Swamp coolers, and the like, are OK in dry climates but are counter productive in humid ones.

I need to disagree with the cold showers. They make you warmer in the long term because your capilars close and you loose less heat. The best is room temperature showers so you dont get hot but your capillars remain big and release more heat. One great thing is wearing wet socks. I know, it sounds gross but it cools you down immensely. Your feet get really hot and if they are cooler you feel really much better. So when you are in the sofa or in bed get some small socks and soak them in water. The evaporation will cool you down a lot. Plus if you put them in front of a fan. Just dont touch electronics...

My additional tips: 1) Cooling towels, they are made from a specific kind of fabric, I guess with a very large surface area. You wet them and wave them around a little, they instantly cool down because of the evaporation. They won't stay cool long and dry relatively fast, but it's enough to keep you alive during your commute in an overcrowded train. 2) Cooling blankets. I don't know what kind of unholy magic they are, but they work. You actually feel cooler with the blanket than without any blanket at all. Definitely the best find of 2022, don't know how I survived without it all those years.

Close windows and curtains on the sunny side of the house, open the ones on the shaded side. Adjust as needed. Take your standing fan and put it directly in front of the window, facing OUT. Drink water and sports drinks. And yes, sip, don't gulp, especially if you're hot and the drink is cold. My qualifications: spent years with a broken a/c in the Southern California desert.

I live in a very old stone house with 2 foot thick walls - downstairs is always nice and cool. I cannot sleep naked though, I hate it, I hate when sticky sweaty skin touches, even if it's just my leg touching my other leg, hate it!

Remember that "umbrella" means "little shadow." Umbrellas originally were to keep sun off people. Then our ancestors realized umbrellas could keep rain off as well.

Florida here! Black out curtains and ceiling fans are a must. They help keep the house cool and cut down on energy costs because you won't have to let the ac run all day. Also, it rains everyday here during the summer because of the constant thunderstorms. Combined with black out curtains and ceiling fans, it would keep your home cool. Also, become crepuscular! Limit all outdoor activities to early morning and late evening. The later the better since the sun doesn't set until around 8 or 9pm.

As a southern Californian living right next to death valley, cottan clothes and bed sheets are the best

We had a huge heatwave in 2003 when I was very pregnant with my son. I would keep a bucket with cool water at the end of my bed (on the floor obv) and when I couldn't sleep I would soak my feet for a while. Works great.

Yeah, being part west African (and for pricacy reasons I will not be more specific :) ) I have a bit of a problem with some of her tips. Tip 2; keeping still is overdoing it a bit. Just move around in a more calmer way to preserve energy. Do indeed start your day earlier and stay inside (and eat) at the very least between 12 and 2 pm. Tip 3; it can be very useful to drink hot drinks and eat spicy food when it's warm, provided it's not humid and the sweat that you produce can evaporate. Additionally hot peppers contain a lot of vitamine c so eat up :). The 'do not eat spicy food' tip strikes me a bit as odd anyway. I mean, where does she think most spicy dishes originate from? Tip 5; cold showers surely help, but not every place where it get's hot will have enough water to begin with. I've been in plenty of places where taking a shower was a bit of a luxury because of that reason. Instead, just try to stay hydrated all day as much as you can. Everything else she mentions is great!

your dog can get heatstroke & die... solution, buy a kiddie pool & put it in the shade outside... fill with water... the dog will find it & flop down in it... he may get out & feel cooler as the water evaporates... even better, put a box fan on low next to the kiddie pool... the dog will love you for it...

As a southern Spaniard who has experienced a 45-50ºC month a few years ago: yes, shut everything after you wake up and open them when the temperature outside is under 30ºC at least before you go to bed. That way, when it cools during the night, your house will get fresh cool air. Also, don't sleep naked. It's better to have a cotton shirt. Otherwise you sweat more, or it gets more everywhere (wearing cotton, your sweat stays there). And, as I have also lived at -15ºC, for the love of all the gods, put blinders on your windows. They also keep the cold outside your house during the worst part of the day. Anyways, you'll need to use artificial lights those days. So yes: Windows and cotton. Oh! And i suggest you guys to try gazpacho. It's delicious and keeps you hydrated and cool. Hope now most people understand why "Spaniards likes naps". They are necessary unless you want to die working outside.

Bald guy here. Dress code for my work is *really* casual, so I wear a bandanna. What I do to keep cool is - soak it in cold water, wring it out, then put it back on.

When we are expecting a heatwave where I live in Canada, I do close the curtains to keep the sunlight out. We’ve had some doozies, especially with the humidity factor, and I don’t have air conditioning. I’ve been to Texas and 40 degrees of dry heat doesn’t drain you. I have a kiddie pool I fill up on my deck with my ice cold well water. Dunking your whole body rather than a shower cools off your core and it feels more comfortable.

You know those ice packs that keep drinks cold in portable coolers? Always have lots of those and spread them around you. Around your bed, your office chair, behind your fan, everywhere! Buy twice as many as you need so you can use some and freeze some. Get the big ones. If the supermarkets are out, freeze plastic 1,5 litre water bottles.

Regarding keeping curtains closed: Sure, works to an extent. It's better to cut off sunlight before it touches your windows and well, enters inside at all. Try shutting down shutters, or hanging some kind of canopy to shade your glass surfaces in the first place.

Immerse dress in ice water. Wring out. Put on. This saved me at many a broiling craft fair when I was a vendor.

Also put your pillow case in the freezer until bedtime

For keeping hydrated, it's also important to be sure that there's enough salt in the food you eat. A lot of people eat less in the heat and without sodium your body can't absorb or use the water you do drink effectively. And you lose significant amounts of salt in your sweat.

Using other people's tweets as 97% of your article...yikes....

Gel cooling mats aren’t just for dogs. I sleep with a thin one under my sheet. Me and my dogs sleep comfortably now.