Bedrooms cool in 20 minutes using 2 items for ‘DIY air con’

With the UK enduring another heatwave, millions of people across the country are battling with the same issue – trying to fall asleep in stuffy, hot and humid bedrooms. Many homes in the UK are built to trap heat, so when temperatures reach sweltering daytime highs of 30C or more, the heat rises upstairs at night, making it tricky to sleep comfortably.

According to the Met Office, the UK is currently experiencing its third heatwave of the year, with hot, dry, and calm weather across much of England and Wales, where temperatures can reach 34-35°C in the south. In contrast, the far northwest is seeing more clouds and occasional rain or drizzle.

For anyone struggling to fall asleep in their bedrooms due to the heat, there are some tips and tricks to try that may help. One specialist has recommended trying one particular hack that she says should help cool bedrooms down in ’20 minutes’ and only a few items are required.

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, sleep specialist and neurophysiologist at Oak Tree Mobility, has shared a method people can try at home to create a ‘DIY air con’ to keep the rooms cool at night during hot weather.

She said: “Not being able to fall asleep in the heat can be incredibly frustrating and leave you feeling sleep-deprived. There are two key things you can do to try and get restful sleep in the summer months: cooling your environment and cooling your body.

“The optimum room temperature for sleeping soundly is 16-18C, but given how hot it’s going to be, that might be hard to achieve. There are some things you can do to cool your environment.”

Explaining her make-shift air con method, she said people just need a fan and two other items – a tray and a handful of ice cubes. “Place a tray of ice in front of a fan to create your own make-shift air con”, she said.

“The fan should be positioned so that it’s blowing over the tray, and as the ice melts in front of it, the room cools down. Do it for 20 minutes or so before going to bed to help cool your bedroom down.”

On top of this, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan says: “When it’s cooler outside than in, open your window and point a fan outwards to push hot air out. If your bedroom is upstairs and is too hot for sleeping, try sleeping downstairs. Heat rises, so if your home is split across more than one floor, you may be more comfortable on a lower floor.”

Other tips she shared to stay cool include taking steps as early in the day as possible. She suggests: “Close your windows and keep curtains and blinds shut to keep the heat of the sun out during the day. When the air is colder outside than in (generally very early in the morning and late at night), open your windows to allow air to circulate.”

She also recommends: “Plan to eat meals that don’t rely on the oven. Switch your bedding to more breathable natural fibres, like cotton or linen.”