Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Top 5 ways to add warmth to your bed

Being cold in bed is a horrible feeling. Warmth and comfort are the two things we need most to ensure a decent night’s sleep so a lack of either could result in disturbed slumber, leaving you tired and ill-prepared for the day ahead. One of the easiest ways to ensure warmth is to leave your heating on through the night but this can be very costly so here are a few alternative (cheaper) suggestions:

  1. 1. Use a higher TOG duvet
  2. The TOG rating of a duvet relates to its thermal insulation properties - the more heat the duvet is able to stop escaping out of the bed, the higher the TOG rating. In the UK we generally consider anything with a TOG rating over 10 to be a winter duvet – this is great starting point for keeping warm in bed.
  3. 2. Add a mattress topper
  4. In addition to adding comfort due to padding, mattress toppers can also help to keep you warm while you sleep. While most of the heat we lose in bed escapes through your top covers, you also lose heat through your mattress. Adding a topper reduces the amount of heat escaping thereby keeping you warmer. As with duvets, the more thermally insulating the topper is the more heat will be retained.
  5. 3. Flannelette bedding
  6. Flannelette (or brushed cotton) bedding is made from 100% cotton and is exceptionally warm. The cotton itself is fluffed up using a process of brushing, giving it a fleecy texture, which adds warmth. Using flannelette sheets and a flannelette duvet cover will give you significantly more comfort and warmth as you sleep.
  7. 4. Buy an electric blanket
  8. Electric blankets have been around for years and are an obvious addition to this list. Modern electric blankets are very efficient meaning they don’t cost a lot to run. The most efficient way to use an electric blanket is to heat up your bed before you get in and use some of the ideas above to ensure that heat remains in your bed for as long as possible.
  9. 5. Layers
  10. Lots of layers does a similar job to a higher TOG duvet – providing a thermal insulating barrier that stops heat escaping. If you don’t want to invest in a new duvet add blankets, bedspreads and throws to your top layer instead. There is a downside to this option however - it can get quite heavy meaning you could feel claustrophobic, so if you are prone to claustrophobia we’d recommend the new duvet option.

    http://www.yorkshirelinen.com