Heatwave Hotlist

Sleep: Tips to get through steamy nights How to stay cool in the office

BRITAIN is on course to experience the hottest night on record, as the NHS advised it might be better to keep windows closed to fight the sweltering heat. Temperatures could remain as high as 75.2F (24C) tonight for parts of the South East, said the Met Office.

The hottest UK night-time temperature was 75F (23.9C), which was recorded in Brighton on Aug 3 1990.

The hottest July night on record was 73.9F (23.3C) on July 29 in 1948, at St James’s Palace, London.

The heatwave, expected to last until the weekend, could see the mercury hit 98.6F (37C) on Thursday.

In anticipation, NHS England has issued a list of “top tips” for beating the heat, including “splashing yourself with cool water” and keeping windows and blinds closed.

They also advised remaining hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids, including low-fat milk because it is more hydrating than full-fat. Planning ahead and ensuring you have enough supplies, such as food, water and medications, was also recommended.

Night-time temperatures are measured by taking the minimum temperature across a 24-hour period, as the lowest point tends to fall during the early hours. “When minimum temperatures are greater than 68F (20C) we refer to those as tropical nights,” Luke Miall, a Met Office meteorologist, said.

“Not necessarily because it’s going to feel tropical, but it helps people understand that these are the sorts of temperatures that you would expect in more tropical countries than ours.”

Mr Miall said the sweltering nighttime highs will also be experienced across other parts of the UK.

“Wide swathes of East Anglia, the Midlands, parts of south-east Wales and the South West could well see temperatures of 19C to 21C, which might not necessarily break any records but is still pretty exceptional for the UK,” he said.

Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert, has offered tips for a good night’s rest. “Sleeping downstairs is always a good one. Heat does rise and if you go to hot countries they do sleep downstairs a lot of the time,” he said.

“If you’ve got the ability, don’t sleep with your partner because there will be two bodies heating the space up rather than just the one.”