The HEAT...what to do against it?

Gosh, I never liked hot weather, but I could still survive summer back in Europe, where the temperature can be high, but it’s never as humid as here. I can’t stand this kind of heat here in Taiwan. Everybody tells me that I’ll get used to it, but I don’t think I ever will. So what do you guys do against the heat?

I can’t sleep at night, cause it’s too hot. Our bed feels humid and our bedroom starts to heat up at dawn. So I bought ourselves one of these bamboo mats to put on your bed yesterday. A little hard, but really cools you down.

We sleep with the windows open, but there is not much air coming in as all the neighbouring houses are built too close and there is no room for air or even wind. I suppose it’s also not very good for our health either since air in Taipei is not exactly fresh…

We’ve bought 2 airconditioners in April, but then again my boyfriend starts to feel cool after i’ve turned it on for a while. We also try not to spend too much money on electricity…=(

All Taiwanese people tell me not to drink too cold beverages. I don’t really know why, but they say it’s not good for your health.

Our apartment is constructed really, really bad. The neighbouring houses are too close. The windows are too small and too little. At dawn the bedroom gets heated up, during the day, the sun shines into the living room I’m working in. So even if it’s not too hot outside, like today, it’s still 30 degrees in our apartment! I’ve found out that our fridge probably might heat up the atmosphere a little, but besides that I don’t know…

So how do I fight the heat? Any advise?

No, you’ll probably never get used to it. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite for me. I really didn’t mind it at all when I first arrived here, and hardly even bothered to use a fan, let alone air-conditioning. But as the years have gone by, I’ve found it harder and harder to bear, and now, in my 19th summer in Taiwan, I absolutely depend on the aircon for survival.

My wife and I also have the same problem as you and your boyfriend. When I turn the air-conditioning to what I consider a comfortable temperature, she finds it terribly chilly. But as I can’t possibly sleep at night without it on, we turn it to a level that I can just about find bearable, and then she wears thick pyjamas and snuggles up under a quilt while I sleep in the raw with just a thin sheet over me. That way, we can both just about manage to get a decent night’s sleep.

This may be a wee bit off topic, but…

The perfect partner is from the south, loves the heat. Of course, my corpulancey and fondness for late-nite Haagen-Daaz means I sweat more than a cop in a Sharon Stone interview.

We are still in negotiations, no a/c and fan on low. But when her pefection is waning, she can get downright mean about the entire subject. Staying at her place is not an option what with her tiny fan that couldn’t cure a hot flash. What is a love-lorn Toe to do?

Mesheel, I always found that shaving my head made the heat bearable, well almost.

You could always join Sandman in his naked shopping excursions.

Oh look! Toe Save is back!

Buy one of those fans with a sweeping action (most have this)that stand on the floor at about bed height . Put it on your side of the bed so you get most of the air flow, this should keep you cooler & your bf will not be too cool.

I have put ceiling fans in my place which look good & are more pleasant than having the air con blasting away all the time, but they do tend to play havoc with the candles when I am going for a romantic atmosphere…

Well, I personally am totally aircon-dependant now, but I remember many years ago coming to Taiwan as a student, I only had a small fan to cool me off and it worked. For me, I remember the best strategy was to direct the fan at the feet only, apparently the more temperature-sensitive part of the body … try it out mesheel, maybe it works for you?!? Xpet.

Avoid hot and sweaty sex. The less physical activity you engage in, the cooler you will stay.

Eating cabbage promotes natural cooling.

I haven’t seen them here, but in the U.S. they sold gel-filled cloths to put in the fridge, and then to wrap around your neck when you go out. Popular in Arizona.

Drink lots of water. Swim. Splash yourself with water. Soak your T-shirt in water and sit in front of the fan. Don’t wear pants at home. Too much AC will make you sick. If you are fat go on a diet. Excercise but not when you have been exhausted from the heat for too long. Go swimming. Learn to move slowly when it really is freakin hot. Anyway, these are my stratagies. Good luck.

sleep on the nice cool concrete floor. put a blanket or two down and enjoy. peopel survived a longtime before the creation of AC.

If it is the difference between getting a good night’s sleep or not, then why not sleep in different rooms? Yes, I am an unromantic bastard, but isn’t it a little strange that the norm is for a couple to sleep in the same bed even in a large house with lots of spare rooms/beds.

Well “unromantic bastard” options are much broader. eg kill your boyfriend & put him in the freezer during the day . Bring him out & place him in your bed 20 mins before retiring. This will ensure a nice cool bed
& something to keep you cool throughout the night. Return him to the freezer in the morning . This will also remove his complaints about air con, the electricity bill & any unwanted demands for sweaty sex.

Move to the hills / mountains. I live on the 12th floor of a building on a hill - almost always a nice breeze through the windows. It does get warm enough to turn on the fan now and then, but I never have to use the aircon.

What do you think my boyfriend keeps complaining about?

Not fat yet, but might be soon as I can’t move too quick in this heat.

Seriously, we now sleep in the same room on a bamboo mat over our mattress without aircon but with fan on. The fan is on his side, but I still get a little air from it. It’s not that hot anymore but like this, but the thing is though, that I keep waking up with a headache and sometimes even swollen eyes. That can’t be the solution, can it?

I thought I was completely dependent upon a/c for comfort. However, coincidentally, our main a/c and the one in our bedroom are both having problems currently. We have been sleeping the past week without a/c and I am suprised at how easy it is for me… we do use a fan… but no a/c.

mesheel… why not get one of those bags that are filled with some sort of coolant that you put in the freezer for a while and then put it on your head. It will cool your blood which will then be circulated throughout your body, thus cooling the rest of you. Maybe?

I wouldn’t be able to survive without air-cons. Normally I leave it running during daytime as to keep the place cool and dry (helps also somewhat against insects like mosquitos and cockroaches). When I go to bed I switch all air-cons off and back on in the morning when I wake up (one manually, one via timer).
7 years in Malaysia and nearly 3 in Taiwan let me conclude that I will never get used to the humidity.

Maybe you can try to run the air-con 2 hours at 20 degree C before going to bed, then switch it off. Keep the windows and doors closed so that the heat can’t get in that quickly.

AC on all night. Turn it up real cold, so you still sleep under a blanket. You’ll feel much better. Give your bloke an extra duvet.

Personally, I’m loving the temperature this summer. Hasn’t been too hot once yet. At the moment it’s almost cold.

Brian

I lived without A/C for a few years and only survived the heat by freezing a couple of store bought bags of water and keeping these under my feet. The “cold bags” are readily available at Tesco and are very cheap. Drinking watermelon juice will lower your body temp too.

do a lot of hard exercise which will raise your ability to cope with the heat-and reduce your fat ratio. Try to exercise before 8.30am or after 5pm otherwise you’ll overheat a little. Eat more fruit and veges, drink water.

I used to weekly hike ChiShingShan from 5:45-7am, then soak in a Japanese outdoor hotspring for half an hour on the way home. Very relaxing and invigorating (because would jump into the cold water too).

Also, a tip from Maoman in a previous thread…run cold water over your wrists, the veins there are close to the surface and will help cool your body.

Everyday? Bet you were in excellent shape. I’ve only done that twice and I found it moderately difficult.

I bought something I can only call a “gel mask” (gel-filled mask that you wear over your eyes) at Watson’s for NT$29. I put them in the fridge and when I feel a headache coming on I wear one to bed. I use them for migraines but I’m sure they’d help cool you down.