Steamy Nights.

 Yes! I thought that title would get your attention you naughty reader! But what I am actually referring to is the humidity caused by the heatwave we are experiencing in my neck of the woods at the moment.

Feeling hot, hot hot...

I love sunshine and on the whole I don't mind heat. I even survived the Valley of the Kings in Egypt wearing trousers, long-sleeved top and a head-covering worn partly to protect my head and neck from the searing sun, and partly to fend off curious and, frankly, randy Eygyptian men who were fascinated by my blonde hair. I quickly learned to keep my hair hidden!

But I hate being hot at night. And over the years I have discovered a number of ways to keep cool which I thought I would share with you.

Number 1. Air conditioning. Obviously. It works. It keeps you cool. But most people don't have it (including me) so unless you can book into a good hotel it's not really an option.

Number 2. Wet towels. I have been known to get up in the night to soak a towel in cool water and then lie with it draped over myself. ( I was going to write "draped over my hot body" but it sounded wrong!)  Cons - every time you move it has to be re-arranged and it doesn't stay cool for very long.

Number 3. Ice packs in the bed or a hot water bottle filled with cold water. Put ice packs in the bed before you get in it - bliss getting into cold sheets but again, not so good for middle of the night wake-ups.

Back in cooler times

Number 4. A drive in the car with air con or windows open. My long-suffering DH took me for a drive every night through a heatwave when I was pregnant with Grumpy. I fouhnd if I was cool and tired when I got into bed I could sleep most of the night. And the combination of a drive and breeze through the windows did the trick. We explored all around our immediate region and found lots of new and beautiful areas. It was fun but again, driving at 4am not so ideal.

Number 5. Find a cool spot. The coolest room in our house at night is the lounge and I often crawl out of bed and head downstairs to spend the rest of the night stretched out on our leather sofa under an open window. But unless I drag our double bed downstairs it's not ideal. (I miss DH even with his snoring and spiteful and selfish emitting of body heat etc) And lie-ins are out of the question as my younger children hurtle downstairs at the first glimpse of sunlight.

Number 6. Fans. I have tried big ones and handheld ones, with or without water. But the noise annoys me. Having said that after enjoying the breeze from the light/ceiling fan when I stayed with my mu in Cyprus I managed to track a cheap one down (£19.99 in Argos!). I can't say I love the design but my bedroom is no showcase of taste and uber-trendy design so if it keeps me cool I don't care. I can;t tell you if it works though because DH has been so busy he is still only halfway through fitting it. I reckon by the time he has fitted it, it will be Christmas. But I'll let you know next summer how we get on with it!

If you have any top tips for keeping cool at night which I haven't tried yet I'd love to hear them! Comment below!