Is it ok to use an electric blanket.....

[Jellyrollgumdrop]

Im 11 weeks pregnant & freezing at night in bed....brrrrrrrr

I'd be careful with those, to be honest - as lovely as they are, they can get you pretty hot, which you want to avoid at the moment... Also, the danger is that you fall asleep before switching them off - happened to me a couple of times, and I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely roasting!

I'm making do with thick wollen socks, an extra blanket and a moderate hot water bottle at my feet!

Also, I've read things in the past about some concerns over the use of electric blankets for a prolonged period - something to do with ions or something scientific like that.

I'm asking DH nightly to go up 5 mins before me and warm the bed on my side before I get in - very cheeky but it's so cold otherwise!

i too can't bear to let my electric blanket go!

i've read that the only reason you shouldn't use them is because you might overheat. (not read this thing about ions though - will get googling... ;-)
we have an over-duvet blanket, with a shut off after an hour, so it just warms us up enough to get in, and then we tend to manage. i reckon that's alright. you just need to make sure that you don't get too hot, so maybe stick it on a timer if it doesn't have an automatic shut off?

good idea re DH doing the pre-bedtime warming though!

You'll be totally fine, provided you turn them off before you get into bed or have it on very low.

For overheating to be a problem, you need to get VERY hot - like sweating, dizzy, red in the face etc.

So sitting in a really hot sauna is a bad idea but having a cosy electric blanket is fine.

Just ensure that YOU are comfortable. If it is so hot that you feel dizzy or sweaty, turn it off.

Thank you, couldnt bare the thought of freezing this winter!!

If you put it on for an hour or so before bed and then turn it off when you get it, it'll definitely be fine.

I put mine on bfore I get into bed to take the edge off, then read for a bit, switch it off, and it keeps me toasty most of the night. Also if I wake in the night and can't get back to sleep I bung it on for 10 minutes and although it doesn't stop DH's snoring, it does lull me back to sleep!