Help me survive this week’s heatwave

Close all curtains and shades upstairs after 9am and close windows. Same downstairs in any rooms as much as possible.

sleep in kids room or on sofa if loft room too hot

You need to shut them all. If the heat outside is high the hot hair will flood into house via windows sunny side or not !

I live in southern spain. In a pinch icepacks/ frozen bottles of water in front ofa good fan can cool a room down a few degrees.
Windows open very early morning to let cool air in, as soon as the air coming in is hotter than the air in the room close the window.
Freeze a filled hot water bottle.
Cool- not cold, shower before bed.
If possible get a ceiling fan fitted. Its been 35 here today and weve not needed the aircon on yet.

The portable air con unit will act as white noise to drown out the traffic. They are not quiet but will just become background white noise as if you are on an aeroplane or something.

If you plan to use it for a short while before bed then close the window as PP suggested, don’t underestimate how long it will take to get the room nice and cool.

They are a life saver. Helping me survive breastfeeding in this heat.

We take soggy tea towels and stick them in the freezer. They are great on the back of your neck to cool you down quickly.

If it's hotter outside keep the windows closed anyway - if you're up early when it's cooler it might be worth getting some cooler air.
Keep curtains and windows shut on the "sunny" side of your home.
Put ice cubes in a dish in front of a fan - it's supposed to cool you down (?)

I hate the heat - but my DH has a heart condition so air con for me would mean him rolled up in a duvet!🥵

Cooling blanket- search arc chill blanket on Amazon, much cooler than a regualr sheet. Also cool towels you wet them and they stay cool
for ages. I slept with just one of those over me last heatwave!
I was also researching those small round cool packs you get for kids bumps, thinking I could strap them to my inner wrists to cool down?

Get the air con unit. Cool your room down atleast an hour before you go to bed. Shut the window when you go to bed and the room should be cool enough for you to fall asleep. If you wake up hot in the night again, put the air con unit back on (they’re not that quiet but is fine to sleep with). Hopefully the traffic noise is quieter at 3am so you can have the hose out the window!

A damp cold tea towel around your neck may work. The cold water bottle in bed is a good idea too.
Some air con units need the pipe to be out the window I think. I’ve been putting the loft hatch down and it’s a slight difference and lots of fans on the go.
I can sympathize as it’s so hot just now and I hate it too.

Freeze a hot water bottle & put it in your bed around an hour before you get in