Residents without AC get creative

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Temperatures that hit 100 degrees in Grand Rapids kept many people indoors in the cool of their air conditioning. But in some homes without AC, residents had to find other ways to beat the heat.
 
On the eighth floor of the Ransom Towers apartment complex, indoor temperatures were in the mid-90s.
 
"I don't remember it being this hot in other years," said Willie Armstrong, who lives in one unit on the eighth floor. She didn't have air conditioning, so she had a couple of fans running.
 
But you don't have to be in a high rise to feel it.
 
Anna Gustafson lives in Grand Rapids' Heritage Hill district. She recently moved in to her living room -- which is the only room she has with AC.
 
"My roommate and I sleep here when we need to, which has been a lot recently," said Gustafson. "Usually, I take this couch. She takes that couch."
 
This week, she's gotten creative.
 
"Sometimes I've had to sleep with an ice pack, every once in awhile," said Gustafson. "Wrap it up in a towel and just hug it like a teddy bear."

Dr. Byron Druzgal, a Saint Mary's emergency room doctor, said there's no magic number for how much heat people can handle. He said it depends on the person, and that merely staying inside can create the same effect as a sauna.

"If you stay in too long, you can become dehydrated," said  Druzgal. "It alters your thinking."

Druzgal said during hot days, your body loses a lot of water -- even when you're inside. He said the water your body loses needs to be replenished, and the 6-8 cups of water might not be enough. He advises drinking 2-4 more cups of water than you normally would.
 
"When you're not keeping up with that, you can quickly become dehydrated to the point where you're not even realizing what's going on," said Druzgal.
 
The heat is a triple-digit test that following some home and keeps them looking forward to cooler temps.
 
"It kind of ruins your whole functioning life," said Gustafson.
 
"I just can't stand the heat, it makes me sick," said Armstrong.

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