Sleeping tips for a cosy and snug winter

Winter is well and truly on its way and fleecy pyjama days and nights are becoming all too frequent. Don’t let yourself become glum with the shorter days and the cold nights, as we’ve got you covered with all the best tips to keeping out the winter chill.

The main problem sleepers face during winter is climate control: am I too hot or too cold? It’s easy to pile on the layers to make sure you are warm while you sleep, but as body temperature drops during the night, those layers can become all too hot and uncomfortable. To help make sure that you maintain a constant level of comfort during the night, try our 3 stages of sleeping prep.

Make yourself warm and cosy before climbing into bed:

• Bathing or showering is a great way to warm up before going to bed so that your body stays around a fixed mean temperature during the night. Try putting a spoon of mustard in your bath water as this will increase your core body temperature and help to relax you as well.
• Make sure your feet stay warm. Don’t wait to cool down after your bath, step straight into your pyjamas, putting on slippers and socks until you are ready to climb into bed.
• Before getting ready for bed, place a hot water bottle under the sheets or turn on your electric blanket so that your bed is already warm. This way you won’t have to use your own body heat to warm up the sheets.

The next thing to consider is that every sleeper is different and has varying heat needs. Take the time to research what bedding and mattress types work best for your needs.

Each bedding and mattress style has pros and cons in heat retention:

• Cotton bedding is perfect for year-round use, but if you are looking for bedding that is slightly warmer, use linen-based sheets as the fibres in this bedding are better for heat retention.
• Duck and goose feather duvets provide three times the warmth as synthetic ones do. If you are worried that a naturally filled down duvet will be too hot in summer, try a style that combines two duvets – a thin one for summer that can be added to the winter duvet for even more warmth.
• Certain mattresses are better for climate control than others. With great moisture and heat dissipation properties, latex mattresses are best for climate control, ensuring that you’ll stay warm in winter but without the added sweat and discomfort of getting too hot in the summer months. To get expert advice on the best mattress for you, make sure to talk to a reputable retailer, such as The Bed King, that will also provides guarantees on their products.

With the winter months still to take a chilly hold on us it’s time to test what works best for you and get yourself well wrapped and snuggled for those cold nights ahead.

As published on: Beds for Cape Town