Extremely Hot Bedroom

I have the same problem in our bedroom. I tried the foil in the window, mini blinds, blankets, dark screens and none of that worked. What finally worked for us is 4 layers on each window in the room. Closest to the window is a paper black-out shade, then a vinyl roll down shade, then a black-out energy efficient (or solar) curtain, and all of that is covered with the decorative curtains that match our room.
Our room is very dark, but it is also much cooler. The stuff that I bought is inexpensive and works wonderfully. Before the 4 layers on our window the coolest I could get our room was in the high 80s, now our bedroom is 72 - 75 degrees at the hottest time of the day. Once the sun goes down we can get the temperature in the 60s if we want it that cool.
*Edit to add that my windows are very old, single pane windows.

None of the stuff I bought was expensive. It all came from walmart, but here are links to Home Depot showing the things I bought. All of it comes in different colors and sizes.

Paper Black-out shades
http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Blinds-Window-Treatments-B...

Vinyl roll down shades
http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Blinds-Window-Treatments-B...

Energy efficient curtains or solar curtains:
tp://www.walmart.com/ip/Eclipse-Samara-Blackout-Energy-Efficie...

This is a short-term idea, but we do it on hot summer nights..about an hour before bed, put your pillowcases in the freezer. Put them back on right before bed, and you'll fall asleep with a nice cool pillow. It only stays that way for an hour or so, but that's usually enough time to fall asleep :)

Our converted carport is used as our family room. It is sweltering in the summer and frigid in the winter despite being hooked into the central AC/heat. My unit just doesn't have the capacity to "blow" that far. And I can't afford a larger capacity unit.

Anyhoo, our first summer in the house, when the temp reached over 80 degrees in the family room - I gave up and went out to Lowe's and bought a little window unit for the room. I spent under $100 , and running it for just a couple of hours a day makes all the difference in the world. Since the family room stays cooler - I actually run the central less - so my electric bill did not increase.

For me an under $100 dollar fix, while not the most attractive option, has worked great for the past three years.

Good Luck and God Bless

Would replacing the windows themselves be cost effective for you? It seems like there would be a huge market in your area for energy efficient windows, you may be able to find a good deal. In addition to the blinds and sunscreens, try hanging curtains to block even more sunlight from entering the room.

Do you have ceiling fans or just small room fans? I think ceiling fans are pretty effective at keeping the air moving in the room, but if you have a large room make sure the fan is the appropriate size for the room. Also, they are expensive, but I've always really loved the brand Vornado for a smaller room fan - I think they are worth the money because they move a ton of air, are good white noise makers, and last forever.

Beyond anything mechanical, the best thing would be to take a cool shower just before bed to cool down your body so the heat won't seem so oppressive, then dress comfortably and ditch the blankets, maybe just a light breathable sheet.

Good luck, I can't stand being hot when I sleep so I really feel for you :)

Trees and/or awnings.

I don't see how Aluminum foil would work very well. I did live in Germany and with zero AC or ceiling fans. They did have metal storm blinds that would block out the sun completely and that was pretty much the only way to keep the room from getting to hot.

I do have a dumb question....which way are your fans rotating? One way they bring the heat down to you and the other way they will spread cool air

I don't know if this will work for you, but have you thought about planting a couple of trees. There are some fast growing trees whose foliage will help block the sun in the summer.

Also, can you maybe do an awning of some kind, on the outside of the house?

We use a ceiling fan, and we change the direction of the fan to help the air circulate differently in the winter vs. summer (I can't remember if its clockwise or counter clockwise).

The other thought, which does fix it but might make it livable--can you switch your room to another room, and use this one for a playroom or storage or craft room?

Could you put a window air conditioner in your bedroom? They can also install them in the wall.

Have you thought about installing awnings over your windows, outside? You can get some that are hard plastic or metal or canvas that will retract in case of a bad storm. I live in Wisconsin and my kitchen is on the west side of my house and gets hot during the summer. An awning over the window helps a lot.