4 ms·

I grew up in the swampy humidity of the DC Metro and didn't live with air-conditioning until I was 20 or so. Much like the author describes, we spent a lot of

I grew up in the swampy humidity of the DC Metro and didn't live with air-conditioning until I was 20 or so. Much like the author describes, we spent a lot of time outside into the evening/night and at the public pool over the summer. Of course, the existence of air-conditioning certainly helped and saw me spend a lot of time at the local library. To this day, I much prefer to sleep with the windows open than run the air-conditioning.

pyre 13y ago
> To this day, I much prefer to sleep with > the windows open than run the air-conditioning. The problem that I have with this statement is that sometimes just opening the windows isn't enough. I've lived without A/C since ~2005, and just bought an A/C unit for the bedroom due to the current Toronto heat wave. It just wasn't getting cool enough at night even with: * windows open * 6 fans running in the house to get air moving * sleeping without any clothes on Sleeping still meant being drenched in sweat and waking up multiple times in the night. [ At one point in the past we took to sleeping in the basement if it was too hot, but that's not possible right now. ]
- mdpye 13y ago
  A freezing shower will usually get you 4 hours sleep. Start with the water tepid, then reduce it over a couple of minutes. If you drop your core temp then you can get off to sleep, gotta stay under til you're cold throughout. That's how I dealt with 35 degree (that's 95f) nights after mid 40s days in the south of Spain with no air con. Also, hard shutters over the windows during the day, buildings hold on to a lot of heat.
  - joonix 13y ago
    I think what needs to be more common is very powerful exhaust fans in units/homes. I constantly find myself looking for a way to suck out all the hot air out of my apartment at the end of the day in one fell swoop.
  - pyre 13y ago
    Do you find that hard shutters on the exterior work better than thick drapes on the interior?
- DanBC 13y ago
  > sleeping without any clothes on I've heard that wearing damp socks with a fan running helps cool you down. Also wearing a damp t-shirt helps. Sounds a bit unpleasant to me, but who knows.
  - lmm 13y ago
    I have a habit of not drying my (substantial) hair when getting out of the shower; it's a great cooler in summers like this.

pyre 13y ago

> To this day, I much prefer to sleep with > the windows open than run the air-conditioning. The problem that I have with this statement is that sometimes just opening the windows isn't enough. I've lived without A/C since ~2005, and just bought an A/C unit for the bedroom due to the current Toronto heat wave. It just wasn't getting cool enough at night even with: * windows open * 6 fans running in the house to get air moving * sleeping without any clothes on Sleeping still meant being drenched in sweat and waking up multiple times in the night. [ At one point in the past we took to sleeping in the basement if it was too hot, but that's not possible right now. ]

mdpye 13y ago
A freezing shower will usually get you 4 hours sleep. Start with the water tepid, then reduce it over a couple of minutes. If you drop your core temp then you can get off to sleep, gotta stay under til you're cold throughout. That's how I dealt with 35 degree (that's 95f) nights after mid 40s days in the south of Spain with no air con. Also, hard shutters over the windows during the day, buildings hold on to a lot of heat.
- joonix 13y ago
  I think what needs to be more common is very powerful exhaust fans in units/homes. I constantly find myself looking for a way to suck out all the hot air out of my apartment at the end of the day in one fell swoop.
- pyre 13y ago
  Do you find that hard shutters on the exterior work better than thick drapes on the interior?
DanBC 13y ago
> sleeping without any clothes on I've heard that wearing damp socks with a fan running helps cool you down. Also wearing a damp t-shirt helps. Sounds a bit unpleasant to me, but who knows.
- lmm 13y ago
  I have a habit of not drying my (substantial) hair when getting out of the shower; it's a great cooler in summers like this.