How to Stay Cool During a UK Heatwave
You can’t have escaped the UK heatwave we're in the middle of right now. We’re simply not used to such hot weather in the UK. It’s too hot to go out, but British homes aren't designed for hot weather and air conditioning doesn't come as standard in the UK. Sleep becomes difficult, everything feels sticky and uncomfortable and even simple jobs feel exhausting.
I love warm weather, but there does come a point where everyone starts slowly melting and craving bags of ice in supermarket freezers - except they've all sold out!
Here are a few tips that I use to stay cool during a heatwave.
Keep Sunlight Out During the Day
One of the easiest things you can do is keep your curtains and blinds closed during the hottest parts of the day. It feels counterintuitive because your instinct is to throw open the windows and let the sunshine in, but keeping direct sunlight out can make a huge difference to room temperature.
This is especially important in south-facing rooms. Both my children’s bedrooms are south-facing at the front of the house. They have incredible views stretching over two distant commons, but they attract the heat far more than my bedroom at the back of the house. Children’s blackout blinds are actually ideal during a heatwave because they keep both sunlight and heat out.
Then later in the evening, once the temperature starts to drop, open everything up again.
There’s a reason Mediterranean countries keep shutters closed during the hottest hours of the day. They’ve had far more practice at this than we have.
Create a Cross Breeze
If you can, open windows on opposite sides of the house and keep internal doors open to encourage air to move through the rooms rather than just sitting still.
Fans help, but you can make them feel cooler by placing a bowl of ice water in front of them. As the air passes over the ice it feels fresher and cooler by the time it reaches the rest of the room.
It’s not air conditioning, but at 2am it can feel surprisingly close.
Cool Your Pulse Points
Cooling pulse points like your wrists, neck and ankles can help you feel cooler more quickly because blood vessels sit close to the surface of the skin in these areas, making them especially sensitive to temperature changes.
I soak a flannel in cold water and keep it in a glass food container in the fridge, then place it on my neck or wrists when I’m feeling overheated. If you need something quicker, simply running your wrists under a cold tap for a few seconds can help.
Cooling your feet before bed also makes a huge difference. I think people often underestimate quite how much hot feet can stop you sleeping. College Green Sleep Easy bath soak is brilliant used as a foot bath - but in summer, the water can be cold (add ice cubes for extra cooling!)
Freeze Your Bedding (Yes Really)
This sounds ridiculous until you try it.
Put your pillowcases in a bag and place them in the freezer for half an hour before bedtime. Putting your head onto a cold pillow makes getting into bed during a heatwave feel slightly more manageable.
It doesn’t stay cold for long, but sometimes even ten minutes of relief feels wonderful.
Eat Like Hot Countries Do
Heavy meals make you feel hotter, so it’s worth taking a few tips from people who actually live in very hot countries.
When I was in Valencia last summer it was unbelievably hot and it took us a few days to adjust to the rhythm of everything. For the first few evenings we went out for dinner at our usual time and were often the only people in the restaurant (spot the Brits!) Then when we tried to go to bed, all we could hear outside was the sound of people going out for the evening.
Of course they were eating later because it was cooler.
Lighter meals, salads, fruit, yoghurt, cucumber and cold drinks all feel far more appealing in hot weather than heavy comfort food.
Use Essential Oils Carefully in Hot Weather
Some scents naturally feel psychologically cooler and fresher, particularly mint, citrus and eucalyptus oils.
Fresh scents like:
- peppermint
- eucalyptus
- grapefruit
- lemon
can help rooms feel fresher when the air feels heavy and muggy.
My Focus room spray works particularly well during hot weather because the bright citrus, mint and eucalyptus notes seem to cut through that heavy, stuffy feeling that builds up indoors during a heatwave.
A few sprays of a fresh citrus and mint blend can make a room feel mentally fresher even when temperatures are still high outside. There’s more about how Focus can help with studying here, including the same refreshing, clarity-boosting properties that make it so useful during hot weather.
One important note though. Some essential oils, particularly citrus oils, can increase sun sensitivity on skin, so always use them carefully in summer.
How to Sleep During a Heatwave
Night-time is definitely the hardest part of a heatwave.
A few things that help:
- a lukewarm shower before bed
- lightweight cotton bedding
- keeping lights low in the evening
- avoiding alcohol before bed
- avoiding doom-scrolling on your phone
- cooling your feet before getting into bed
I also find that keeping a familiar bedtime routine helps, even when sleep feels difficult. During hot weather people often become overtired and overstimulated without really noticing it.
This is where calming scents can really help signal to your brain that it’s time to slow down.
Sleep Easy was originally created to help calm busy minds before bed and the lavender and chamomile blend works beautifully during hot weather when sleep feels unsettled and restless. Read more about how aromatherapy can help you sleep better, naturally here.
A Slower Pace is Sometimes Necessary
Heat affects concentration, mood and energy levels more than we often realise. Everything feels harder work.
Sometimes the best thing you can do during a heatwave is simply stop fighting it..
Slow evenings, lighter meals, open windows, cool showers, fresh bedding and calming scents all help create a sense of comfort when the weather feels overwhelming.
And if all else fails, there’s always the freezer pillowcase trick.