How to make your home feel warmer (without turning up the heat)

[flowerbug]

Also for cold hands, total newbies can alter their circulation by visualization/meditation. I imagine red energy pulsing through my arms to my fingertips. You don't have to have a meditation practice or experience to be able to do this. In research, volunteers were able to raise their skin temperature on the first try!

for your hands just pretend you're squeezing a stress ball (or someone you don't like's head) amazing how much better you feel.

 

[Phaedra]

Ditch your top sheet. I use a thin microfiber blanket instead during winter. Makes a huge difference on warmth.

Mom complained so much about a cold bed until I convinced her to try without the top sheet. She doesn't use it either now. Her sheets are cotton and cotton will wick away heat. So it's great for summer. I have both cotton and linen sheets. Linen top sheet is also too cool for winter.

I did the same! A cheap microfiber blanket from IKEA can do a very good job!

 

[flowerbug]

we use propane here for heating during the winter. 68F during the day, 63F at night. i would keep it several degrees cooler but Mom feels the cold a lot more now so we've gradually been bumping it up over the past several years. when she was away being a nanny i could isolate my room and keep the rest of the house at 55F all day without any problems but that doesn't work now. as you acclimate you can lower the temperature but also wearing more layers and a hat will make you plenty warm enough. i was normally fine at 60F as long as it wasn't too damp outside.

caulking cracks and spray foaming gaps (and then caulking and staining over those to make it all match) is worth the time and effort - even a small crack can lose a lot of heat (or cost more for AC during the summer).

 

[Finnie]

that makes sense for people who's feet don't sweat like mine do. i often have them sticking out the end of the blankets so they act like little radiators. i don't have tucked in sheets or blankets, i do not want my feet trapped when i'm sleeping.

I hear you on that! We don’t tuck ours in either. My feet are in and out of the blanket constantly. One at a time or both. One in and one out seems to work best.

But I was actually thinking of the clean sock thing as a way to keep floor lint off the sheets. Then I remembered the Girl Scout thing.

 

[flowerbug]

I hear you on that! We don’t tuck ours in either. My feet are in and out of the blanket constantly. One at a time or both. One in and one out seems to work best.

But I was actually thinking of the clean sock thing as a way to keep floor lint off the sheets.

ah! yes, it would help, question is, can i change my ways?

i sometimes have one in and one out too. funny i'm sure if you're taking a movie all night. i know i wander around in my sleep sometimes.

Then I remembered the Girl Scout thing.

haha! i'm remembering a miserable night i had camping but it is way OT for this thread...

 

[baymule]

Hahaha, feet under covers, feet out of the covers…
To keep my kids from getting out of bed after I put them to bed, I told them there were turtle heads under the bed. If they got up, the turtle heads would eat their toes off. I scarred them for life.

Did the same thing to oldest granddaughter. Now 15, she still sleeps with her toes covered.

 

[The Porch]

That's me right now except for the fuzzy house shoes. Just have socks on and a flannel blankie.

I've heard but never tried) that reversing your ceiling fan will bring heat down that rises to the ceiling - anybody ever do that?

And, I'm sipping a cup of hot tea.

reversing your ceiling fan :: YES., in the other homes we had we always did that,

 

[flowerbug]

We also put the clear plastic over the windows. (ours are very drafty) The hat is an excellent way to stay warmer. An old (German?) saying. If your feet are cold put on a hat. I think it comes from several old world places.

also if your hands and feet are cold it's probably a good idea to check to make sure your clothes are too restrictive and blocking blood flow.

 

[tortoise]

Go outside to colder. Always warmer coming back inside.

You're not wrong 🤣

Thermal comfort is a state of mind.

 

[flowerbug]

When your hands are cold, wash your dishes by hand to warm them up!

and while you are at it drink a cup of hot water.