poor health.) 95°F / 35°C during the day is fine, but 75°F / 24°C at night (without A/C) is deadly, especially considering that most apartments are significantly warmer than the outside at night.

Someone 14y ago
"most apartments are significantly warmer than the outside at night" I see two reasons for that. Firstly, people simply do not know how to keep their houses cool. On hot nights, people will do the right thing and open windows to cool down the house. However, at day, they will not close windows and curtains to keep the cold air in and the heat out (opening windows will not cool your house if the air outside is warmer than the air inside, as it lets in warmer air) Secondly, some houses simply are poorly designed for hot summers. Windows on the south are great most of the time, but for the (few) hot summer days, you need something that prevents the sun from shining directly into your room. A simple solution is to have a balcony; that takes away the sun when it is high in the air, but not when it is low, as in spring, autumn and winter. (this assumes houses with 'real' walls that have some heat capacity. I do not think the almost-cardboard style walls so common in the US fit that bill. That may be a reason air conditioning is so popular there)
- cesarbs 14y ago
  Are there places where one can open their windows at night when it's hot? In Brazil you get instantly covered by all sorts of insects if you do that.
  - snuze 14y ago
    Insect screens on openable windows are quite popular in the US.
switch007 14y ago
Can anyone explain why you can stand the heat in the day, but when it comes to night, while it may be a comfortable 15c outside you can't sleep, and it seems much hotter? Maybe it's just me. I'm talking about those (rare) 30c hot days in an English summer (no sniggering). Is it internal, bodily factors or external factors (e.g. the house absorbing the heat? I don't buy that, though, as I can have all the windows open blowing cool air in and still not sleep).
- raverbashing 14y ago
  One of the issues is that your house heats/cools with a certain thermal inertia, so at the end of the day it's almost as hot as it gets (as it cools during the night and heats through the day). In the morning it's as cold as it gets, in the sunset it's as hot as it gets There are probably some biological factors (still, I feel colder when sleeping, but of course I have a bad time sleeping when it's hot)
- pixl97 14y ago
  http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/mercola23.1.html http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/mercola23.1.html "When you sleep, your body’s internal temperature actually drops to its lowest level, generally about four hours after you fall asleep. Scientists believe a cooler bedroom may therefore be most conducive to sleep, since it mimics your body’s natural temperature drop."

Someone 14y ago

"most apartments are significantly warmer than the outside at night" I see two reasons for that. Firstly, people simply do not know how to keep their houses cool. On hot nights, people will do the right thing and open windows to cool down the house. However, at day, they will not close windows and curtains to keep the cold air in and the heat out (opening windows will not cool your house if the air outside is warmer than the air inside, as it lets in warmer air) Secondly, some houses simply are poorly designed for hot summers. Windows on the south are great most of the time, but for the (few) hot summer days, you need something that prevents the sun from shining directly into your room. A simple solution is to have a balcony; that takes away the sun when it is high in the air, but not when it is low, as in spring, autumn and winter. (this assumes houses with 'real' walls that have some heat capacity. I do not think the almost-cardboard style walls so common in the US fit that bill. That may be a reason air conditioning is so popular there)

cesarbs 14y ago
Are there places where one can open their windows at night when it's hot? In Brazil you get instantly covered by all sorts of insects if you do that.
- snuze 14y ago
  Insect screens on openable windows are quite popular in the US.

switch007 14y ago

Can anyone explain why you can stand the heat in the day, but when it comes to night, while it may be a comfortable 15c outside you can't sleep, and it seems much hotter? Maybe it's just me. I'm talking about those (rare) 30c hot days in an English summer (no sniggering). Is it internal, bodily factors or external factors (e.g. the house absorbing the heat? I don't buy that, though, as I can have all the windows open blowing cool air in and still not sleep).

raverbashing 14y ago
One of the issues is that your house heats/cools with a certain thermal inertia, so at the end of the day it's almost as hot as it gets (as it cools during the night and heats through the day). In the morning it's as cold as it gets, in the sunset it's as hot as it gets There are probably some biological factors (still, I feel colder when sleeping, but of course I have a bad time sleeping when it's hot)
pixl97 14y ago
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/mercola23.1.html http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/mercola23.1.html "When you sleep, your body’s internal temperature actually drops to its lowest level, generally about four hours after you fall asleep. Scientists believe a cooler bedroom may therefore be most conducive to sleep, since it mimics your body’s natural temperature drop."