The UK’s cold snap has officially hit and it’s absolutely freezing! Many studies have shown that sleeping in a cold room is better for you but it’s not the easiest thing to fall asleep when you’re feeling the chill.
While snuggling under the best duvet or turning up the heating can keep you warm at night, heating costs have certainly risen. As energy bills continue to rise, many people have been looking for cheap and effective ways to stay cosy while they sleep. Enter the igloo sleep hack!
After extensive research, bedding and sleep experts at Bensons for Beds have come up with solutions to keeping your bedroom warm on a budget, by taking inspiration from the Inuit. Residing in areas of the Arctic, Greenland and Canada, the Inuit have used igloos as a way to keep warm for thousands of years.
The inside of igloos have high platforms where inhabitants sleep, which brand manager of Bensons for Beds, Rachel Marshall says can be used as a strategy to boost the heat while we sleep at night. “We can gain inspiration from some of the strategies to keep our houses warm such as sleeping higher up. As heated air is thinner than colder air, it makes sense that it naturally rises.”
Sleeping on a higher level can be done in many different ways by either moving to a higher bedroom in your house or by investing in a high, midsleeper or bunk bed. In combination with this, igloos have a hole or vent to allow fresh air to get and water vapour to get out. Opening a window in your bedroom when it's freezing outside probably isn’t something you want to do, but it’s an important step in the igloo hack.
As Marshall states, “air vents are in your home for a reason as they’re designed to allow air to flow through your home and to prevent a build-up of humidity. Excess humidity can lead to mould which can lead to health problems and sleep problems.” While it might be the last thing you want to do when it’s cold, opening a window is a must. If you really can’t stand it, using the best dehumidifier can combat mould and freshen the air quality in your home.
Now that you’re sleeping higher and you have a good air flow to your bedroom, it’s important to think about insulation. Creating a well-insulated environment means you’ll be warm and cosy throughout the night, plus you don’t have to turn the heat up. The main thing you should think about with this is the type of duvet you’re using.
At time of writing, you should have made the switch to a winter duvet by now. Choosing a higher tog duvet gives you a warmer and thicker duvet so you don’t feel too cold during the winter months. Alternatively, you can invest in an all-season duvet like the Scooms Hungarian Goose Down All-Seasons Duvet which is two duvets in one which can be used separately or together for warmth.
A final tip to master the igloo sleep hack is to use your curtains or blinds to your advantage. Marshall says to “keep them open during the day to let the sun provide natural warmth before closing them at night to insulate the room.”
