As the heat is rising to a record-breaking high as mentioned by the BBC, it is important to keep your office cool all the time to prevent dehydration and discomfort that stem from high temperatures. It is easy to keep your air conditioner running all the time to keep the office cool, but did you know that air conditioners are pollutants that are heavily damaging our atmosphere?

Actually, you don’t have to keep the air conditioners running all the time, for natural air is quite enough to keep your office cool and fresh all the time. Plus, it’s environmentally friendly as well! Here are some quick and effective ways to keep cool in your office.

Close the Windows

Common sense would tell you to keep the windows open to let the air in, cooling the room. But if the room you are in is cooler than outside, then you are simply letting hot air into the office, further increasing its heat. Furthermore, if you open the blind or the curtain, sunray will reach the room, scorching up the temperature. For this reason, unless there are strong winds, you might want to keep your windows and curtains shut throughout your office hours.

Keep Yourself Hydrated

Remember, water is your friend, not a foe. Keeping yourself hydrated is a crucial step in ensuring that your body always remains cool. If you are dehydrated, try getting yourself some ice water to cool yourself down. You should avoid tea or coffee, as they are often brewed and drunk when hot. When you are hydrated, the room will automatically feel much cooler and more comfortable. Know when you are dehydrated.

Get a Personal Fan

Air conditioners cause pollution. But communal fans aren’t simply doing their job well enough to cool you down on a hot day in the office. For this reason, you should consider getting your own personal fan as a measure to drive away from the heat. Personal fans are portable, so you can bring them anywhere you want. Plus, they don’t need an external power source as well.

Dabbing Ice on Your Pulse Points

Ice can do more than just cooling your water. If the heat is soaring too high, you can take a cube of ice and rub it around your pulse points on your wrists and your neck. This is because these areas have blood vessels that are closer to the skin. This will help cool you down quicker. You might also consider dipping your feet in a bowl of cold or iced water if it really did become too hot.

Change Your Chair

Sometimes the heat does not come from the air, but it’s actually from your chair. Most chairs, especially older models, are insulated with foam that is dense to support the body. This, however, restricts air circulation between the seat and the body. As a result, they can be quite terrible at venting heat away from your body. Consider sitting on mesh chairs. These are designed to allow ventilation to maintain body temperature while still offering comfort and support.

No one can work in a stuffy and hot office, so keeping your office cool and fresh all the time might actually be the morale boost that you need to finish your work. Just follow these 5 simple tips, and you will find the air much cooler and more tolerable in no time.