How to Avoid Getting Too Cold at Night

Despite many homes in the UK having insulation and double-glazing, many people still struggle with low temperatures during winter and autumn nights. There are a number of things you can do throughout the day and as part of your nightly routine to help warm yourself and your house up. In the following guide, we will assess and advise on these.

Cold Sleeping

The UK suffers from poor weather for two-thirds of the year, meaning we are often struck with cold temperatures with little warning. Struggling to sleep due to the cold is a common occurrence, especially if your home is old or not insulated properly. However, there are many steps you can take to improve your conditions and are of varying effectiveness. Employ the actions that may help you, and you could be on the road to a better night’s sleep.

Keep your room warm

Installing proper insulation can be an expensive task with many steps, but there are a few things you can do immediately to help this. If your house is draughty, this could be caused by spaces under windows and doors. You can block these temporarily with warm objects such as clothes or pillows, or you could purchase thick curtains that will stop the cold air from entering your room.

Central heating is expensive and you may not want to leave it on all night. Most boilers come with a timer that will allow you to set when it turns on and off. It is good to have the heating stay on during the period of time it usually takes you to fall asleep within. If you are waking up in the night due to cold, you may want to set a timer to have it turn on when the night is coldest, and this may leave your house warmer in the morning, making it easier to leave the bed. 

An even more efficient option if you don’t want to heat the entire house is to buy a portable electric heater. This will cost less than your central heating as it is only heating up a single room, and you can position it closer to your bed and away from windows if you feel that draughts are making your radiators less effective.

If you have space, you should also move your bed away from draughty windows, as this is where your room will lose the most amount of heat in the most inefficient way. Sleeping further away from them will leave you warmer.

Investing in a big rug to lay next to your bed will not only make getting out of bed easier, but it will provide your room with more insulation.

Sleeping upstairs is another way you can maximise your house’s heating, as the heat from daily activity will rise through the floorboards, leaving the areas at the top of the building with the most excess heat, before it exits the house through the roof.

Maintain a healthy routine

There are a number of things you should and shouldn’t do before bed, but these also extend throughout the day. For example, eating well will leave you feeling fuller, and you body will heat up as it processes food. Carbohydrates are especially important for this, but you will want to make sure you don’t eat too late, as your body will struggle to turn off until it has properly digested. 

Deficiencies can affect you negatively in multiple ways. Ensuring that you have a healthy intake of vitamin B12 and iron will help your body to keep warm. B12 can be found in chicken, eggs and fish, and iron in green vegetables and beans. For more, you can take supplements, which you may want to do even if you don’t have a deficiency.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol after 5PM as, these can make you feel warmer but, they will cause you to sleep worse. Instead, drink a warming decaffeinated tea, which will also help to relax you.

Leaving a hot water bottle in your bed will heat up your bedding. This is especially effective if your bedding is made of flannel, wool or cotton, as these materials are more insulating and absorbent, and will help your body regulate temperature naturally.

  • Wear socks to bed – your feet determine your temp and tell your brain it is time to sleep. Wool is best material for regulation
  • Take a hot water bottle to bed – leave it under the covers for a bit to heat your bedding up, or use an electric blanket
  • Wear more clothes – flannel pyjamas
  • Drink warming tea – make sure it is caffeine-free so you can sleep better
  • Cover your head – most heat escapes here
  • Grab a furry friend
  • Do light exercise before bed to warm up your blood – don’t do too many or you will struggle to sleep

Bedding for warm sleeping

  • Extra blankets – thinner ones so you aren’t too warm. You can always take these off as you go
  • Flannel bedding, or blends
  • Heated mattress
  • Choose the right mattress – it will absorb heat and keep you and your room warmer

Shop at Linens

For a wide range of bedding that will help to keep you warm at night, shop at Linens. Call 0800 389 0059 or 0161 627 1755 for our first-class customer service.

 

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