How to Sleep Coolly on a Hot Night

It's truly summer in Southern California. The myth that "oh, it cools down enough at night so that you can sleep comfortably" is just not true!

After my fourth bad night's sleep, I turned to the internet this morning to see if there were any tricks that I didn't already know.

The bad news is that I already know (and am doing) most of the tricks. The good news is that I found a few new ones.

Here are the ones that I already know about:

1. Sleep under a damp (not sopping wet) towel or sheet. This tip is the only way that I survived living in a fifth floor apartment in New York City under a tar roof in a building that couldn't handle the added electrical demand of my little window unit without blowing the fuses. This could leave stains on your mattress, so if this is a concern for you, make sure you have protection between you and your mattress.

2. Sleep with a fan directed toward you and a spray bottle of water handy. You just spritz yourself down and then the combination of the water and the moving air cool you down... for a few minutes.

3. Take a cool/cold shower before you go to bed.

4. Sleep naked or in very light and loose clothing.

5. Sleep in a hammock. The air circulates better in a hammock than a bed.

6. Splash water on your face, neck and arms.

Here are some new ideas that I hadn't thought of:

1. Put a bowl of ice in front of the fan that is blowing on you. The air will be cooler. Make sure that you protect whatever is under the bowl. It could condensate and ruin your wooden dresser.

2. Take an ice pack to bed with you. You know, the ones that you freeze and then put in your lunch box. I think that the soft ones that you freeze and put on boo-boos would be the most comfortable, but any will do. I'd wrap them in something thin and soft.... maybe a wash cloth that has been sewn into a little sack.

3. Put an ice pack in socks and then put the socks on your feet. Not sure how much I would like that, but I do think it would cool you off.

4. When splashing or spritzing water, start with your wrists and neck. This will cool you off the fastest.

5. If you don't have an air conditioner, then hang wet towels or sheets in front of open windows. The air coming through the windows will be cooled down by going through the wet barrier.

I'd love to hear about any of your cooling off tips. Post your comments and share your tips with other Bobbi's Bargain readers.