Once again, the writing of Current wife lends itself to the game of giving you its best advice, tested and approved. These tricks are revealed by the team’s journalists in a series of videos called The indispensable and broadcast on our Instagram account. My name is Agathe, I am a Lifestyle/Art de vivre web editor. I write articles that range from practical life to astrology to wellness and gardening. In this one, I wanted to tackle the recurring subject of all summers: cooling off during the hot weather! It may have already kept you up at night. Since I discovered these 3 techniques, I ritualize them and fall asleep every time. May they work for you too!
1. The shower… Warm!
The first step in my anti-heat wave sleep ritual is a classic: take a shower before going to bed. ATTENTION ! Above all, do not set the water temperature to cold. This is a very common mistake. Contact with the cold risks creating a thermal shock within the body. What’s more, his reaction to this attack will be to do everything to keep the temperature at 37°C. With a hot or warm shower, the body begins to sweat to evacuate the heat and create a feeling of freshness. So much for the theory.
More concretely, I put both feet in the shower and I sprinkle my legs, my feet and my arms before putting water on my face and my neck. A few seconds or minutes are enough, the time for immediate well-being. With lukewarm water, the feeling lasts. But that’s not always enough to put me to sleep!
2. Ventilator breathing
Have you ever heard of fan breathing? In the yoga world, it is called “Shitali”. Rest assured : this simple technique does not require any particular equipment or position. Personally, I do it as soon as I’m too hot and I don’t have access to water or it wasn’t enough to bring my temperature down: at the office, in my bed, in transport…
Shitali is a refreshing breath easy to reproduce:
- Start by opening the mouth and forming an ‘o’ with the lips to allow the tongue to form a roll (it should be folded in half, on either side of each cheek)
- Good to know: 35% of the population is not physically able to roll their tongue. An alternative is to stick the tongue to the palate against the upper teeth.
- Inspiration takes place through the mouth; exhale through the nose, mouth closed.
- The ideal is to do this breathing for 5 minutes but a few complete cycles are already enough to feel freshness in the body.
It is magic ? The cool air on the palate stimulates and cools the central nuclei of the brain, the thermostat of the body’s thermal regulation. Body heat is regulated and promotes perspiration. Try it, you’ll see, it feels good!
3. The wet towel
My last resort to ensure rock-solid sleep is a wet towel! Soaked in water (ideally lukewarm) and wrung out (why not recover the one from the shower previously taken, by the way!), I have three options:
- sponging it regularly on my face, arms and feet.
- put it in front of a source of “coolness” such as a fan or an open window
- (best option) put it directly on my body and fall asleep with it. Tested and approved in a non-air-conditioned room in Valencia with almost 40°C. It is dreadful!
Nice summer !
Read also :
⋙ Heat waves: will we soon be entitled to a “heat wave” if the thermometer continues to climb?
⋙ Heat wave: 5 mistakes not to make with baby in case of high heat
⋙ High heat: why it also impacts your mental health, according to a specialist