The UK is sweltering under a fourth heatwave of the year, with temperatures peaking at 35C on Wednesday. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber heat-health alert for the East Midlands, East of England, South East, and London, in effect from Tuesday to Thursday. The agency warned that rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.
What is the Egyptian sleep method?
The Egyptian sleep method, a viral hack for staying cool on hot nights, involves dampening a sheet or towel with cool water to lower body temperature while sleeping. Purported to date back to ancient Egypt, it relies on evaporative cooling, the same principle as sweating.
One expert said: "It may improve sleep in hot, dry climates without air conditioning, but it is less effective in humid conditions and can potentially irritate sensitive skin. While generally safe for most healthy adults, proper ventilation, lightweight fabrics, and not over-wetting the sheet are key to making this cooling trick work comfortably."
Expert advice on application
Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatry and sleep medicine expert, said: "The Egyptian sleep method involves sleeping under a damp sheet, which cools off from evaporation. Because water absorbs heat as it evaporates, your body temperature drops as the water gradually evaporates. Some variations of this method suggest sleeping in minimal (or no) clothing. Another alternative is to wear a damp T-shirt to bed. For the best results, make sure that your bedroom is well-ventilated to avoid trapping excess humidity."
Lifestyle Homecare offered additional tips: "It can be very stressful trying to keep yourselves and others cool, especially helping the elderly, children or pets to keep cool when temperatures soar. Don’t use frozen pads etc instead pop some damp towels into the fridge to cool. Once they are suitably cold, lay them out inside a bin bag, cover them with a blanket and use them as a makeshift cooling mat to sit on/hold on their lap."
Using towels to cool a room
RBC provided advice on using wet towels to cool the air: "A regular bath towel can be an effective way to keep your bedroom cooler. Simply dampen the towel with water and hang it in front of an open window to create a cooling effect. As air passes through the damp fabric, some of the water evaporates. This evaporation absorbs heat from the air, making the airflow cooler. However, the key to this method is air circulation. It only works if air is actively moving through the towel. A damp towel hanging in still air will have little effect. The trick is also effective when used with a fan that blows air through the towel. If you’re placing a damp towel in front of a fan, choose one that’s roughly the same size as the fan’s air intake—not significantly smaller or larger."
