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I just use a large heating pad. On cold nights I use it to heat up the cold bed. It goes off by itself, but I have used it for over 2 years and it works great.
I used an electric blanket/heated mattress pad many years ago but found them too warm for most of the year and the unheated blanket by itself wasn't warm enough. Didn't like having to handle them so carefully to avoid damaging the heater wires. They also made me sweat and that sweat ends up absorbed by the mattress.
Since I've been dog-deprived I just use a regular heating "pad" and keep one plugged in/turned off but ready underneath a pillow. Easy to move wherever I want for cold toes or an achy muscle or joint. I tend to sleep warm, so keep my bedroom chilly. All I really want is to take the chill off the sheets before I crawl inside and usually turn the pad off fairly soon. How long varies based on what my metabolism happens to be doing that night. I also have an antique copper bed warmer (a flattened copper canteen filled with hot water) that actually does the job perfectly after more than 100 years. It would still be mildly warm the next morning.
I detest heating pads with automatic shutoff or other complicated controls. They're harder to fumble around with when you're half awake. IME, auto shutoff controllers are prone to failure. I've had a couple that ceased to pay any attention to me in just a few weeks. They seemed to develop minds of their own and would turn off at odd times without my say-so. They also refused to turn ON again if their 2 hour auto setting was triggered. They wouldn't reset. I'd have to get out of bed, unplug from the wall, wait for some mysterious magical period of time, plug back in, get back in bed, turn on again before they'd respond to the control settings. Just not worth the hassle. Give me a simple, manually controlled heating pad (with a raised switch you can feel with your fingers in the dark) that will stay on or off as long as I ask it to any day.
Last edited by Parnassia; 01-16-2024 at 03:16 PM..
I have always used Sunbeam brand electric blankets. Don't recall EVER having a problem with them.
I especially like the ones with a "Preheat" feature. You can set them to your usual "medium warm" level, then press Preheat, and it goes up to its maximum temperature for maybe 15 minutes, and then goes back down to "medium warm" or whatever you had set it to.
VERY nice when you're really cold, want to get warmed up quickly, but don't want to overheat and sweat like crazy for the rest of the night.
I used an electric blanket/heated mattress pad many years ago but found them too warm for most of the year and the unheated blanket by itself wasn't warm enough. Didn't like having to handle them so carefully to avoid damaging the heater wires. They also made me sweat and that sweat ends up absorbed by the mattress.
Since I've been dog-deprived I just use a regular heating "pad" and keep one plugged in/turned off but ready underneath a pillow. Easy to move wherever I want for cold toes or an achy muscle or joint. I tend to sleep warm, so keep my bedroom chilly. All I really want is to take the chill off the sheets before I crawl inside and usually turn the pad off fairly soon. How long varies based on what my metabolism happens to be doing that night. I also have an antique copper bed warmer (a flattened copper canteen filled with hot water) that actually does the job perfectly after more than 100 years. It would still be mildly warm the next morning.
I detest heating pads with automatic shutoff or other complicated controls. They're harder to fumble around with when you're half awake. IME, auto shutoff controllers are prone to failure. I've had a couple that ceased to pay any attention to me in just a few weeks. They seemed to develop minds of their own and would turn off at odd times without my say-so. They also refused to turn ON again if their 2 hour auto setting was triggered. They wouldn't reset. I'd have to get out of bed, unplug from the wall, wait for some mysterious magical period of time, plug back in, get back in bed, turn on again before they'd respond to the control settings. Just not worth the hassle. Give me a simple, manually controlled heating pad (with a raised switch you can feel with your fingers in the dark) that will stay on or off as long as I ask it to any day.
I want the auto-shut off. After I fall asleep, the bed warms up from my body, and if the heating pad were to stay on, I would get too warm and wake up, and have to turn it off. Heck I have woken up before it turned off, and tossed it off the bed. I am a hot sleeper - I just like the bed warmed up a bit to go to sleep.
I want the auto-shut off. After I fall asleep, the bed warms up from my body, and if the heating pad were to stay on, I would get too warm and wake up, and have to turn it off. Heck I have woken up before it turned off, and tossed it off the bed. I am a hot sleeper - I just like the bed warmed up a bit to go to sleep.
I just love my electric blanket but we turn it off when we go to bed. We do not have any heating on in the house at night (never gets below freezing where we are) but we find it best to turn the electric blanket right off.
This thread is making me long for winter! It is a damp very warm and very humid week here and I’d kill for a night with my electric blanket!
I recommend a heated mattress pad. Heat rises, so it might actually be better to have the heated part of your bed below you rather than above you. At least that's been my experience. Mr. Bay and I have been using our dual control model with a duvet for over 30 years, and we love it.
Another vote for the heated mattress pad. Mine is a sunbeam, almost 20 yrs old and I'm about to retire it for a newer model, more because it just looks bad at this point than anything else. I crank mine up pretty high before getting into bed, but once I settle in I turn it down to a low setting and it's fine for the rest of the night.
my dog sleeps on top of the electric blanket, she thinks i put it on the bed for her.
My cattledogs (all except one who refused to sleep on the bed. Her job was to guard the doors) have served as bed warmers but they were all easy keepers in terms of grooming. Wash & wear, non-oily, medium-short hair that shed the outdoors quite quickly. Cattledogs are also known for their lack of doggy odors. It's a dingo trait. They were all great self-groomers that never seemed to need much bathing either. I kept them well brushed and used a washable microfiber dog throw on top of the bedding. They slept on that. Blowing their coats in the spring required more brushing but the dog throw shed hair pretty easily.
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I am a hot sleeper - I just like the bed warmed up a bit to go to sleep.
