Hot Water Bottles and Wheat Bags

With the approach of colder days, many of you will be thinking about ways of reducing your heating bills, while at the same time remaining comfortable during the winter months.
One useful and fun way to cut costs is to consider alternative ways of keeping warm at bedtime.
Many of us are used to snuggling down between flannelette sheets, with an electric blanket below and a cuddly duvet above. This has been my preferred winter bedtime habit for many years now. But, electricity costs money, something many of us have less of now.
Trying to go to sleep when you’re feeling cold is almost impossible, as the body tenses up to try and create its own warmth. Before electric blankets became so popular, families still knew how to warm a bed, making falling asleep a more pleasant process. If we want to reduce our electricity bill, here are two ways of warming the bed and ourselves at bedtime.
Hot Water Bottle
The most popular way of warming a cold bed in the past was to use a hot water bottle, or hottie as they were sometimes called. The original hot water bottles were invented back in the 16th century and were made of metal or other hard materials. Eventually the hot water bottle as we know it today replaced the hard objects. These are made of rubber or similar substances and continue to be an economical way of warming the bed.
Instead of using electricity, often for longer than is needed, a hot water bottle is filled with hot or near boiling water and placed in the bed. This can warm the bed before getting in, then refilled at bedtime to continue the warmth a while longer.
Not only are hot water bottles more economical, they are also safer. Electric blankets can over heat and cause a fire. Falling asleep with the electric blanket still on is a dangerous practice. The only risk with hot water bottles is the possibility of an old one bursting and spilling water. There is also that discomfort of waking up with a cold hot water bottle beside you if you forget to discard it before you fall asleep. These are small disadvantages compared to soaring electricity costs and the risk of fire.
Wheat Bags
A more modern version of the hot water bottle is using wheat bags. These are soft cloth shapes filled with wheat, that can be heated in a microwave. They serve the same purpose as an electric blanket, so if you worry about a hot water bottle bursting, wheat bags could be the answer for you.
Once purchased and like the hot water bottle, the cost of using a wheat bag is minimal. It takes little time to heat a wheat bag and the benefits last for some time.
Wheat bags are also great when used to soothe tired or strained muscles.
None of us enjoy getting into a cold bed. Rather than worry about electrical costs this coming winter, why not stay safe and consider one of these economical ways of warming your bed, ensuring you have a pleasant night’s sleep.