Cool Comfort Amidst the Melbourne Heatwave

Growing up in Adelaide, where days over 35 can be measured in weeks, I find a Melbourne heatwave intriguing, but as we boiled under the first heatwave of the season over the weekend, I was confronted with the inherent difficulties of maintaining my internal temperature. 

Having recently moved into a Victorian-era house that has surprisingly never had more than the original fireplace installed for heating and cooling, the temperature skyrocketed. While a renovation is planned for the future, this provided an excellent opportunity to test out our Eight Sleep. I won't bore you with all the marketing fluff; James Smith gives a pretty good review here, I especially appreciate his feelings about the $2500 price tag for a mattress cover!

So, with temperatures rising to dizzying heights and the mercury refusing to drop, how did we fare on our hydronic mattress cover? In short, like a dream, it felt like a cool bath! In conditions where my body would normally jump out of homeostasis, defending itself with an amount of sweat that feels maladaptive, I stayed relatively cool. When compared to air conditioning, yes I believe that on a weekend like we just had, I would have been more comfortable in a cool room. But I was cool enough to sleep and possibly functioned better during the day because the shock of the daytime temperature wasn’t so great. What keeps coming to mind is the proverb about covering the earth in leather or simply putting on sandals. The eight sleep felt like the best pair of sandals ever.

While typical cooling methods like air conditioning have their place, their overuse can be problematic, making us more reliant and therefore vulnerable on days like the ones we just had. Direct personal cooling (and heating) options offer a refreshing alternative for you to stay comfortable without overrelying on energy-intensive solutions. It’s a different way of looking at a problem that’s likely to only increase.