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By Citizen Reporter

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Daily hacks: How to keep your bed warm without using an electric blanket

In our 'daily hacks' series, we bring you the latest beauty and home tips, trends and tricks to transform your life and save you money.


As winter approaches, the nights start to get much colder, making it difficult to get a good night’s rest.

With Eskom constantly implementing load shedding, it makes it difficult to rely on electric blankets and heaters to keep your bedroom and home warm during the chilly evenings.

With these tips and tricks on how to keep your bed warm without using any electric appliances, you will ensure that your bed is always toasty and cosy, without having to rely on any other factors to keep you warm throughout the night.

Multiple layers of bed dressing

Just as you tend to dress in layers of clothing when you step outside for chilly days, you should also make use of layers of bedding to keep yourself and your bed warm during winter nights.

Try adding a blanket between two sheets on your mattress to create a thick and warm layer which will keep your mattress warm at all times.

Consider swopping out your comforter for a duvet during winter to keep the cold air out of your bed while you are sleeping. Don’t be afraid to add as many extra blankets as you would like on top of your duvet to ensure that you are kept warm throughout the night.

daily hacks
Multiple layers of bed dressing. Picture: iStock

Hot water bottle

Hot water bottles are the easiest way to keep yourself and your bed warm if you do not have an electric blanket or heater in your home.

Toss a hot water bottle inside your blankets a few hours before heading to bed to allow for the bottle to release enough heat to reach your whole bed.

You can also use the hot water bottle to warm up your feet in bed if you struggle with cold feet, or your back and legs if those are your problem areas during colder nights.

Remember to ensure that the hot water bottle is closed properly to avoid any leakage that might burn and harm you while you are sleeping in bed.

hot water bottle
Hot water bottle. Picture: iStock

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Flannel sheets

Switch out your normal cotton or silk sheets for flannel sheets once the nights get colder. The soft, velvety finish of flannel will feel comfy against your skin while you are sleeping, and the thick fabric will keep you feeling toasty throughout a chilly night.

The warmth of flannel comes from its weight, not its thread count. So, be sure to get heavyweight sheets of at least 190g.

electric blanket
Fennel sheets. Picture: Pinterest

A bed tent

This option is extremely rare but has been proven to keep cold winds away from your bed throughout the night.

Wrap the bed tent around your mattress to create some warmth inside the tent and to block out any cold air that might be entering your room through your door or window from entering the tent.

Most tents have ventilation at the top so that you have a breathable canopy. If you get too warm, you can always unzip a few doors on the tent to allow for some fresh air to enter and to neutralize the temperature in the tent.

bed tent
A bed tent. Picture: Pinterest

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