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Do you often struggle to get out of bed when it’s too cold? It can feel like an impossible task to clamber out of those toasty covers into the freezing air, and nowadays, it’s even trickier to heat up your home without racking up a bill.
With the cost of living rising and energy bills soaring, it’s so much easier to stay snuggled in your bed, forget about the outside world, and not have to put the heating on.
However, most of the time, you’ve got stuff to do. Work, housekeeping, the kids - all of these require you to get out of bed and embrace the chill. So, how can you make getting out of bed when it’s cold a little bit easier, without costing you too many pennies?
We’ve put together seven practical tips which show you exactly how to get out of bed when it’s cold with complete ease. Through tried and tested methods, you’ll be springing out of bed without hesitation, with no concern for your pockets.
1. Consume something warm when you wake
When you’re feeling too cold to get out of bed, not only are you shivering but you’re also going to be hungry and lacking energy. Getting yourself a nice warm cup of tea or coffee and a hot breakfast is going to heat you up and replenish your energy levels.
To save money, you can try boiling a full kettle of water and placing the water you don’t use in a flask for your next drink. This way, you only have to boil the kettle once, and you don’t waste any water.
If you use the oven to make yourself a nice hot breakfast, leave the oven door open when you’re done (and it’s turned off) to slowly release the heat and warm up the rest of your house.
2. Wear something warmer to bed
With the cost of energy rising, we understand that you’re not going to want to switch your heating on. A simple but effective way of warming up when you're cold in bed is to add a few extra layers on top of your pyjamas. If you’re going to sleep with only a few items of clothing on (or maybe none at all!), you’ll have to wake up to the cold morning air without any layers of protection.
Of course, we aren’t recommending you go ahead and wear a ski jacket to bed (unless you want to!). A full set of PJs (top and trousers) and some fluffy socks to keep your feet warm in bed should do the trick. If you feel uncomfortable wearing that many clothes to sleep, keep some warm clothes nearby that you can grab and put on when you wake up, instead of reaching for the thermostat.
3. Have a shower immediately after waking
Even if you like showering in the evening, having a shower straight after you wake up is an excellent way to get started for the day ahead and is one to try if you’re struggling to wake up in the cold. A hot shower will get your blood flowing, warming you up and helping you face those cold winter mornings.
Although, if you’re trying to cut costs, keep your shower time to a minimum. Give yourself just enough time to warm yourself up and then switch the water off. You can even time yourself and try to save a few seconds every day - every penny helps!
4. Don’t let extra cold air in
When you’re asleep, you probably won’t be aware of cold air sneaking in through gaps in your door or windows, but you definitely will notice when you're too cold to get out of bed! You can try placing a draught excluder by the bottom of your door to stop the cold coming in and the hot air leaving, or simply place a towel down instead, that should work just as well.
Make sure your windows are closed properly too, and not left on the latch. A heavy set of curtains can stop draughts of air coming through, but make sure they’re drawn properly.
There are also a number of things that could be making your bedroom feel colder than it is, such as the colour palette you use and the lighting.
5. Make sure your alarm is soothing and calm
If you’re struggling to get out of bed in the cold, the last thing you want to do is set a super loud alarm which is going to scare the living daylights out of you in the morning. Instead, you should have something that is calming and relaxing - something that will help you rise with little to no friction.
There are a range of alarm apps available for this kind of setting, many at no extra cost. Lots of alarms have a gradient setting which allows you to set an alarm that builds up gradually, getting louder and louder until you turn it off. This means you get woken up gradually, rather than being bolted awake. If you’re already worried about the cost of living, you’re not going to want to start your day in a bad mood caused by an annoying alarm. A gradual alarm will help you rise out of bed and bravely face the cold.
6. Don’t try to justify staying in bed
We get it - there’s nothing better than wrapping yourself up in your duvet and giving yourself an extra five minutes, especially when it’s freezing on the other side of the blankets and especially when you don’t want to put the heating on. It’s good to know that mental willpower is free - and can get you up and out of bed quicker than you’d think.
We have a tendency to believe those 2-3 extra minutes in bed will benefit us hugely. Despite this, they often do more damage than they do good. In fact, in some cases, they can actually make us sleepier when we do end up getting out of bed.
To combat this, you need to turn off that logical side of your brain that is telling you to justify your need to stay in bed. Plot twist, your brain is lying to you! Don’t listen to it. Look forward to getting up and getting ready, realise that by staying in bed you’re missing out on having a productive morning. With the right mindset, you won’t need any of the nifty hacks in this article, you’ll be able to do it all by yourself!
7. Invest in a light box
Missing the bright mornings of summer? If you’re already down about the cost of living, waking up to dark, gloomy skies and cold temperatures isn’t going to make you feel better, plus SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) can come into effect during these months too, making getting out of bed even harder.
To help combat SAD, we suggest investing in a light box - a small, bedside table-friendly light up box that mimics sunlight, helping alleviate the problems that come when faced with a lack of it. This can also help with your internal body clock (your circadian rhythm), letting your body know that it’s time to get up because the sun is up (even when it’s not).
These boxes can come with an alarm clock installed, going off and lighting up when it’s time to get up, so you can wake up and jump out of bed, not worried about the cold. Adding a bit of sunlight to your room in the mornings has the benefit of improved wellbeing, energy, and productivity and it is a useful thing that you need to kickstart your day.
It’s perfect for waking up like you would in summer, even during the cold winter months wheren you want to stay in bed!
How to warm up in bed
Sometimes your sheets aren’t enough to shield you from the low temperatures at night, and it can be difficult to warm up when you’re cold in bed. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take to avoid feeling uncomfortable in cold weather.
For one, you can try using an electric blanket for an extra heat source while you sleep, or a weighted blanket for a tighter fit around your body from your warming duvet.
Your choice of mattress might also be affecting the warmth of your bed. Certain materials are better at retaining heat, such as memory foam. So, if other options haven’t worked, maybe it’s time to replace that old mattress and try a new one? Make sure your duvet is the right tog for the season as well - a thin summer duvet won't do you any favours in the winter!
Get a better night’s rest with MattressNextDay
We’ve all had those moments where we want to drift back to sleep instead of waking up and facing the cold, but it’s important not to learn how to brave the low temperatures and face the day ahead. So, if you need more help waking up, or getting better sleep, then make sure to browse our other sleep-related guides for all the best advice from the experts.
If you feel it's time to add some extra bedding to your sleep set-up for additional warmth, take a look at our range of plush duvets and mattress toppers with free next day delivery.
