Netizen asks for tips from people who work from home and don’t use air-cond: ‘How do you survive in this insane heat?’

SINGAPORE: As summer in Asia goes into full swing, the heat and humidity make life uncomfortable in Singapore. This situation has caused one Reddit user to ask for tips on managing the heat, especially for those who work from home.

“My job is hybrid so I spend a few days WFH-ing,” wrote u/tossaway3244 on r/AskSingapore on Monday (Apr 24). “My parents cant afford 24/7 aircon at home unfortunately so I have to spend whole days every time fighting it in the sweltering heat.

Even at full fan blast, I can still feel the heat and sweat everywhere…even at night! Mosquitoes also bite my feet everytime.”

The post author asked if “anyone else fall(s) under the same circumstance? How do you deal with this?” and edited the post to say, “I also just learnt Singapore’s temperature right now is even hotter than some places in the Middle East… 31 degrees currently.”

A severe heatwave has been observed throughout Asia, with Thailand recently seeing its hottest reading in history, 45.39 degrees.

Weather historian Maximiliano Herrera had called soaring temperatures from India to China to Thailand to Japan a “monster Asian heat wave like none before” and warned that it would only worsen.

Another scorching day in Asia with records falling every day
Highest in India was 44.6C at Prayagraj
In Bangladesh stifling hot:43.0C at Ishurdi -April record tied from 1963,1980 & 1995
In Myanmar 44.0C at Kalewa -April record
In Nepal 41.7C at Bhairawa

It will just get worse pic.twitter.com/IaqI2yZSj9

— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) April 17, 2023

Fortunately, helpful souls offered advice in the comments to the post.

“I just turn on the fan and drink more water throughout the day. Oh, and I am in shorts and SAF running singlet unless I have zoom calls, in which I switch to a dry-fit t-shirt. It’s hot, yes, but still not unbearably so for me,” wrote one.

“No aircon at home. I end up spending money on a co-working space membership nearby my area,” another chimed in.

“Try out the dehumidifying mode or “water droplet” mode on the air con. It’s alot more energy saving, and it cools down the room as much as air conditioning does.”

“I go library and work. Free aircon and wifi. Win win,” another suggested.

“My house doesn’t have any aircon installed. So I do the following if it gets really hot:

• wear airy and light clothing
• open windows
• use my ceiling fan
• take a cold shower
• drink plenty of water,” another suggested.

One chimed in, “Try closing your curtains in the day if your work space is exposed to direct sunlight. A bowl of ice in front of your fan helps too. Also, get a dehumidifier. Personally I feel that most of the stuffiness comes from the humidity. Also, thin and loose fitting clothes really help.”

Others reassured the post author that air-conditioner charges are not that expensive anymore.

/TISG

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