With this year slated to be hotter than the one before, now is a good time to think about the heat and how to cope with it. I love these sunny days and the velvety tropical nights, but crikey, sometimes it can get almost unbearable just moving around. Last year I remember going to a supermarket that I knew had good air-con, and just idly pushing a half-empty shopping cart around for an hour, enjoying the cool of the meat counter as a welcome respite from the blistering heat outside.


Be Prepared!

This is the motto of the British Scout movement, but perhaps it’s a phrase we should use in relation to the heat too. The basics if you are out in it – and we all have to be at some point – is to wear sunglasses to protect the eyes, a hat for shade, and a high Factor sun lotion, particularly for children who have such sensitive skin. But in the home? A good idea is a fan for each room, so clean the winter dust from any you have, and make sure they are working. Misting fans can work really well to cool you down - they combine the functions of a traditional fan but also disperse water droplets into a fine mist, which is then blown out by the fan.

Air-conditioners might need a test run, check they aren’t still set on hot – the last thing you need to do is add more heat. Clean the filters regularly, especially as the Sahara winds blowing of late might be clogging them up.


Cooling tricks

Keep shutters closed and pull curtains if you have them on the sunny side of your house or apartment – you will lower the indoor temperature by a good 20%, and when the sun moves around, close the ones on the other side of your home as well. You can even make your own aircon unit – just place ice scattered with salt in front of your fan, and you will get nice cool air.

You could create a cross breeze in your home by opening the windows on both sides of the house. You can still keep the shutters closed, as the breeze will still get in.


Cooking – or not

Nobody wants to slave in a hot kitchen in the summer, so it might be an idea to cook something simple that doesn’t take much cooking. Left-over cold rice is easily made into a dish to include with a salad, and there are permutations aplenty on the internet or in recipe books. A simple recipe is to add some chopped olives, tomatoes, bell peppers, hard-boiled eggs, and perhaps some colourful beans, peas or sweetcorn, plus a good dollop of mayo and seasoning of choice. Or fire up the BBQ if you have one and cook outside, just do it safely away from dried grass and overhanging trees.


Sleeping at Night

This isn’t easy, and nothing is worse than tossing and turning, looking for a cool space in the bed! Having a cool shower just before retiring will make you feel more comfortable, and I read somewhere you could put your bedclothes in the fridge – but one idea I liked was adding icy-cold water to that hot-water bottle for cooling the sheets (or your feet). Some research shows that natural fibres can help you regulate your body temperature, so switching to breathable cotton or linen sheets in the summer could help you sleep better.


Rest if you can

‘Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability’ is a quote from Sam Keen, a well-known American author, professor, and philosopher. So take that nap in the afternoon if you need one, the heat is a good excuse to be lazy.


Sweatiness

Sweating, perspiring, dripping, glowing – however you want to say it - just can’t be helped. It is nature’s way of controlling your body temperature - as the water in the sweat evaporates, it cools the surface of the skin, so drink plenty (preferably water) and keep hydrated.

Personally, I think sweating is the outside of my cold beer coming out in sympathy.

Author

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan