During the winter and other cold nights, it can seem difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. It’s no fun shivering throughout the night in your own bed, a place that’s supposed to promote relaxation and comfort. Luckily, it’s incredibly easy to warm your bed during cold nights. From a water heated mattress pad to the sheets you use, you can stay warm when you need it most.
Your body creates continuous radiant heat, which can be problematic in the summer, but incredibly helpful during the winter. If you have enough layers or blankets to trap your own body heat in, you can keep your bed warm. In this article, we’ll uncover the other ways that you can keep yourself and your loved ones warm and cozy in bed.
How To Warm Your Bed
Heat Just Your Bedroom
As you may have found out, it’s inefficient and expensive to heat your entire house when you’re just using one room. On the coldest nights, consider shutting your bedroom door to trap the heat in.
You can also use a space heater if that’s not enough. However, it’s recommended that you follow the safety tips. You may not want to use a space heater while you’re asleep because they can catch fire.
Try Flannel Sheets
Flannel is a material that’s heavy while being soft, which makes for the perfect winter bedding. When the nights start getting cold, switch your light and airy sheets for flannel sheets. This fluffy cotton material will trap heat much more effectively. Plus, it’s soft and will help you stay comfortable all night long.
Use a Bed Warmer
A heated mattress pad is an effective solution to those cold winter nights. If you want to heat your bed effectively and thoroughly, these mattress warmers are the best solution. A water heated mattress pad circulates warm water through the mattress topper. The water then passes through a small, quiet unit and is recalibrated to your ideal temperature before running back through the pad.
A significant advantage of a bed warmer is that you and your partner can choose their ideal temperatures with dual temperature control. That means that no one will be too warm during the night! Not to mention, you can preheat your bed by setting your ideal temperature as part of your nightly routine. By the time you crawl into bed to fall asleep, your bed will already be warm and ready for you.
When it comes to bed warmers, some people choose to go with an electric blanket. However, these blankets can be dangerous, especially for children and those who may have issues feeling their extremities due to diabetes or other health issues. Electric blankets get extremely hot by the wires and stay cool where the wires are not present, which means uneven warming that can cause burns and even catch fire. It’s always best to play it safe with a water-heated mattress pad.
Layer It On
Creating layers is a great way to trap heat from your bed warmer pad. Instead of just using one thick blanket or duvet, use layers. Layers create more insulation, which traps air.
Not to mention, since your heated mattress pad will be doing most of the heavy lifting, you can remove the layers if you get too warm during the night. You can try alternating between thick and thin layers to maximize your heat insulation.
Consider a Duvet Filling
The warmest filling for comforters is down and feathers. You can also try wool, which is known for its ability to trap warm air (that’s why socks are made out of this material!). All of these materials are breathable and airy, so they won’t give you a suffocating feeling of too much weight.
If you’d like to avoid using animal-based products, you can try hollow fiber.
Consider Different Blankets
If you typically use a blanket, make sure you’re using one made of wool or cotton fleece. The fibers of these blankets are curlier than other materials, which creates air pockets capable of trapping body heat more effectively than flat fibers.
Luckily, there are tons of options when it comes to choosing your wool, although sheep and lamb are the most common.
Change Your Pajamas
If you’re sleeping in the same pajamas you wear during the summer, it may be time to take a look at your slumber wardrobe. It’s typically not a good idea to wear thin cotton shorts to sleep in a cold bed.
As with your sheets, the most comfortable winter pajamas are flannel. By wearing warmer, longer pajamas, you’ll maximize your natural body heat, which can then be trapped between your sheets and comforter to increase the warmth of your bed.
Warm Up With a Hot Water Bottle
In order to effectively heat your bed, you have to introduce a source of warmth. While sometimes your own body heat may suffice, if you want to heat your bed more quickly, you can try a hot water bottle. All you have to do is fill it with hot water and put it in your bed before you get in.
You can snuggle up next to it or use it to keep your feet warm. Of course, the hot water bottle will cool down during the night, but by then, the effect has taken hold, and your bed is already warm. Your body heat will continue to keep your bed warm until morning.
All of these ideas can help you save a significant amount on your heating bill this winter. There’s no reason to heat your entire house when you’re not using most of the rooms in it. What ways have you tried to keep your bed warm during the winter? Let us know in the comments!
