Electric Blankets - What they can do to you.

I love to get into my cold bed and snuggle up enjoying the warmth grow slowly around me until I am cosy and warm - but I'm the exception. Most of us prefer to get into a warm bed and many of us use electric blankets to achieve this state.
There is nothing wrong with this approach. The problems occur when they go to sleep with the electric blanket still blazing away.
As a Bowen Therapist, I am always advising clients not to put external sources of heat on their bodies if they can help it as heat causes the blood vessels on your skin to dilate, dehydrating the skin and thus, the muscles below. This may feel good in the short term but the next day, the pain in that area will be worse than before because the tissues will be even more dehydrated and the main way our bodies signal that we are dehydrated is by pain.
I usually recommend rugging up so that the body creates its own heat from within - but not to overdo that either.
As for sleeping, it is now well known that snoring and other problems can be made worse by sleeping too hot. Doctors usually recommend sleeping a little cooler than usual for optimum breathing.
In addition, imagine how much fluid you might lose if you are lying on an electric blanket and sweating all night.
Heat stress from sleeping with the electric blanket on can even cause raised blood pressure, increased heart rate and seizures in extreme circumstances.
New Mums are often warned about the dangers of putting too many bed covers on newborns. Newborns are especially susceptible to heat stress but all of us would benefit from not putting our bodies through unnecessary heat stress nightly.
Hot water bottles are probably a better option if you must have extra heat in your bed and don't happen to have THOL (The Heater On Legs) lying next to you like I do.
At least water bottles tend to cool down during the night so the dangers of overheating are far less.
As for THOL.....