Electric over blankets - any experience out there?

Charlton_King

Sorry not to know exactly where to post this one.

I've always used an electric underblanket but have recently heard that an over blanket can be used all night, i.e. left on.

This would be extremely useful for my elderly father who suffers enormously from cold in the extremities brought on by rheumatoid arthritis.

Can anyone bring any personal experience to bear? Are they any good?

Ben84

You can also get regular electric blankets with all night settings. I find with a decent duvet/blankets over the top, the heat says in and feels very even, so I don't need any direct heat from above.

After many years of owning an electric under blanket, I did however try an over blanket, thinking it would be even better, but I replaced it within a month with an under blanket. It was actually one of my worst purchases. It just wouldn't stay in place. The instructions said put it inside the duvet, but it was hard work getting it neatly in there, and during the night when I moved around it would move around without the duvet and always ended up crumpled up at the bottom of the duvet. I felt it was partly because of the weight of it, and partly because of the wires attached to it. The wires tether the blanket and every movement of the duvet pulls the blanket out of place. The placement of the wires at the bottom of the blanket also meant the controls couldn't be used without getting out of bed. My particular blanket also had the unhelpful feature of the dual heating wires having a very large gap in the middle between them, which made a big, cold space in the middle of the bed, while much of the heated area was hanging over the edge. So, making the bed was a pain, it never stayed inside the duvet during the night, and I was colder.

Someone might like them, but I prefer an under blanket with a good number of all night settings, so that I can find one I like. My current electric blanket is pretty good, but only has the two all night settings. One is a little cool, two is a little too high. I must be picky about these things, but sleeping is one of those things that people like to get just right, so it's one time when more settings is worth having.

CRANKY40

I remember electric over blankets from when I was small. Those were the days of sheets and blankets though, so I'd say it depends what bedding your father has. I have cold hands and feet due to bad circulation, so I spent a little more on my underblanket. It can be set for 1 hour or 9 hours in a range of temperatures and is one of the best things I've ever bought. I often set it for an hour and fall asleep with it on in the winter knowing it will turn off by itself. Mine came from @rgos.

e13

I got an under-blanket from Lidl that had all night settings - it's fab, really comfy and you can't feel the wires.

Gers

CRANKY40 wrote: »

I remember electric over blankets from when I was small. Those were the days of sheets and blankets though, so I'd say it depends what bedding your father has. I have cold hands and feet due to bad circulation, so I spent a little more on my underblanket. It can be set for 1 hour or 9 hours in a range of temperatures and is one of the best things I've ever bought. I often set it for an hour and fall asleep with it on in the winter knowing it will turn off by itself. Mine came from @rgos.

Sounds like I have the same model as you - I love the one hour setting and sometimes use it on heat six which is not really advised, but I get all toasty quickly. I like a cold bedroom and a warm bed. The blanket is not a dual controlled one as when OH is away (as he often is) I didn't want to only lie on one half of the bed, I'm naturally a 'starfish'!

Under-blanket is much better than an over-blanket and modern ones are much safer than ever. Mine can even be machine washed.

whiteguineapig

it sounds like mine as well
i think it might be the best thing i'v ever bought, i just love it

MarieMac_2

The over blanket kind is much more common over here and having used both I think the over blanket would be best for somebody like your father. The over blankets are much easier to move from place to place and also function as regular blankets as well. So if he wanted too he could turn it on & wrap up in it on the sofa or a recliner or something as well as using it on his bed. Since I know RA can make it hard to sleep in a regular bed sometimes I think that flexibility would be useful.

Not to mention that if he has limited mobility due to his arthritis it would be easier for him to get it on and off his bed on his own when changing the bedlinens etc. I also find that the underbed kind always had awkwardly placed controls so being able to move the overbed kind around more was helpful for getting the controller where it was most comfortable for me to use.

Heating wise I found no real difference between how warm they were, although I recommend a second blanket over it to help ensure all of the heat stays in the bed.

VfM4meplse

I'm always a bit wary of electric blankets, particularly in people with mobility problems.

However I also really feel the cold and find 2*13.5 tog duvets in the winter to be effective.

HappyMJ

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I'm always a bit wary of electric blankets, particularly in people with mobility problems.

However I also really feel the cold and find 2*13.5 tog duvets in the winter to be effective.

I tried 2 x 13.5 tog duvets once. They were very heavy too heavy to be comfortable.

I ended up using an electric blanket on the low setting, a 3.5 tog summer quilt and a 10.5 tog duvet.

Ben84

HappyMJ wrote: »

I tried 2 x 13.5 tog duvets once. They were very heavy too heavy to be comfortable.

I ended up using an electric blanket on the low setting, a 3.5 tog summer quilt and a 10.5 tog duvet.

I find a wool stuffed duvet is better than the usual plastic fibre ones. It's not all about the tog rating, as apparently wool changes shape in response to how warm/humid the environment is, resulting in better heat regulation. I think it works. As for cooler nights, I just put a regular wool blanket over the top of the duvet, which helps a lot without making it heavy.