Steps

1. Plug in your fan and turn it towards you. Purchase a commercial bag of ice cubes. Empty the entire bag into a wide, shallow container (to contain the water as the ice melts) such as a roasting pan. Place the container of ice right in front of the fan (between the fan and you), at the level of the top of the bed. The ice-cooled air will be noticeably cooler than the room air for the amount of time it takes for the ice to melt -- which is as long as it should take for you to fall asleep!
2. Alternatively, try the towel method. Hang a wet towel from two chairs to hold the ice. The melting ice will wet and chill the towel and the fan will blow that cold air on you. Place a container under the towel to catch the melting ice water. You can use a thread to connect the bottom of the towel with the container to avoid the annoying dripping sound.

3. "Exhaust Method"

   Still another option is to get a large powerful fan, such as one at least 16" in diameter and put it facing outward in a window in another room than the one you are sleeping in. Then, close all other windows in the house except the one the fan is in, and where peopel are sleeping near. The fan will exhaust hot air out of the house or apartnment and create a vacuum which will pull in the cooler night air from the outside through the open windows where people are sleeping. Prop the doors in the bedroom(s) somewhat ajar to create a path for air to migrate. This is much more effective than having a loud fan blowing the same hot room temperature air back over you. This, of course assumes it is night time and that it has gotten significantly cooler outside than during the day when your home warmed up. If you have a lot of people sleeping or want more airflow get a more powerful fan, or put another exaust fan outfacing in another window.
4. Take a cool shower or wipe your body down with a cool wash cloth. Without fully drying yourself, hop back into bed, and let the air slowly dry you. This will keep you cool for a long time allowing you to fall asleep.
5. Consider using the "Egyptian Method:" Wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water and then wring it out or run it through the spin cycle on your washing machine until the sheet is just wet, but not sopping, dripping wet. Place the dry towel or sheet on your bed underneath your body and use the wet sheet as your blanket. The damp blanket will keep you cool.
6. Sleep in a 'spread eagle' position, and think cool thoughts.
7. Take a pair of cotton socks, rinse them in cold water and wring them out to damp and put them on. Cooling your feet lowers them temperature of your skin and body.

Tips

• When sleeping in a hammock air flows over your whole body. A bed absorbs your body heat and keeps you hot. Get out that hammock you bought in Cancun and try sleeping in it with a fan blowing on you.
• If you have a waterbed, turn the heater on the waterbed way down. Lay down on the surface of the waterbed. Even if its 85°F (29°C), your body is 98°F (37°C), and the heat transfer rate for direct contact is about 100 times larger than for convection. It could make you so cold you will shiver. Be aware that temperatures set below 85°F can lead to hypothermia with prolonged contact.
• Keep the door to your bedroom open, so that there is proper air circulation from other rooms.
• Partly fill a plastic bottle with water and then freeze it. Put it in front of the fan, and it'll give the same effect, but is less likely to spill.
• Make a Rice Sock and place it in the freezer and leave it there for at least two hours. When you turn in, bring the bag with you use as a cool compress. Try placing it under your pillow so it's nice and cool when you flip it over.
• If you have curtains made from a light material, like muslin or net, soak them with water (or put them through the washing machine and rehang them). Any breeze at all that blows through your window will immediately be vastly cooler.

Warnings

• A bath or shower that is very cold might not be suitable for people who have various medical conditions. To be safe, take a cool or slightly warm shower.

Things You'll Need

• A bag of ice cubes.
• A shallow container.
• A fan.
• A bed.