Struggling to fall asleep in a hot, stuffy bedroom during a heatwave is a common frustration. While fans may seem like a solution, they often just circulate warm air. Now, an A&E doctor has shared clever hacks that could cool your bedroom by up to eight degrees before bedtime.
The Doctor's Step-by-Step Guide
Dr Ahmed, known as the 'healthcare Gordon Ramsay' on TikTok with 569,000 followers, outlined his methods in a viral video. He promised to 'tell you how to survive tonight' with three simple steps.
Step One: Prepare Ice
'Take a large tray of ice and put it in the freezer,' he instructed. 'We'll come back to that later.'
Step Two: Ventilate the Loft
'If your house has a loft, open the loft hatch. If the loft has a window, open the loft window. Warm air rises – it will rise up into the loft and outside your house, cooling down your top floor, where your bedroom probably is, by a lot.'
Step Three: Create Cross-Ventilation
'Half an hour to an hour before bedtime, take two fans. Put one against your bedroom window facing outside, blowing air out. The other in another room on the same floor on the window, blowing air in. In and out, create circulation in the house. Do this an hour before bed so the outside air is cooler and it will pull cool air inside, cooling everything down.'
The Final Step: Ice and Fan
'Now, finishing with step one. Take that ice tray and put it in front of your fan. Put some salt over it to lower its melting temperature even more, and that fan will blow cool air from the ice all over you, chilling you down so much. Now you will sleep in a room that is at least six to eight degrees cooler than it was last night.'
Viewers Share Their Own Tips
Commenters added their suggestions. One advised: 'Also keep your windows and curtains shut during the day.' Another echoed: 'Open at night. Shut in the day. My south-facing bedroom is lovely and cool.' A third explained: 'If it's 30 degrees outside, 25 inside, opening the window lets all the 30-degree heat in. Windows shut to stop heat, curtains shut to stop the sun heating your home like a greenhouse. At sunset, open windows wide until sunrise, then shut windows and curtains. Rinse and repeat throughout heatwave.'
Another user shared: 'I put a hot water bottle in the freezer and hug it when I go to bed.' One commenter from Australia offered a different perspective: 'I'm in bed with my electric blanket on high, cosy bed socks and thickest pyjamas. Trying to keep my house at minimum 15 degrees, but here insulation is poor. Overnight will get down to eight degrees. Enjoy your summer.'
