How to keep a steady temperature at night in bed?

Sasha

Sasha

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I quite often wake up at night after a few hours' sleep because I'm too cold (especially at the moment).

The solution doesn't seem to be to pile on more blankets because I'd be too hot to start with. I'd rather go to sleep and stay a comfortable temperature all night and not wake up at all until the morning.

But how to manage it?

I saw that @Ryan31337 is planning a thermostat-controlled heated bedsheet (?) but that kind of thing is technologically way beyond me and I don't like the idea of Bed + electricity = fire risk. :nailbiting:

Is there some kind of secret of comfortable sleep that I don't know?
 
Without getting to personal @Sasha but what are you wearing?

Would thermal pjs, bedsocks and even a neck snood thingy help?

I found I was getting far too hot and then cold etc. So I've got a few tees made of bamboo that I wear as pj tops & seem very comfortable temperature -wise.

However, if it's PEM related coldness, or hypothyroidism then I've not found much that can help.
 
Personally, I love MicroModal.

https://blog.pzizz.com/the-best-fabrics-for-bedding-and-sleepwear-6716453367ac

New rayons (lycocell, Tencel, Modal, MicroModal, etc.)
Like bamboo, Tencel and MicroModal are made of cellulose fibers and are considered something between a natural and synthetic fabric. Tencel, the branded name of lyocell fiber, and Modal, another rayon fabric, are derived from wood pulp and considered great cotton alternatives. These new rayon fabrics are becoming more mainstream in the fashion industry because they are soft, breathable, naturally wrinkle-resistant, biodegradable and environmentally sustainable. A study published in the Dermatitis journal reported that for patients with sensitive skin caused by atopic dermatitis, lyocell was preferred over cotton for clothing, sleepwear, and bedding because of its softness, temperature control, and wrinkle-resistance. A fabric that feels like silk with great sweat-wicking properties? Yes, this may be an excellent choice for nighttime sleepwear.
 
If it's due to cold weather and you room cooling down, can you have a heater in your room that is set to come on a few times through the night for a short time or that is thermostatically controlled? In the very cold weather we're having at the moment I have the central heating set to come on for 15 minutes a few times during the night, then continuously from about 6am.

I haven't found a complete solution, I find my temperature sensitivity is all over the place. I can be too cold or too hot even if the room temperature hasn't changed. I've resigned myself to sleeping with layers of lightweight bedding ready to pull up or push away, and socks and jumpers within reach if needed - which of course means waking up.
 
I had the same problem a couple of years ago, @Sasha. I found the solution was an electric under blanket with 9 built in temp settings and a timer. I found if I set it to come on on the lowest setting at 3am, I stayed asleep. The lowest setting was virtually nothing, so I didn't overheat, but it was enough to stop the cold waking me up.

It also had a 'turbo' setting, which got hot very quickly, which was great when my core temp fell and I couldn't get warm. And two zones, so each half of a double bed could be set independently.

Edit D'oh! Just re-read your post and realised you are concerned about fire risk, so ignore me, brain fogged! :banghead: Will leave the post here in case it helps someone else :rolleyes:
 
Invisible Woman said:
Without getting to personal @Sasha but what are you wearing?
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Thick, brushed-cotton pyjama trousers plus a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt.

Would thermal pjs, bedsocks and even a neck snood thingy help?
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My problem is starting out at the right temperature, falling asleep, then waking up cold, so I think if I piled more clothes on, I'd have to chuck more bedding off to begin with - and then I'd fall asleep and wake up too cold. :(

I found I was getting far too hot and then cold etc. So I've got a few tees made of bamboo that I wear as pj tops & seem very comfortable temperature -wise.
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I've been wondering if there are any materials that help cool you down if you're too hot and keep you warm when you're too cold. Is bamboo such a thing?

However, if it's PEM related coldness, or hypothyroidism then I've not found much that can help.
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No, it isn't, fortunately. :)
 
Trish said:
If it's due to cold weather and you room cooling down, can you have a heater in your room that is set to come on a few times through the night for a short time or that is thermostatically controlled? In the very cold weather we're having at the moment I have the central heating set to come on for 15 minutes a few times during the night, then continuously from about 6am.
I've got nowhere to store a heater and my central heating timer is a bit rigid but I'm thinking maybe I need it to come on at 3 am, not 7 am!

I haven't found a complete solution, I find my temperature sensitivity is all over the place. I can be too cold or too hot even if the room temperature hasn't changed. I've resigned myself to sleeping with layers of lightweight bedding ready to pull up or push away, and socks and jumpers within reach if needed - which of course means waking up.
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We sound very similar! I want to address this problem because I want to improve the quality of my sleep, if I can.
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Sasha said:
People keep telling me that but I don't think I'm ever going to feel safe with one. :nailbiting:
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Me too, unless I can find one that uses rechargable torch batteries and therefore is not attached to mains electricity and works at low enough voltage not to electrocute me, and can't catch fire like some laptop batteries used to do. Probably completely illogical.
 
My hack for this is to keep a cozy throw-sized blanket under the sheets with me. This way it is really easy to push or kick it aside when any part of me is too hot, or gather it back when I get cold. SO much better than sitting up to fuss with extra blankets on top, plus acts as a draft barrier if the covers have a gap. Highly recommend this personal cocoon practice :) :slugish:
 
I have this problem, basically I found that I don't get on with a duvet, or anything else too thick. Instead I use several thin layers. A sheet as a minimum and then depending on the season I add one or more fairly thin comforters - they get called different things in different places really. Anyway, I find this works quite well and it's easy to add or remove a layer in the middle of the night if you're too hot or too cold.

It's difficult though isn't it, as I get the same thing as you where I sometimes wake up more cold than when I went to sleep.
 
I've been sleeping in a hoodie with the hood up, that's stopped me losing too much heat from my head which has helped big time during this cold snap.
I'm also sleeping in a t-shirt, a long sleeved t- shirt, fluffy pjs and 3 pairs of socks. I have a light weight duvet, 2 quilts, 2 blankets, an eiderdown, 3 cats and 1 husband!

It's been -6 here without the wind chill factor. We've not had running water since Wednesday, the toilet froze on Tuesday (Mr S has spent most of today trying to defrost it). We had ice on the inside of the windows for 2 days and the farmer asked if we wanted anything bringing down in their tractor because there was no way we'd be getting out until the thaw.
I love snow, but this is just silly!
 
One odd phenomenon I've noticed. I spend my evenings in bed doing stuff on the computer for a while, then reading or listening to the radio or audiobooks. At some stage when I guess my body is telling me I'm ready to settle down to try to sleep, I suddenly start feeling too hot, and have to take off layers of clothing and/or bedding to cool me down before I can go to sleep.

Then of course, half way through the night, I get cold.
 
This may be so obvious that no one has bothered to mention it, but... If the problem is overheating after you've been in bed for a while, one way to regulate this is to... get one or both feet out from under the covers.

Like your head, your feet dissipate a lot of heat, so you'll cool down and so will the bed. I've come to do this unconsciously, but sometimes I'll wake up overheated and will have to do it consciously. It gives you finer control than, say, throwing off an entire blanket. It may not work so well in a really cold climate. I've always lived in a pretty temperate area (usually above freezing in winter).

As I say, I almost feel silly for suggesting this - but maybe it will help someone.
 
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