apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Your method of using the electric blanket ought to at least partially alleviate your sister's concerns, whether or not they're valid.

Our place doesn't get cold enough to require an electric blanket (one of the benefits of living in a warm climate), but when we visit family in colder areas, we've occasionally turned on the blankets they provide. Generally I don't find them necessary, but I can see how they'd be useful in some areas.

We use ours in the same way, to warm up the bed a few minutes before jumping in. Rarely does it stay on all night long.

I got one for xmas last year and I am pretty sure it's my favorite xmas gift. Mine shuts off automatically after 3 hours, this is great for keeping the bed warm and falling asleep but not being too warm all night.

there is this (for what I can find out) that things like electric blankets, alarm clocks etc give of a magnetic field or an electrical field. Its all based on very little and is about as scientifically unsound as magnetic bracelets for theraptic uses. There's very little real evidence for this.

I'd be more afraid of the electricity bill-or the possible (however small) fire hazard.

sorry half asleep here, meant to read there is this MISCONCEPTION (:P) that they give off a field that is bad for you.... etc.....
maybe i need one to help me sleep better!

I love my electric blanket. It keeps me from hiking up the electric radiators to heat the whole apartment just so I'm warm in bed. Mine even has a pre-heat function that is perfect pre-bedtime.

I *think* it's not so harmful... compared to cell phones in the room, or off-gassing Ikea furniture butted up to the radiator. Now that I think about it... YIKES.

How about a hot water bottle (not at the same time as the electric blanket, obviously)? My husband got me one for Christmas that I've used every night since - it's simple and safe, and works so well!

I have an electric blanket and use it to warm my bed up when its cold like you do, but some nights I keep it on if I'm still too cold.

This is going to sound funny, but when I was in 5th grade we studied this exact thing. Appliances give off electro magnetic field waves. Some appliances give more than others. Its not proven that these waves do anything to us, but many people believe that having appliances close to you for prolonged periods of time can potentially cause things like cancer. I remember we talked a lot about high voltage power lines and people having cancer more frequently when they lived in close proximity to large power lines.

Obviously I don't believe in it too much since I use an electric blanket now. But I do try to limit how much I use it and my prolonged proximity to things like the microwave. I also would never by a house near large power lines, hahaha.

I have all kinds of blankets of varrying weight so I'm good there.

If I want my bed prewarmed, I just nuke my flax seed heating pad and toss it under the covers before I brush my teeth. I steer clear of electric blankets and such because I'm concerned about fire hazards.

Oh, and my mom always said her mother told her to warm up her bed when she was already in it, blow three big warm breaths (like you would if you were trying to warm your hands) under the sheets and it'll warm your bed right up.

Our house stays pretty cool and despite the pile of blankets on our bed its frigid when we first tuck in for the night. I've thought about an electric blanket but I think an electric mattress pad would make more sense. The cost is what's stopping us, instead I plan on making a rice heating pad.

I'm in a warm climate and generally my problem is getting too hot in bed. (Stop snickering - you know what I mean!) The thing I have a problem with getting warm enough is the cats. If the temp goes below 65, they start to burrow in the bed and do other funny things to keep warm. Otherwise I'd turn the thermostat down lower. I suppose I could make a rice pad for them, but it would need to be warmest in the middle of the night. Would it stay warm that long?

I love getting into a cold bed! the sheets feel so crisp and I love the cozy feeling of pulling the covers way up high as you warm it up. a nice down comforter is plenty for me (even in our drafty bedroom). I guess it also helps that my cat is partial to sleeping on my feet...

I use a heating pad on especially cold nights. THe heat on the back of my kneck (or under my butt!) warms the rest of me right up. Plus, it has an automatic shut off (10 minutes i think) so fire hazard and electricity waste isn't an issue.

I use an electric mattress pad instead of an electric blanket now, and I LOVE it. I am very cold-natured, but I rarely have to turn it above the lowest setting.

I have heard warnings about electromagnetic fields being a health hazard, but I don't think there is a definitive answer to that question yet. In any case, I have lived 200 feet from massive electric transmission lines for the past 10 years, so if it's true, I'm probably already a crispy critter. It may kill me, but by gosh I'll die warm...

Why waste all that electricity when you could just use a wheat bag or a hot water bottle and put an extra blanket on the bed?

I have an electric mattress pad, and I *love* it. I turn it on twenty minutes before bed, and it makes getting under the covers that much more relaxing. Mine has an automatic off after a couple of hours, too, which is great. I learned the hard way that you can't sleep with the warmer on any higher than 3, though. Once I woke up in the middle of the night so hot I felt like I was being cooked! Now I keep it on low and it's nice and cozy.

I have one, I use it in the winter to warm up the bed before I get into it. It's fabulous for that, but I have to turn it off shortly after I get into bed or I'll roast!

I use an electric mattress pad. It's absolutely amazing. Turn it on 30 minutes before bed, climb in, turn it down to 2 and I sleep cozy. I was going to buy an oil-filled radiator (based on reviews from this site!) but my mom told me to try the pad.

I don't suggest it to anyone else yet, because I don't know if its going to make my electricity bill go through the roof.