I couldn’t stop sweating in Thailand until I learnt this awesome secret anti-sweat tactic!
When I first hit the ground in Bangkok, I was met with the cool air-conditioned rooms of the airport and thought to myself, hah, it’s not that hot, I’m gonna be fine.
Half an hour later (30 hours into our trip from Manchester with no sleep) we jumped into the back of a Taxi on our way to the infamous Khao San road to breath in some culture and get ourselves a much needed Chang.
It wasn’t until I left the taxi that the wall of heat hit me, the humidity clung to me and that’s when it happened… I started to sweat… buckets…
This sweating went on for two damp weeks with my only solace being the icy cold depths of 7/11. Checkpoints as I called them, I’d pretend to look at anything in the fridge for around 10 minutes. I’d then buy an ice can of anything just to leech out its icy bliss on the trip to the next checkpoint, usually 100m down the road.
I kept thinking to myself, aren’t we supposed to adjust to the heat? Why isn’t everyone feeling as hot as me?? or looking as sweaty as me?
The Realisation and Solution
And that’s when it hit me, every night before I went to sleep I’d been cranking the air-conditioning down to a cool 18 degrees. Then wrapping up in a warm western duvet snug and content.
This was my biggest mistake!
I wasn’t letting my body get used to the warmth at night. My body was in a YoYo state of Hot & Cold, Day & Night.
So the next evening, begrudgingly, I left the air-conditioning set to 27 degrees. I was scared.
The first few nights, let’s just say, I was roasting my socks off and didn’t sleep very well. But, on the third night things started to change. The acclimatisation everyone had been talking about started to kick in.
After 7 days I was strolling around the Koh Tao, T-Shirt, Short & Flipflops, without a sweat patch in sight!
After two weeks, I set the aircon to 28 Degrees which is the magic number for me. Cool enough to sleep comfortably but warm enough to acclimatise to the daytime heat. 29 Degrees just left me hot and uncomfortable at night.
Back in the UK, I’d be in my swim shorts preparing the BBQ for any weather over 18 degrees! But after acclimatising to the heat, you really do start to feel the cold. Even 24 degrees will leave you in pants and a hoodie after a few months in the tropics.
More Tips To Acclimatise Fast To The Tropical Heat Of Thailand
It’s easy to feel that you’ve paid for your hotel (air-conditioning included) so you’re gonna crank it right down to a cool evening temperature but your only shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to acclimatising.
Use A Fan
Using a fan will help you to feel cool but also acclimatise at the same time.
Exercise In The Heat
Disclaimer: I’m not medical professional, but I’ve found that exercising in the heat helps you to acclimatise to a hotter climate much faster. Try going for a run each day to super-charge your acclimatisation. Just remember to drink plenty of water.
How To Stop Sweating In The Tropics?
To stop sweating, let your body acclimatise at night as well as in the day!
Let me know about your embarrassing unstoppable sweats or how you are a beacon of dry hope for everyone in the comments below! Plus I’d love to hear any of your tips to beat the Bangkok heat!
[…] I couldn't stop sweating in Thailand until I learnt this awesome secret anti-sweat tactic! Stop the humid sweats fast and acclimatise to heat quickly. […]
I’d love to hear your best tips to acclimatising to the tropical heat
I have spent 6 months in tropical heat and did not stop sweating at all. I was not usong a/c at all. I was not able to sleep. Every day was a nightmare. When I was leaving I felt like close to death. I believe that getting used to moist and hot weather is a myth. I can get used to very cold temperatures, but not hot. I do not think it is even possible. I just think that who says he is OK is not doing much, just slowly trying to survive but really living.