How to cope in a heatwave - according to you

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. How to cope in a heatwave - according to youImage source, Annie Smith/Jess JepsonByGrace DeanPublished11 minutes agoAs the UK swelters through some of its hottest June nights on record, people have been looking for more creative ways to stay cool. While some told News they are happy to stick with tried-and-tested methods such as keeping blackout curtains shut all day, others are turning to slightly more unorthodox methods to get a small reprieve from the stifling heat. So, here are your DIY hacks to coping in a heatwave.

Keeping your home cool: I bought survival blankets for my windowsBethan Earley, from Rugby, tries to keep her home cool by putting foil blankets on the outside of her windows before closing them. "The house does still get warm," she told Your Voice, "but it takes much longer to warm up. "John Turbefield, 38, from Chichester, says he has placed white bed sheets on the outside of the windows in some of the hottest rooms in his house.

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Over the weekend he bought a pack of survival blankets - often used to help athletes regulate their body temperature - and placed them on the remaining windows. "They're designed to reflect heat and they are large, so they're ideal for taping to the window frame to reflect most of the light back out," he says. John says he has also stocked his freezer with two-litre plastic bottles of water, which he places in front of and behind the five fans he has set up around his house.

However, he says anyone who wants to copy him will need patience: large bottles may take a couple of days to freeze, he adds. Image source, John TurbefieldImage caption, John says he's stocked his freezer with two-litre plastic bottles of water, which he places near the five fans he has around his houseThe UK Health Security Agency advises people to only open their windows when the air feels cooler outside than inside - and to turn off non-essential electronics that can generate heat, such as TVs, laptops and chargers. Getting your Zzzs: I put the bed sheet in the freezer shortly before bedtime Stephanie Reed, 39, from Chorley, says it's important for her to stay cool because extreme heat triggers her epilepsy.

At night, she now wets a hand towel and lays it across the end of her bed. She then sleeps with her feet and ankles on it. "It helps to regulate body temperature and it does stay cool all night," she says.

Image source, Stephanie ReedImage caption, Stephanie Reed, 39, says extreme heat triggers her epilepsy so it's important to stay coolStephanie says she has also started sprinkling her seven-year-old daughter's bed sheet with water and putting it in the freezer for about half an hour before bedtime - long enough for it to be cool for falling asleep on, but not long enough for it to actually freeze. Gordon Cooper, 73, from High Wycombe, told Your Voice that he hangs a wet bath towel in his bedroom and places his fan nearby to help cool down the room. Others have been changing where they sleep to escape the stifling heat.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.