Good sleep in thailand

[tutsiwarrior]

This query is directed to the crusty expats that live upcountry in small towns rather than you puss types that live in serviced apartments in BKK. I can't manage a good night's sleep without the AC going and a duvet. Has anyone been able to overcome this difficulty and sleep soundly with just a fan...or more remarkably no air circulation at all? Is there a secret? Don't tell me about bonking the old lady as the resulting elevated body temps and sweaty repartee don't do it.

I'm looking to save some money on the EGAT bill...500 baht per month without AC and 2000 baht for the slumbertime privilege.

Please advise...

[taxexile]

windows open,no top-sheets,no clothes,fan on but blowing down the body from shoulders down to feet,adjust the rotation angle.

ceiling fans are no good ,they wobble around and i have a fear of them coming off and falling spinning on to me with horrifying consequences.

wall mounted ok if you can get the direction right. if its blowing on the eyes it tends to dry them out too much, makes them sore next day.old style desk fan the best.

weeks of experimentation,trial and error, before i arrived at the perfect set up.sleep like a baby now.

i just cant sleep with air con,however hot,but love air con daytime.

think all the above is too much of a hassle??

then go sleep on the roof

sweet dreams.  

[Guest IT Manager]

Windows open, no clothes, duvet, ceiling fan (48" ) located over the foot of the bed. Small fan if it's very hot as an extra from one side but oscillating.

Cold water in a bottle if it gets too hot and kick the dog (puppy), out of the bed if it gets unbearable.

[Edward B]

Windows open, no clothes... ???????????

You're just inviting the mossies like a red rag to a bull.

I do this. Turn on ac before you're ready for bye bye (say 1 hour before). Then swith it off and revert to fan on feet/lower body if needed. By the time the temp gets hot again your fast asleep. Circulating air also prevents mossie attacks (in case window left open).

[pnustedt]

Mosie repellant, no clothes, top sheet, oscillating fan, half a dozen Changs and a few whiskies - works fine till the chickens and cows start up at 5 a.m.

[Nat]

Personally I find the ac too cold (not sure whether this is a female thing). What I find helpful is not to fidget and try counting your breathes (simple form of meditation).  

[Guest IT Manager]

Windows open, no clothes... ???????????

You're just inviting the mossies like a red rag to a bull.

We have a couple of coils burning out in the garden under the windows. My son reminded me when he read the post a few minutes ago.

And Nat you sneaked that one in. Thought you were a bloke mate.

The old assumption theory at work.. sorry

[Nat]

^hee...hee that's ok - I forgive ya mate  

[Guest IT Manager]

Thanks

[taxexile]

Windows open, no clothes... ??

You're just inviting the mossies like a red rag to a bull.

windows open,but screens shut.

[Rambutan]

I find most of the aircons too cold. I only them myself when I was new here. Now I always stay without aircon.

Just fan, not pointing directly towards me as mentioned before.

Half naked and only a thin thaisilk sheed to cover myself.

It takes a couple of month to get used to the climate, but after that you feel really good, it's a scarry thought going back to europe especially during the winter.

If you get used to using aircon all the time from the beginning

on, you might get never used to the climate at all.

I know some people living a "sureal" aircon live. Going to work in an ac car, then working in an ac office , going back in this ac car to be in their ac home for the rest of the day.

I think the over use of ac, I mean running these units at a temperature much colder than outside will cause health problems in the future, which most people are probably not aware od yet, as the overall use of ac is just a few years old.

[tutsiwarrior]

Many thanks to all for your replies. There appear to be some combinations that I haven't thought of with regard to sleeping arrangements.

Now...if I could only get those f*ckin' louvered windows to work maybe I'd be in business...

regards

[sam77]

What I use to do when I could not sleep is;

drink half a bottle of cheap whiskey or six pack of cheap beer

then sleep half naked outside the house

don't worry about mosgi. bite, after awhile they got drunk too

[Kathe2]

Windows open, no clothes... ???????????

You're just inviting the mossies like a red rag to a bull.

I do this. Turn on ac before you're ready for bye bye (say 1 hour before). Then swith it off and revert to fan on feet/lower body if needed. By the time the temp gets hot again your fast asleep. Circulating air also prevents mossie attacks (in case window left open).

Your idea is pretty good. Last time I went visit my parents, and they are now only sleeping downstair in a big living room, in a big mosquito nest. They even went to Pahurat, to buy the Nest for me, very cheap and big enough to sleep peacefully. They know I cant bear much sleeping without ac. But they turn of 2 fans, not direct on me, coz i shall get easily sick, no mossies, and it is romantic in a Nest too, ( cotton nest, no plastic one ). But you should learn the trick to close the nest carefully. Then you will have a good sleep w/o ac. I am sure. I have been living in Europe and like cooler room, but in a Nest, I sleep like a baby too. The Nest should be a big one..have a sweet dream and turn back to alternative.

Kathe

[plachon]

Hey Kathe, going to sleep in a "mozzie Nest", sounds like an intimate experience I'd rather avoid. I'd associate it more with our bathroom, which sounds like a mozzie "hive" (high pitched zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) at times (ensures one doesn't spend too long in the khazi and definitely no reading).

As for how to cut down the a/c bills Tutsi, some good suggestions already of a gradual move to "pat lom" with max use of open windows. Here in Isaan, fans are fine for 9 months of the year, but the hot season can be a killer and then we block everything up and turn on the a/c. However, this is mostly a fault of modern house design, so if you really want to save loads of dosh, build or rent a trad Thai house on stilts, with gaps in the floor boards and a giant mozzie net (try and avoid the nests if poss.) with fan located inside net. Ahhhhhh, cool as ice, til the wife comes in her see-thru nightie!

[samsara]

Traditonal thai house using mozzie nets (thats the name for em, huh) and a fan is great. Great memories.

Im a fan of ac. Crank it up to 18 all night, and wake up frozen--love it. Great environment to be with your woman under the sheets...blah, blah. But a fan is doable. Ceiling or floor. Take a cold shower before you head to bed--itll cool your body down enough, and long enough to go to sleep.

[Edward B]

windows open,but screens shut.

Screen or no screen, those little buggers always seem to find a way in. Drinking yourself to sleep only makes me wanna get up and empty the bladder half-way into the night. Drugs are too addictive and expensive. The best natural method is to excercise every day, coupla workouts per week - eat healthily and regularly and you'll be sleeping like a bear in hibernating season.

[wilson steer]

To remain cool and sleep well with only a fan, eat a water melon just before sleeping. It is not heavy on your stomach and it has a natural body-temperature affect. I tried this and it really works!

Do not confuse witha durian: this heats up the body and if mixed with alcohol will cause death by heatstroke!

[tutsiwarrior]

plachon...thanks again for astute observations regarding house design. The energy problem and the a/c have to do with the fact that there is no insulation in the roof space of our concrete block duplex. If there was the a/c control system would knock out the compressor when the temp set point was reached which would be quickly with insulation.

I went to a dozen building materials places to look for the usual insulation material to install and no success. I can't believe it...must be an EGAT conspiracy. You know what I'm talking about?...a 4 inch thick foil-paper-foil blanket? Can't find 'em anywhere...

The question doesn't apply to traditional Thai house construction with open roof space...would be dumb to have a/c with that arrangement anyway...

[Kathe2]

Oppsss....sorry for my mistyped..* Mozziess Nest * Plachon.

As I havent used English for a long time and even my native language worst too....( thai )

Okie..I did mean the Giant Mozzie Net  :cool: I am sure if you have more space lfor the NET and spending the night inside that *NET*..it would  make you sleep as smooth as silkkkk too...hehehe

Sleep tight and dont let those bloody Mozzies bite !

Kathe

[Edward B]

[DaveYo]

Ahhhhh, well you know, my wife likes it cold in the room and for me it is like a refrigerator.   So the wife and I came to a compromise.   We can have the A/C on but the temp setting set to 68 and that is it.  

I just cannot figure out thai women.  Why do they need to be in a room that is so cold?   I thought the creator made women to be warm?  

Being up here in USA in the northern parts, we do get a winter that literally freezes everything solid, even us.  If exposed to this cold, we end up like a popsicle.

For me I am so tired of the cold but A/C is fine when in hot weather but set to be comfortable.  The heat at times can be very unbearable.  

Having screens is a big must if window is open.  However make sure it is a micro screen.  Last thing you need is a bomber nailing you in your sweet dreams.

Hope things work out.

:blues:

[DaveYo]

Edward what a superb picture.  How did you do it to get it on the forum?    

Where is the girl?  We need a girl buddy.

:blues:

[Payne]

I'm afraid that I like my bedroom quite cool with warm blankets. We don't use aircon in the rest of the house, only the master bedroom. My TG says that she has grown used to it now and has a hard time sleeping in a hot room.

[karenfraser18]

I sleep very well with just a sheet and a small fan.The air is too cold for me

[karenfraser18]

I just got a glance at the picture.....now that would keep me awake  

[opalhort]

I went to a dozen building materials places to look for the usual insulation material to install and no success. I can't believe it...must be an EGAT conspiracy. You know what I'm talking about?...a 4 inch thick foil-paper-foil blanket? Can't find 'em anywhere...

look in the Yellow Pages for "Micro Fiber" under the heading of 'insulation'.

it is not sold by normal construction shops but only through appointed distributors.

we bought it here in BKK directly from the factory, insulated the roof and second floor walls. it cut the electricity bill (for A/C) by about 35%! it's made of fire resistant fiber glass wool coated with foil on both sides, they have 1-6" thickness and also hard pressed sheets.

opalhort

[tomy]

OH MY GOD!!!!  no ac, sticky and all, he|| no, give me ac or give me death