We love the summer, but ‘hot and bothered’ is never a good look, so we all need a strategy for when temperatures rise.
Here are the most effective tips out there, courtesy of medics, fabric technicians and sports people.
10 tips to stay cool this summer
1. Drink chrysanthemum tea
Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe chrysanthemum is a cooling herb which clears the head, and iced chrysanthemum tea is available in most Asian vending machines.
The Chinese have also got some unusual ideas about drinking tea to cure hangovers. Check out our list of the best hangover remedies from around the world.
2. Upgrade your bedlinen
Ditch that heat-retaining synthetic pillow and invest in a feather or down pillow, with a cotton or silk pillowcase. Also opt for silk if you regularly wake up with tangled hair, it’ll change your life, or at least reduce the number of bad hair days you have. If you want to go all-out, pop your topsheet into a plastic bag and leave it in the freezer for a couple of hours before bed. It sounds a bit mental, but if you’re having trouble dropping off in the heat, lowering the body’s temperature at bedtime mimics the body’s natural response to tiredness (your body temperature cools as you fall asleep) which really makes a difference.
3. Cool your pulse points
It’s no myth that running your wrists under a cold tap for ten seconds every couple of hours helps cool the blood coursing through your veins. But paddling is even more effective.
4. Tuck into a curry
There’s a reason they eat spicy food in hot countries. Chillies and spices stimulate the heat receptors in the mouth, enhancing circulation and causing you to perspire slightly, which cools the body down. You’ll feel cooler and more energised by pudding.
Why not plan a trip to India and try the real thing? Our handy guide packed full with tips on the best time to visit India in 2019.
5. Spritz yourself cool
On hot and steamy fashion shoots, make-up artists carry Institut Esthederm’s Eau Cellulaire, a cult product that cools models’ faces down and leave skin dewy.
Tired of drizzle this Irish summer? Book a bargain flight to one of these low-cost summer sun destinations in the Mediterranean.
6. Take lukewarm showers
Skip ice-cold showers, because your body will simply compensate by raising your temperature afterwards; this is why athletes find them invigorating. Step into the shower at your normal temperature, then lower it until it’s around body-temperature.
7. Shut the blinds
Never mind about opening the windows, it’s sunlight you need to avoid. When you’re at work all day, keep your curtains or blinds shut, to avoid a greenhouse effect in your home. Because you are not a tomato.
8. Unplug
Turning off unused appliances – even your phone charger – can reduce the temperature in the room by a degree.
9. Make friends with merino
Serious hikers and sportspeople swear by the sweat-wicking properties of this natural wool, which has been used for centuries by Bedouin tribes to keep cool in the Sinai desert during the day, and warm at night. The finer knits are even cooler than cotton in a heatwave.
Pack a picnic blanket and your swimming kit. Our six top picks for a summer city break in 2019 – from Stockholm to Chicago – await.
10. Lie on the floor
Hot air rises, so if the worst comes to the worst, get down on the ground and chill.
Now you got the best advice on how to beat the heat, check out our top destinations for an early summer holiday in 2019.
Written by Anna Hart for Skyscanner.
*Updated April 2019. Prices correct at time of publication and subject to change and/or availability.
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