I’ve made one small change to my windows and my bedroom is so much cooler at night

As the UK swelters through its fifth heatwave of the summer with temperatures hitting up to 38°C, one simple hack could help you sleep cool at night.

Britain is enduring its fifth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to climb as high as 38°C. Amber “extreme heat” warnings are in place across 12 counties, including London, the South East, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire.

These warnings run from 9am on Tuesday (August 11) to midnight on Thursday (August 13).

The Met Office expects temperatures to reach 33°C on Wednesday, rising to 37°C or 38°C on Thursday. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued amber heat health alerts across every region of the UK, valid from 9am on Tuesday (August 11) to 9pm on Friday (August 14).

While the hot weather is great for sunbathing or a trip to the seaside, it makes sleeping much harder.

During a heatwave, bedrooms can quickly become stuffy and uncomfortable. Fans often just push warm air around rather than cooling the room, and while opening windows in the evening can help, noise or security concerns mean many people can’t leave them open overnight.

Living in the South-East, I’ve found the heat relentless this summer. Even with a fan aimed directly at me, I’d often wake up drenched in sweat.

I plan to get air conditioning next year, but this summer I needed a cheaper fix. I decided to try stick-on blackout blinds with a UV-resistant coating and reflective backing to deflect sunlight from my windows.

Some people use tinfoil on their windows for the same effect, but I found it messy and worried it might damage my double-glazed windows.

Blackout blinds are mainly designed to block light, but they can also help keep a room cooler.

According to Broadview Shading Solutions: “Blackout blinds can reduce solar gain – the process by which sunlight heats up a room – by blocking direct sunlight from entering through the window.”

They work best when kept closed during the hottest parts of the day.

Traditional blackout blinds work just as well, but can be costly, especially for larger or awkward-shaped windows.

I first bought the stick-on blinds to block out early-morning light, but they’ve turned out to be great for keeping my bedroom cooler, too.

Priced at just £13.80 on Amazon, they come in a range of sizes and can be trimmed to fit any window.

They attach using sticky-backed velcro on both the frame and the blind, with the reflective side facing outwards.

In the evening, once it cools down, I take the blinds off and open the windows to let fresh air in. Before bed, I close the windows to cut out noise and put the blinds back up so the early morning sun doesn’t wake me.

The only downside is a darker bedroom during the day, but it’s a small price to pay for a cooler night’s sleep.