If you are anything like me then you are looking to make the best of this forced staycation. Below are some quick cheap and cheerful tips for keeping warm in bed. So if you are Netflix and chill-ing or just lying in to read a book – if you are warm and cosy when doing it, you’ll enjoy it a lot more. Trust me.
- Wear night clothes – such as pyjamas. These can be full length or short-sleeved.
- Wear pyjamas made of wool, cotton or silk – these will keep you warmed than synthetic materials. Silk is a special material that allows you to stay warm or cool in winter and summer and does make for a comfortable night’s sleep. Cotton on the other hand is also a good choice because it is soft to the touch and a great breathable material, which means you will not get cold from your own sweat. Having said this, cotton can be quite thin, meaning other methods or more layers are necessary.
- Get some thermal pyjamas – Thermal pyjamas are a great (although not always fashionable) way of keeping you warm. I found these cracking pair for men and these ones for women. Some that can be bought are intended for camping and sleeping outside, but if you really feel the cold these can be a great solution to your sleeplessly chilly nights.
- Wear a pair of super soft bed socks – these will help to keep your toes from becoming icy. The extra insulation layer will keep your extremities (parts of your body furthest away from your blood pumping heart) warm. Choosing the right pair of socks so that you do not overheat in the night is important; which is why silk or cotton sock is effective as lightweight but heat retaining and breathable socks. Having warm feet will also help you to fall asleep quicker. Warming up your feet can help to warm up your core temperature, which is why this tip is so important.
- Wear a scarf and hat – contrary to what you might think, scarfs and hats are not only for the outside. You can wear them inside to help keep out the chills of the house. As another extra layer, it allows the body to have a chance to naturally adjust to the temperature. This is especially true for a hat, as most of your body heat escapes from your heat, so having that extra layer will trap in heat.
- Have a warm bath before you go to bed – Your bath should not be scalding hot, but warm enough to make you sleepy and warm you up before getting into bed. This highly rated bath wax on Amazon helps to enhance your local circulation, strengthens tissue metabolism and removes ageing cells & skin roughness while you are at it. Having a warm bath helps to wake up the hormone called melatonin (the sleep hormone) which will then help you to sleep when you get into bed. The warm water will also help stimulate and soothe the muscles that are already tightened by the cold. You will get the most benefit if you bathe about 90 minutes before bed, and then wrap up in layer after to avoid wasting the benefits.
- Soak your feet in warm water – if you do not have time, or do not want a whole body bath or shower, you can get away with just soaking your feet (and hands if you want!) in warm water. Again the temperature of this should be warm and not hot.
- Have a warm milky drink – Examples of such include hot chocolate (although the sugar in it may keep you awake a bit longer), pure hot milk or Horlicks. These drinks will help warm your insides and stomach, consequently helping you to feel and to remain warm. Drinking something hot can also help to stimulate your body into helping you regulate your own body temperature. Ensure that these hot drinks do not make you sweat though as this can lead to you losing heat and consequently feeling colder after the initial spike in the rise of your body temperature.
- Have a cup of tea or coffee – whilst this may seem silly, given that caffeine is a stimulant which may keep you awake at night, caffeinated drinks (and alcohol!) raise your blood pressure and can make your body temperature rise as well. This will therefore help you keep warm at night. Saying this, tea and coffee do contain the stimulant that is caffeine, and so you should try to avoid these after about 6 pm to get a better night’s sleep – both to feel sleepy and to keep warm throughout the night.
- Do some exercise – do not do this exercise too close to bedtime, however, exercise will help improve your circulation and therefore keep your body warmer, especially your hands and feet. Going outside, even if it just to walk to the shops for a few bits and pieces, will warm you up when you re-enter your toasty home.
- One form of physical activity could be baking or cooking – this is because the actions of mixing, chopping and stirring help our circulation improve and ultimately warms us up. Furthermore, baking and cooking often involve a hot oven, which itself acts as a heater for the room and gives off very hot air helping to warm you up.
- Or volunteer in a soup kitchen – soup kitchens are often crowded and filled with warm food, so what better to get warm in the afternoon and evening than by handing out the hot soup. This also means that you are giving back to the community and doing your bit for those that are less fortunate. Cooking the soup and then serving it up is sure to make you warm (and happy!) before bed.
- Keep your bedroom warm – The temperature of the room in which you sleep should not be too hot however it should be free form draughts. The Ideal room temperature is 16-18 degrees Celsius. Try changing your thermostat to your ideal temperate about an hour before going to bed. That way your bedroom will be ready for you. Having your room at the right temperature will stop your body from having to regulate your temperature via sweating if too hot, and shivering if too cold, and allow your body to relax into the state of peaceful sleep. During the day you could open the curtains fully to help let in the sunlight which would naturally warm the room.
- Avoid a bed that sags in the middle – sleeping in a bed which consumes you can be comfy, however, it can turn clammy when you are not sleeping with the right support. So as much as it might seem like a good idea, a mattress that sucks you in is not necessarily what you want to stay warm. This three-zone memory foam mattress works great for helping you keep your body temperature on an even keel.
- Have a winter mattress – this mattress for the winter months should be slightly thicker. It is also possible to get a mattress that has a thicker side for the winter, and thinner side for the summer, meaning you can just swap it over depending on the month and weather conditions. The mattress is warmer if it has a softer sleeping surface, rather than a hard or flat one.
- Use a fleecy underblanket – this extra layer acts as another protective layer against the cold. The fleecy material is also better than a cotton material as it helps to trap the air and retain the heat.
- Choose a duvet with a high tog rating – a tog rating of 10.5 is ideal for spring and autumn, however, an ideal winter duvet tog rating is between 13.5 and 15. This might mean that you need multiple duvets depending on the month and weather conditions of the year. However, this may mean that you end up spending a lot of money. It is perhaps better to get a spring duvet then add the extra layers or try out other tips before investing in a winter duvet.
- Use several layers of bedding rather than one single layer – the layers will trap warm air which will help keep you warm. Multiple layers are easily removed if you get too hot. Blankets are a cheap and easy way to provide yourself with extra layers to keep you warm at night. You can also get some lovely ones to match the design and colours of your room, adding to the homeliness.
- Use a hot water bottle – whilst this is quite an old-fashioned way of keeping warm, it is also one of the most effective. You can put the hot water bottle on your feet, your back or your stomach for it to have a beneficial effect. This being said, make sure that the water bottle has a cover on it to avoid you scalding yourself, and also to retain its temperature for longer. The hot water bottle should not be directly on your skin. Furthermore, be careful not to fill it with boiling water as the (probably) rubber container will wear down quicker under the hot temperatures. Also, the rubber may not be of high quality and could melt if you are not careful. If you do not have a hot water bottle, rice in a fleece cover also works when you put it in the microwave. This is a great (and still cheap) alternative.
- Invest in an electric blanket or an electric duvet – Electric blankets with heating technology are ideal for adding some extra heat to the bed and covers. You can get these ones which will go under your covers as underblankets. the good thing is that they are great for heating your bed and covers before you get into bed. You can also get some that act as over-blankets which help you to maintain a constant temperature throughout the night. Electric blankets with timers can help prevent you from getting too hot during the night.
- Buy an electric heater – if, in doubt, a machine that blows out hot air will help you stay warm at night. Make sure that it does not make the room too hot as this will keep you from sleeping and may make you too hot. Being too hot and sweaty in bed can later on in the night mean that you get cold faster. It is also good to get a heater that is quiet so that the sound of it working does not keep you awake.
- Ensure your hands and feet are in the duvet when you sleep – I know that it sounds obvious but having a duvet that reaches all the way from your chin to your chest can really help. Also, ensure that you sleep in positions that involve your hands being either in your duvet or blanket or under your pillow to help keep your extremities warm.
- Do not sleep on your side – sleeping on your side is a position that exposes a larger proportion of you to the air and therefore lets the heat out from your body at a faster rate. Therefore, you will be warmer throughout the night if you sleep on your front or your back.
- Invest in an adjustable bed – There are various benefits to an adjustable bed, such as temporarily helping to reduce pain in the joints and ligaments back pain, swelling and much more. Electric adjustable beds are not the cheapest but they work really well. This bed I found is one of the more reasonably priced. An electronically controlled bed allows you to find a position that best suits you for the night. Putting yourself in a comfortable position with great support improves blood circulation which also helps to regulate your body temperature. Therefore these types of beds will help you to stay warm throughout the night.
- Close the windows – this seems obvious, but some people do sleep with the windows open for fresh air. However, this fresh air is often exactly that, and cold! Closing the windows helps to prevent any draughts and keep you warm as the temperature drops through the night.
- Reinforce your windows – insulating the windows is just as important as closing them. The most effective windows are double glazing, however, the windows should also be sealed efficiently. Another tip would be to invest in full window-covering thick curtains that help block out the light as well as a trap in the heat.
- Block draughts – draughts can be stopped from coming under doors by using a special draught blocker, or even an old towel, in the gap between the door and the floor. This is a very cheap but effective option.
- Sleep upstairs – whilst this is not always possible for those living in a ground floor flat or bungalow, sleeping on the first floor can help keep you warm at night. Heat rises and therefore escapes upwards from the lower ground floors. This warm air will rise and first floor rooms will seem warmer than ground floor rooms.
- Make sure your attic or roof is insulated – as discussed, hot air rises, so having an insulated attic can trap that air on the top floor of your home (often where the bedrooms are) and help keep you warm at night. This is especially important when the temperatures drop further outside. This is because the bigger the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the faster the hot air will escape the house. Insulating the roof and walls especially will retain this heat – especially as you are paying for the heat in the first place!
- Make the effort from the beginning – there is no point waiting until you feel cold to start layering up or taking these actions. You need to do them from the beginning of the evening! It is much harder to warm up once you are cold than to maintain a warm temperature and feeling warm.
- Take a sleeping bag liner to bed – whilst these sleeping bag liners are meant to keep you warm when sleeping in a tent or outside with a sleeping bag, they help to create an extra layer of warmth. The silk ones are most beneficial, although there are fleece alternatives, that will help to trap heat and will not be quite as delicate as a silk liner. The sleeping bag liners can add an extra ‘season’ of warmth, which shows how effective they are in keeping you warm at night.
- Underfloor heating is always a possibility – underfloor heating can help you keep warm at night from beneath the bed, especially if you are sleeping on a ground floor level and therefore do not get the rising heat from any lower levels. This technology will also help to keep you warm in the run-up towards bedtime, ensuring you do not start your night cold.
- Get a few rugs – rugs act as a cheaper option that underfloor heating which results in the same or similar outcome; your feet will be warm before getting into bed and your floor will retain some of the heat rising from lower levels, helping to heat the whole room.
- Do not have a massive room – a bigger room will give more space for the heat to spread out. If you want to stay warm at night you are better off sleeping in a smaller room that will help to maintain some of that heat, which you will benefit from.
- Turn up the heating – whilst this is not the most eco-friendly method of keeping warm at night, it is one of the most effective methods. You could also build a fire in the living room (or any ground floor room) if you do not want to turn up the thermostat. The hot air from the fire will heat the room, yourself and all the rooms above it.