Summers have traditionally been welcomed as a time for lazy days basking in the sun, trips to the beach, picnics in the park, and barbecues in the garden.
However, climate change is making UK summers hotter, with scorching heatwaves. In 2022, temperatures exceeded 40C for the first time.
This makes it more important than ever to stay cool in summer to avoid problems such as increased risk of health issues.
You’ll also want to know how to make life at home more comfortable indoors and in the garden during spells of extreme heat, especially if you have a conservatory that becomes a sweltering greenhouse as temperatures soar.
Here, you’ll find all you need to know about keeping cool in summer.
How to keep cool and stay healthy in hot weather
Prolonged spells of high temperatures mean greater risks to our health, particularly among children, older people, and those with a serious long-term medical condition.
The main concerns are:
- Dehydration.
- Heat exhaustion.
- Heat stroke, a life-threatening condition.
In the home, you can help to avoid issues like these – and make life more pleasant – by:
- Closing windows during the day.
- Using window shades.
- Opening windows at night.
- Taking cool showers or baths.
When out and about, it’s advisable to:
- Stay out of late morning and early afternoon sun.
- Wear light, loose cotton clothes.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF).
You also need to drink plenty of fluids during the day – but not too much caffeine or alcohol, which increases the risk of dehydration.
How to keep cool through the night
Many people find it difficult to get a good night's sleep when it’s excessively hot. It can impair our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep because core body temperature fails to drop to regulate the sleep cycle.
Our tips for countering this problem to get better summer sleep are:
- Don’t nap during the day – you’ll feel less tired at night.
- Avoid soft drinks containing caffeine, such as cola.
- Take a lukewarm shower before going to bed.
- Use thin cotton bed sheets, which absorb sweat.
- Close bedroom window curtains or blinds during the day if the room gets a lot of direct sunlight.
- Open bedroom windows when the air is cooler and the room in shade.
- Use an electric fan for a couple of hours before bedtime to improve air circulation.
If you still can’t sleep, get up and do something calming, such as reading a book or listening to soothing music.
Avoid using a smartphone or tablet if you can’t get to sleep. The blue light disrupts production of the natural sleep hormone melatonin.
How to keep cool in the garden
We all love to spend time in the garden during summer. When it gets too hot, though, you need to take precautions to avoid heat-related health problems.
We recommend that you:
- Avoid overexertion when gardening in high temperatures.
- Rest in a shady area if possible.
- Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-coloured clothes like cotton that don’t absorb heat.
- Keep your head covered.
- Drink plenty of water (don’t wait until you’re thirsty to rehydrate – it could be too late).
How to keep cool in your conservatory
If you have a conservatory, it provides an ideal gateway between your home interior and your outside space. However, conservatories with poor roof insulation can become unbearably hot in summer, and the build-up of heat has nowhere to escape.
If it’s really hot and humid outside and there’s not much of a breeze, opening your conservatory windows and doors will only result in more heat circulating around the conservatory. And opening the conservatory internal doors will allow more heat to radiate into the house.
The problem is that glass or plastic conservatory roofs are poor insulators. If you replace your conservatory roof with insulated aluminium panels, it will not only make your conservatory cooler in summer but also warmer in winter, helping to keep energy bills down.
Other ways to help lower conservatory temperatures in summer include:
- Install heat-reflective window film.
- Invest in air conditioning.
- Choose lightweight conservatory furniture like rattan or bamboo, which allows for greater airflow.
- Use plants to reduce humidity – lapageria and plumbago, for example.
Stay cool and carry on!
Besides threatening the environment, excessively hot weather as a result of global warming can make everyday life seem intolerable. It also poses serious health risks. And heatwaves are likely to become more intense and frequent in the future.
We hope our tips for staying cool in summer will give you a better chance of beating the heat indoors, in the garden, and in your conservatory, while you continue to enjoy your summer fun.
