Silentnight Comfort Control Heated Throw - Fleece Heating Overblanket Electric Heated Throw - Luxury Machine Washable Blanket for Sofa and Bed

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Here’s what I found after several nights testing the best electric blankets, starting with my favourite. (And if you’re looking for other ways to improve your sleep this winter, you could consider upgrading your pillow next). How does an electric blanket work? There’s something luxurious about this 100 per cent cotton Dreamland electric blanket, a far cry from the cheap polyester feeling of some brands. Unlike others on this list, there’s no elasticated skirt or straps, instead it relies on a rather effective anti-slip grip on the underside. If you sleep with a partner, look into dual controls so you can each control your own side of the bed. You might also want the option of a timer to help with energy saving (though electric blankets are pretty low cost to run all night anyway). Then, via the control pad (or your smart phone) you switch it on, and choose between heat settings and – on the better models – select a time. How safe is an electric blanket? I found that some cheaper blankets had a tendency to come lose or crease up when I moved around at night; this one was fine. I liked the feature that adds extra heat to the area around your feet: in all honesty, I found in general keeping my feet snug and warm quite nice, whereas too much heat on my body made me feel stuffy and affected my sleep.

Silentnight Luxury Heated Throw - Sleepy People Silentnight Luxury Heated Throw - Sleepy People

First, you need to decide whether you want an electric blanket, which sits between your mattress and bedsheet, or an electric throw, which can be used for sleeping under or snuggling under on the sofa. That’s the first way to narrow down your search. Other things to consider are material, which could be fleece, polyester or velvet, for example, and size meaning single, double or king. Unwanted Food or Drink Products - Once supply conditions are broken, there are a number of factors outside of our control that can affect the quality of a product. Therefore perishable goods such as food and drink cannot be returned. Comfort A panel of five volunteers assesses each electric blanket and heated throw for comfort. There is quite a big difference in how snuggly each one is and underwires are more noticeable in some of them. For electric blankets, we also assess how easy each one is to attach to a mattress and how comfortable each one is to lie on under a fitted sheet. For reasons of hygiene and safety, personal grooming products, cosmetics or items of intimate clothing cannot be returned. As part of our test, we washed and tumbled dried each of the blankets five times after testing, and then conducted a full electricity safety test. All the blankets passed.The electric blanket has six heat settings that cost between less than 1p and 8p per hour to use, and three timer options of one, three or nine hours. It connects to a mains plug but has dual control so you and anyone you share a bed with can control your own heat settings. The Homefront offers dual control, which helps save on energy. The LCD control pad was simple to use and, on top of choosing which side you want to heat, you can also differentiate between body and legs, with nine different temperature settings for each. Durability After testing, each electric blanket and heated throw is washed and dried five times to simulate wear and tear. We then conduct a full electrical safety test on each one. None showed significant wear and tear, and all passed the test.

Silentnight Comfort Control Heated Throw - Fleece Heating

While health benefits shouldn’t be exaggerated, you might find if you suffer from a condition like arthritis or poor circulation that an electric blanket can alleviate some of the pain. High-resistance wires – these days often made of carbon fibre – heat up as an electrical current passes through them. The heat is transferred via fireproof plastic coating to the bedlinen itself. Your blanket will come with a plug (or two if it’s dual-control), which usually extends to around a metre or so. Attach it to your mattress via its straps or elastic skirt, place your sheet over it, and then make your bed as usual. Make sure your duvet fully covers the bed so as not to dissipate the heat. If you buy your blanket from a reputable UK retailer, as we did for our tests, then it should be safe. There were nine settings for feet and body, ranging from boiling-hot nine to barely noticeable one; four or five was optimal for me. The timer has four settings: one, five, eight and 12 hours.As the winter cold sets in, an electric blanket could just be the friend you need. Unlike the heavy covers your grandmother used to inflict on you, the best electric blankets these days are soft and light, with wires you’ll barely notice – and thankfully much safer and affordable, too. The top brands like Silentnight, Dreamland and Slumberdown are just as comforting as a weighted blanket (the currently popular sleeping aid), but they keep you warm and, some say, can also alleviate muscle aches and joint pains. My advice is that you need a cool bedroom and a warm bed. Getting into a cold bed may be perceived by your brain and body as a threat, increasing wakefulness.” But perhaps the biggest incentive is the high cost of electricity. At the time of writing, a typical 2000W electric heater in your bedroom could cost 68p an hour to run. By contrast, a 100W electric blanket would cost less than 4p.