With the glorious summer weather comes afternoons on the beach, barbecues, and long hot days behind your desk with the air con cranked right up...

Unfortunately, though, many of us have to settle for a warm breeze from an old overworked unit. So, aside from putting your feet in an ice bucket, what can you do to stay cool in the office this summer?

Dress for the heat

It’s not easy dressing for the office during the summer months, especially if you need to dress formally in a business suit. Your best bet is to dress in materials that allow sweat to evaporate from your skin. Natural fibers are ideal for this as not only do they allow evaporation but some, such as cotton suit, will soak up moisture and cool you down in the process.

You should also avoid fully lined suits for obvious reasons.

Drink Something Warm

Sounds a bit crazy, right? But it’s a fact that warm liquids help your body to cool down. And that’s according to a study by the University of Ottawa's School of Human Kinetics, so it must be true. But make sure it’s not a drink that will dehydrate you such as coffee or anything else with caffeine.

If you can’t bear the thought of boiling the kettle on a scorcher of a day, then keep yourself hydrated at all times. You want to drink at least 2 litres a day so keep a good size water bottle handy.

Listen to music

Yes, we’re serious. Music has a calming effect, and you know what happens when you are relaxed? That’s right; you sweat less. Wear a set of noise cancelling headphones that will drown out the office chatter and listen to some calm soothing tunes.

Turn off the heat

Do you know how much heat your phone gives off when it’s charging? Turn off anything that you don’t need and feel the difference in the temperature immediately. You might also want to point this out to your colleagues as the money saved on electricity bills can be reinvested in something more useful, like say, the office Christmas party.

Cool your wrists

Did you know that by cooling down the pulse points in your wrists, you are cooling the blood? This little-known trick works incredibly well, and all you have to do is run your wrists under cold water for about five seconds every couple of hours. Conclusive proof that the human body is, in fact, amazing.

Use a personal fan

You know the little ones that you see tourists on the street with? Well, those little guys are pretty good at cooling you down when nothing else will. If you can’t fit a decent sized fan on your desk, then a personal fan is ideal, and most can run right off your smartphone or plug into a USB port on your computer.

Try a cooling Spray

Sprays that contain peppermint are ideal as they trick your brain into thinking that your body is actually cold. If you can’t quite bear the spray, then some peppermint gum has the same cooling effect.

Freeze your fruit

A cold snack is the ideal way to cool down and fruit is a healthy alternative to those ice cream bars in your freezer. You can do this with any fruit and best of all; there’ll be no pangs of guilt when snacking between meals.