INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When you exercise, you raise your body temperature and retain heat. Not exercising several hours before you go to bed will give your body time to cool down. You should also drink lots of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. You may also want to keep water by your bedside. Eating a heavy meal or spicy food before bedtime may cause you to feel even hotter. Eat a light dinner at least two to three hours before bed and skip the spices and hot sauce. Drinking cold water not only slows digestion, it also slows down metabolism by constricting blood vessels and thereby decreasing hydration and ability of your body to cool off. Drink room temperature water instead. Don’t take a very cold shower, as this can have a rebound effect. Your body temperature may actually rise to counteract the cold water. Instead, have a medium cold, or tepid, shower. You can also soak your hands and feet in tepid water. Your hands and feet are your "radiators", or the areas of your body that tend to heat up. Cooling them down by soaking them will regulate your body temperature and cool you down. Heat rises, so find a spot that is low to ground, such as the floor of your bedroom, or that is low in your home, such as the bottom floor or the basement. Remove thick mattress protectors or pads, which retain heat, and any heavy blankets or duvets. Use lighter bedding like cotton sheets and lightweight cotton weave blankets on your bed. Straw or bamboo mats are also great for a cool night’s sleep. They do not retain body heat and will not warm you up. You can create a bamboo mat bed on the floor of your bedroom for an alternative spot to your regular bed. Stick your pillow cases, bed sheets and blankets in the freezer 30 minutes before you plan to go to bed. Once you place the bedding on your bed, they should stay cool enough for 30 to 40 minutes, just enough time to fall asleep. Avoid getting your bedding wet or sleeping on or in wet sheets or clothing. Don’t dip your socks in cold water and wear them to bed, or wear a wet t-shirt to bed. Bringing anything wet into the room, or wearing anything wet, will only trap dense humidity in your room and cause discomfort. An hour before bedtime, open the windows in the room to increase air circulation and cool down the room. However, you should close the windows before you fall asleep to avoid heating up the room with air during the night.  While you sleep your body temperature dips to its lowest point at around 3 am. At 3 am, the temperature outside is also extremely low. If you are asleep with the windows open, the muscles around your neck and head can tense up involuntarily due to the sudden temperature drop and you can be woken up. Keep the windows closed and the blinds or shades drawn during the day to avoid heating up the room. Though you may be tempted to strip down and go naked to stay cool, sleeping naked can make you feel hotter as it does not allow moisture to evaporate between your body and the sleeping surface. Go for cotton sleepwear, and avoid synthetic fabrics like nylon or silk, as they are not breathable and can make you feel hotter. Use a damp cloth or towel by your bedside to wet your face or arms throughout the night. But avoid going to sleep with a wet face or arms. Once you have wiped your body, dry yourself off with a dry towel before you go to sleep. You can also buy special towels that are made of hyper-evaporative material that retains water, but stays dry to the touch. They will cool you down without getting your skin wet. These areas are where your blood stream flows closest to the surface of your body. Running them under cold water for a minute will cool your blood down, making your whole body cooler.

SUMMARY: Stop exercising a few hours before bedtime and drink plenty of water. Avoid large or spicy foods or meals. Avoid drinking ice cold water. Take a tepid shower or a bath. Find a cool, dark sleeping spot that is on a lower floor or in a basement. Replace heavy bedding with lighter bedding. Put your bedding in the freezer. Open your windows or use an air conditioner. Sleep in cotton clothing or wear as little as possible when going to bed. Wipe your face, hands, and feet with a damp cloth. Run your wrists or the inside of your arms under cold running water for 30 seconds.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use a mild cleanser designed for your face and beard to wash your beard before applying the balm. Pat your face and beard with a towel after rinsing out the cleanser. It's best to apply beard balm when your facial hair and skin underneath are damp. Make it a routine to apply your beard balm when you get out of the shower or wash your face in the morning. Rub the beard balm between your hands. This will warm up the beard balm and spread it out over your fingers so it's easier to apply. Massage your fingers against the skin underneath your beard so the balm gets all the way down to the roots. Run your fingers from the roots to the ends of your beard to fully coat all your beard hair. Brush through your beard in a downward motion to detangle the hair and brush all the hairs in the same direction. Once your beard is brushed out, you're all finished!

SUMMARY: Wash your beard and leave it damp. Scoop out a dime-sized amount of beard balm with your fingers. Work the beard balm into your beard with your fingers. Comb or brush your beard hair.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Pick a subject that defines who you are or what you care about most. Talk about an issue that affects you or someone who is close to you. Or persuade your audience to care about a social, environmental, political, or economic problem.   If you are passionate about the environment, then write about environmental issues, or write about the impact of technology on medicine, if that is what you are passionate about. Make sure your topic fits the parameters of the assignment. Choosing a topic you are passionate about will make writing, rehearsing, and giving your speech much easier. Type distinct phrases in your search engine to find specific information about your topic like, “The effects of pollution on the ocean.” Look for articles published by reputable sources like universities and well-known news outlets and magazines. Review the information of at least 3 websites. If the websites are all saying the same thing about your topic, the information should be valid and reliable. If they are not, then keep researching your topic until you find consistent information. Check out books on your topic from your school’s library, or your local library. Tell the librarian about your topic and the kind of speech you hope to give. Your librarian can point you in the right direction for books and articles on your topic. Check the publication dates for the books you reference. Always use the newest version of a book possible, as it will have the most up-to-date studies and research. As you review your sources, write down information that supports and expands your ideas in a valuable way. Categorize the information by theme. Make sure to type or write down relevant points and information such as statistics and facts that support your main argument. If you have any first-hand experience with your topic, you can also make note that. Personal stories can be just as engaging as research and stats.  Additionally, take note of any opposing opinions. This way you can briefly address and rebut them in your speech. Save the links to your Internet sources in a Word document so you can refer back to them at a later time if you need to. Ideally, you should start working on your speech the day you get the assignment. If you work on it a little every day, it will make the whole process easier. If you can't start as soon as you get the assignment, though, plan at least a week of time for the writing and rehearsing process.

SUMMARY:
Pick a topic you are passionate about. Use Internet sources. Pull information from books. Make an outline of the important information. Begin working on your speech at least a week in advance.