Make Your Bedroom Warmer!

1/25/2017 (Permalink)

warming up

It’s that time of year again… Old Man Winter is nipping at your nose, chilling down your toes and – perhaps most distressing of all – driving up your utility expenses with the increased use of your indoor heating system. But wait: instead of automatically reaching for the thermostat dial, consider alternatives to heating the entire house at night. After all, the only room in use is the bedroom, so stay snug, lower your utility costs, and reduce your energy consumption with these easy ideas.

Check for Drafts

If your bedroom windows (or any other windows in your home, for that matter) have gaps or leaks, your warm inside air is leaking away to the outside, leaving you chilly and wasting your hard-earned money. Each season, check all windows and doors that open to the outside. You can use a draft detector, or simply a burning stick of incense to check for unwanted air movement. Fix those gaps and your room will stay warmer.

Use Warmer Bedding

It’s the obvious solution; when nature turns the thermostat down, it’s time to turn up the heat on your bed.

Reverse the Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans are a great way to reduce energy usage any time of year. In the summer, the counterclockwise rotation creates a cooling breeze that’s a treat on muggy, hot nights. But once the winter months roll around, it’s time to reverse your fan’s rotation to clockwise (most ceiling fans have a switch on the fan’s base that sets the rotational direction). Now the fan’s blades will pull warmer air from the ceiling, and push it lower into the room – right where you need it.

Try a Space Heater

While sleep experts agree that 65 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for sound sleep, if your bedroom dips much below that, you can warm things up a bit without heating the entire house with a space heater. When choosing a portable heater, look for one suitably sized for your room, and place it far enough from the bed so that there is no chance of bedding coming in contact with the device. You’ll also want to play it safe with the cord – don’t stretch it across your escape route in case of emergency (or nighttime bathroom visits), and make sure the heater has a safety feature that turns it off automatically if it tips over or overheats. But while portable heaters are okay in the master bedroom, this is another no-no for a child’s room.

Wear Socks and a Knit Hat

If your significant other likes it on the cool side, but you’re shivering at night, warm yourself up by slipping on thick socks before climbing between the sheets (as a bonus, you’ll sleep better when your feet are warm) and add a knit cap to keep your head cozy. After all, there’s a reason those old-time illustrations show people sleeping in long, pointed caps – although today’s sleeping hats are likelier to be beanies. Either way, you’ll feel warmer and sleep tighter.

Move Your Bed Away From the Window

This isn’t a solution for every bedroom, but if your bed is normally positioned right under a window, you can sleep a little warmer by moving it to the other side of the room. Unless your windows are multi-paned (and even if they are, in very cold areas), the glass will cool down considerably during the night, thus cooling down the inside air near that window. As a result, you feel cooler, as well.

Lay Down a Thick Area Rug

While hard flooring, such as wood or laminate, has many benefits, warmth is not one of them. Do yourself a favor and lay down a thick, warm area rug during the cold months to help insulate your room and give your feet a warm treat when it’s time to crawl out of your snug bed.

Cover the Windows

Since outside temperatures transfer through glass, you can insulate your bedroom a bit by switching to heavier window coverings during the wintertime. So cover up your blinds or switch out those lightweight sheers with heavy, lined drapes. Choose a cheery color to chase away some of the winter gloom while you’re at it.  

Time for a Hot Water Bottle

It might be old-school, but it works: slip a hot-water bottle under the sheets when it’s time for bed, and let your tootsies revel in the warmth. If you prefer a more high-tech version, there are heated mattress pads – both full mattress and foot-of-the-bed-only – that do the job quite nicely.