heat wave or no heat wave, its a good idea to have some sort of reflective coating on your windows to keep out heat and UV rays-- the newest stuff is like 'clings' you put it on wet, with a squeegee, and you can peel it off in the fall (to let more light in for winter) and reapply the same stuff, next spring.. about $20 a roll (3foot wide by 20 foot long, does alot of windows!)
well placed fans, work well too, in my house we had a 'attic fan' that went on every evening, it exhausted hot air out of the attic, and drew the cool evening air into the house. I don't have any A/C in my apartment, about 10 days each summer i wish i did, but for the other 90 or so, fan do fine.
(and i have both southern and western expossures, (1 window faces east-- one more thing i like about the place, lots of cross ventalation!)
When we were kids, we would also hose down the roof (of our apartment, we lived on top floor of the building) in the early evening. the cold water started cooling down the tar (so it didn't radiate heat into the apartment all night,) and evaperation cooled it further--water shortages some places mean that can't be done, but 100% cotton sheets,(flannels, or better yet, 'brushed or sueded' cotton which have a lower nap) are great. and a evening cool down shower before you go to bed is a good idea too.. don't use soap, just rinse, (washing with soap too often can dry skin, and make it itchy, and uncomfortable)
i also like long sleeves, in a soft almost sheer cotton, they keep the sun off the skin, and you feel cooler.. loose skirts, or baggy pants are good too. (wear braces/suspenders, not a belt, for increased air flow!)
and remember, this too shall pass!
