I haven’t been diagnosed with MS but have been having neurological symptoms for the last three years. These include nerve pains, tingling, buzzing and running ants feelings, numbness, headaches, heart palps, extreme pressure sensation around my middle, muscle twitches/spasms and heat sensitivity.
I am suffering at the moment because of the heat. For the last couple of years I have been very sensitive to heat and really struggle in the summer months, heat makes me feel unwell, I feel sick, dizzy, get very twitchy, muscle spasms and heart palpitations. Once temperatures reach about 22 degrees I start having symptoms.
It is currently 24 degrees in my flat and I feel awful. I live in a studio flat with just one window and it has become very hot the last few days because it’s so sunny outside. I only moved here in March, thinking it would be cooler in summer as it’s on the ground floor, however not the case. My previous flat got so hot in the summer last year that and I had to stay at my parents house most nights a week to get me through the heat (they have a lovely cool basement bedroom). But because of the lockdown and my parents ages I can’t do that this year and I am really struggling. Last night I could only cool the temperate down to 23 degrees and I didn’t sleep until after 2AM and kept waking up and got about 4 hours. I don’t have a garden or outside space either so feel so trapped inside and I don’t want to go outside in the day time because of Covid. I’ve been getting up at 6.30 in the morning a couple of times a week and going for a walk then as it’s quieter, so that’s helps me but as soon as I get back inside it’s like an oven.
Does anyone else suffer with heat sensitivity and what do you do to stay cool indoors when it’s hot? I’ve got a fan and positioned it in front of the window, which worked great a few weeks ago when it was colder but not anymore.
What about cooling vests or ice pack vests? Has anyone used them and do they help and where do you buy them in the UK?I’ve seen some on amazon but they are pricey and don’t have any/many reviews so I’m not sure if they would be any good. Maybe I could make my own and get some gel ice packs, but read that they can often rip and leak.
I use the gel ‘chillow pillows’ i have 2 and put them in the fridge all day.Then on a night i take them out and use one on my pillow.They really help me get off to sleep when its hot.You can get them on ebay and amazon.I also invested in a mobile air con unit but they are expensive and noisy,but i couldnt do without mine now as i struggle a lot in this heat.
I’m very sensitive to heat, so can sympathise. I live in a south-facing flat, and get the sun a lot. So I keep my blinds closed, to keep the sun off (I can swivel the blinds, to let some light in, but not the sun).
Cold showers are the very best thing I do. When I’m in the shower, I get the shower head and move it up & down the inside of my forearm for a few minutes. This cools your blood down, which then gets pumped round the rest of your body & cools it down (like the opposite of central heating!). Or a quicker & easier option is to bend your wrists back and hold them under the cold tap for a few minutes. The effect doesn’t last as long as a cold shower, but it does help me.
And this is an example of the scarf that Jen mentioned. I’ve got one, and it’s nice to have a cooling thing round your neck.
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hi dont you have a downstairs door outside? I have mine open all day. my best purchase as my flat hits the sun all day, is a cooling oscillator with water. i think i paid 70.00 for it, and it makes me too cold sometimes lol.
this is similar to mine.
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open your window wide first thing you need to cut down the sun coming in which makes it hot. do you not have an outside area?
some good ideas from every one i like sues cheap and cheerful.
surely you have more then one window, do you you not have a kitchen, and bathroom, i would open all the windows.
I keep my windows closed when it’s hot so as not to let the warm air in. Feet in a bowl of cold water is great for cooling the body down, roll on Autumn.
I know they can be expensive but to help with your issue buy a portable aircon unit. You’ll have to have it by a window so the hose can go out and then buy a Aircon Window seal to stop any hot air coming in. I bought one for my sons room to help keep him cool. Yes they can be a little noisy but rather that than be to hot. I bought mine for £400 + £15 for Window seal. Great investment imo. Look on (removed by moderator) if needed. They are heavy so get some help.
I use a variety of methods some work better than others, non are pricey.
I have about 6 ice towels bought from eBay (also known as sports towels) wet, ring and shake and wear over my shoulders or round my neck when they get warm shake again and they’re cold again, only problem is your clothes get wet! Which is fine if you’re not going out (but I don’t care and prefer feeling cooler) I also use them dry in bed to soak up sweat.
I also wear cycling scarves, they’re tubes and come in gazillions of patterns and colours for anyone, designed to make your cycling helmet more comfy I keep one wet on my head (also your hair can be a right mess underneath and nobody knows)
Another useful if unconventional one is a pet cooling mat they’re similar to a chillow but you don’t need to add water, I bought a large one last year and want another because they absorb your heat when you’re sitting on them, so I need a second while the other is cooling down.
I would put links up but mods will likely remove them.
incidently my room thermometer is reading 26.6 as I type! Yuck!
I also suffer when it gets too hot. I do have a portable air con unit but they are expensive. I bought a really good electric personal fan which has an inbuilt water sprayer and can take with me when I go out, ice towels are good, damp towels put in freezer then hang on chair in front of a desktop fan can be good. I use the pet cooling gel pads at night, put them in fridge, they are much cheaper and bigger than the ones designed for humans!
I hope everyone is well. Some useful tips on here. A shame that links are removed!! Rather counter-productive even if it does prevent the forums being marketed to by companies.
Has anyone come across any other good cooling products / reviews of such products. Google results for “cooling vests” only seems to reveal links to people selling specific products with no indication as to whether they are effective / value for money.
I have MS/Optic Neuritis and suffer from blurred vision when my body temperature increases. As the years go by and my symptoms worse, I have noticed that my vision appears to worsen with less of an increase in my body temperature. As a consequence, I would like to invest in some decent cooling wear which allows me to go for walks, garden, ride my bike, work at home and even run without my vision blurring so much / so quickly. Aircon may be what i need for home working but cooling wear will be useful in all other circumstances.
Feedback on products would be very useful. If you have any other hints / tips (other than the really obvious ones at Top tips for staying cool in the heat | MS Society) I would be grateful to receive them.
Hi there,
I suffer from heat intolerance too. I find cold showers help. I find it bearable in the summer months but it’s only a quick in and out shower I can handle, during the winter.
Best,
JP
My problem with heat is all about my head. It really feels as though I can’t control the temperature of my brain any more.
I use a cooling gel pillow pad in bed. You don’t have to refrigerate it - it draws heat away from your head. For greater effect, you can stick it in the fridge for a bit as well.
Also, gel packs that go in the freezer are brilliant for cooling you down once overheated. We have 4 in the freezer and I might use 2 in the same day. Always on my head & neck and be careful not to overuse or it can be like getting an ice cream headache.