Summer temperatures have hit. As the mercury steadily rises throughout the day, I begin to sweat. Sweating while working or playing outside is no problem; it is expected and not bothersome. But sweating while sitting in my home or car is a problem that is borderline miserable.

You and I do not have to suffer through the heat in misery. There are ways to beat the heat, or at least lessen the negative effects of the hot sun.

If you are dreading the hot heat in your home, follow these simple tips to stay cooler throughout the summer months.

• Use air conditioning. Duh. Of course using air conditioning will keep your home cooler, but not everyone has a central air conditioning unit to keep the whole house at a perfect temperature. But just because you do not, does not mean that you have to suffer in heat. The best option, in my opinion, is a window air conditioning unit. These electrical devices sit in your window (or have a tube with an attachment to sit in the window). Plug into the wall, turn the temperature to desired coolness and, voila, cold air. These units vary in price which also means it can vary in how much it can do. Pay more for a digital one that can cool a room quicker, or go cheaper without any of the frills. The downsides to air conditioning window units is a higher electric bill and a bulky unit that will cramp your interior design. But at least you won’t be melting to death.
• Open windows at night. For most, opening windows during the day will only let the hot air in. But a cool, summer night can be the perfect way to bring down the temps in your home naturally. The key is to focus on cross winds. Open up windows in more than one room and keep the doors open between those rooms. This will create a cross wind that is essential for cooling down a home quicker. It gives  the air somewhere to go, while giving you a nice breeze. Make sure to only open windows with attached screens to keep out any unwanted bugs and/or critters.
• Change how/where you cook. An instant way to cook up (pun intended) the temperature in your home is to turn on the oven or the stove. To eliminate that extra heating source, cook in a different way. My favorite summer cooking method is grilling. With an outside grill, you keep any unnecessary heat outdoors. If a grill isn’t an option for you, consider cooking in a crockpot. A slow cooker will use minimal, centralized heat to cook a meal without steaming up your home.
• Limit the used rooms in your home. Generally, the hottest rooms are in relation to where the sun is. For example, my kitchen is west facing, which means right about four o’clock it becomes a unintentional sauna. Figure out what rooms are hottest at which times of the day and avoid those rooms at all costs.