Adapting to the Singapore Climate

[brian_singapore]

At risk of starting a thread that's already warmed over like day-old road kill....

I've lived in hot climates before but am struggling a little bit more with Singapore. I suspect it's the humidity, but it could also be because I'm getting old, wear more formal work-wear or I just haven't given it enough time (it's been about 5 months). I also weigh a little bit more then in my younger years (though I'm by no means overweight). I found the cold in England much harder to deal with even though winter was considerably warmer then my native Canada. But the cold dampness would always penetrate my clothing and cling to my skin.

A recent post about minimizing air-con and using a fan to sleep at night got me thinking. I'll be buying a fan this weekend. This week I realized I needed to take cold showers after the gym to reduce my sweating on the way to work. (Nothing like arriving at the office drenched in sweat to advance the career in an Asian country .

Many years ago, I learnt to use Magic Powder in Thailand to control sweating. I believe this is basically just baby powder, but not entirely sure. I haven't seen this here, but admit I have't been looking too hard yet either.

Any other tips or tricks anyone cares to share?

[zzm9980]

Walk slower. Enjoy the shade and breeze when you get it. Make use of the fans as you see them outside.

Sleeping with the windows open and fan on definitely helped me to acclimate too. But I also had a bedroom window that opened to the sea which gave amazing breezes half the year.

[the lynx]

Use light material for your work wear. If you're having it tailored, tell your tailor and he will use lighter lining and breathable materials.

Yes to fan and windows tip.

Yes Magic Powder is essentially talcum powder. If you are looking to buy here, avoid heavily scented ones. J&J's baby powder is the best.

Avoid eating food that increases high metabolism (=sweating) like chilli, pepper and spices. But having said that, those ingredients are great for weight loss. So I'd rather spend money on good clothes than missing out great food with weight-busting ingredients.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Interestingly, I take hot showers as that tends to open up the surface blood vessels and then the outside air, while hot, tends to cool you off. Same thing with drinking hot beverages. Warms up the core so that the external air feels cooler as it cools down the dilated surface blood vessels. The reverse is also true in the colder climates. It's best to drink something cold before going outside as it cools down your core and constricts the blood vessels, therefore making the colder air feel slightly warmer than it actually is. Works for me, anyway. I've survived 30+ years without aircon here just using fans (mostly ceiling types).

[brian_singapore]

The walking slower tip is definitely something I need to do; My nature is to walk very fast which has always annoyed my wife no end. Especially when I have something on my mind.

The cool/cold shower only seems to be a post-gym thing. A warm shower when I haven't been exercising doesn't seem to make much of a difference in terms of comfort or sweating afterwards.

I suspect its along the same lines of needing to take a cool swim after sitting in a hot tub.

[Barnsley]

I just resign myself to doing a lot of sweating

I wish I could convince my boss that shorts n flip flops would be ideal office wear.

I concur with the gym , the shower doesnt help , if I shower straight after gym and then head straight out then I may as well have not gotten a shower.
However if I have 10-15 min sit down n chill in the gym after my shower then its usually all good.

Oddly if you do outdoor exercise then you tend to stop sweating very soon after you finish and then proceed not to sweat whilst reamining outside. I have noticed that after a couple of hours slogging on the Dragon Boat once we finish training and had a warm down I dont really sweat in the heat providing I dont go home n shower

[bgd]

http://www.onebag.com/travel-clothes.html#temperature

Above is an extract from a traveling website which has some interesting observations about dressing for a hot climate.

When I first arrived it took about 6 weeks of perseverance to be able to sleep with windows open and a fan. Well worth the effort.

Wearing a t-shirt under a shirt can help avoid that wet look.

[brian_singapore]

I finally managed to get a fan for the bedroom and slept without aircon last night. It was a lot more comfortable than I thought. Unless it gets really hot it doesn't feel like it will take a tremendous amount of effort to adjust to no aircon at night.

Now I just have to remember to turn off the aircon in the office when I go to bed, its expensive when it runs all night.

[nakatago]

The walking slower tip is definitely something I need to do; My nature is to walk very fast which has always annoyed my wife no end. Especially when I have something on my mind.

The cool/cold shower only seems to be a post-gym thing. A warm shower when I haven't been exercising doesn't seem to make much of a difference in terms of comfort or sweating afterwards.

I suspect its along the same lines of needing to take a cool swim after sitting in a hot tub.

There is a sweet spot where you walk fast enough such that you have a refreshing breeze but slow enough such that you don't sweat like college student on spring break in a Tijuanan police station.

[BedokAmerican]

Carry a towel with you and keep it around your neck or put it under your shirt if possible.

Here's the problem with air conditioning units at condos in Singapore: Most don't have thermostats. Therefore, they run constantly. Then they leak at the most inopportune times. I've tried sleeping with the AC off at night but I usually woke up during the night uncomfortable so I had to turn it back on...and then wake up in the morning to condensation on the windows. Never tried a fan.

[rajagainstthemachine]

I'm taking a 2 week vacation in Bangalore, the temperature here is 20c , its just perfect, after 2 years in Singapore, 20 feels a bit cold though
and there is not much humidity, its heaven.

[AngMoG]

Not sure what to say, as even after 7 years I cannot get used to the heat & humidity...

I use sweat-blocking deodorant (Rexona) in order not to stink like an animal. Heard it's not that great for the body, but what are you going to do.

I find that staying in an aircon room for 5-10 minutes after showering helps. If I head right out after showering, usually I feel like the shower was a waste of time.

Otherwise, just stop being embarrassed about sweating. Buy some quick-dry shirts (I had some from Columbia which are great; linen also works) for leisure wear, and be sure to get relatively light fabric (but not shine-through or see-through!) for office wear.

[zzm9980]

I use sweat-blocking deodorant (Rexona) in order not to stink like an animal. Heard it's not that great for the body, but what are you going to do.

There are actually clinics in Thailand, Vietnam, etc, that will remove your under-arm sweat glands for you. I can't imagine that is good for you, but the service is there.

[the lynx]

I use sweat-blocking deodorant (Rexona) in order not to stink like an animal. Heard it's not that great for the body, but what are you going to do.

There are actually clinics in Thailand, Vietnam, etc, that will remove your under-arm sweat glands for you. I can't imagine that is good for you, but the service is there.

I fail to imagine the health benefits of removing sweat glands. Granted, it helps a lot with appearance and convenience but there are reasons why they are there. Without sweat glands, you overheat faster, toxins build up under your skin and it is very dangerous.

Perhaps someone with medical background can share his input on this.

[bgd]

I fail to imagine the health benefits of removing sweat glands. Granted, it helps a lot with appearance and convenience but there are reasons why they are there. Without sweat glands, you overheat faster, toxins build up under your skin and it is very dangerous.

Perhaps someone with medical background can share his input on this.

The reason bolded. Nothing to do with health benefits. I would guess that most cosmetic surgery is for appearance rather than health. Silicon bags in your breasts is about as unnatural as it comes but it doesn't stop women doing it.

You are probably right about this being bad for long term health. Perhaps that might be offset by no longer using deoderant. It has been suggested that the chemicals in deoderants cause health issues, although I don't believe any direct link has been established.