During the recent European heatwaves I have been amongst the many people to have bought various evaporative coolers and fans in the absence of having air conditioning or being able to fit it retrospectively.
None of the solutions I've tried have really worked until I tried a small portable unit and remembered something from Low Tech Magazine about heating; it is easier to warm a person than a volume.
I think my problem has been that I have been trying to cool volumes, the rooms of my house, rather than myself. With this insight I have been focused on simple things like cold drinks and having coolers in close proximity rather than across the room, especially at night.
The heat is still challenging but seems more bearable.