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After the clocks go back this weekend, the nights will draw.
So if you have a thick duvet, now is the time to bring it out. Some supermarkets sell winter blankets for under £20 – look for 10.5 tog or above.
But there is also something to be said for an artisanal placed blanket. When it gets cold, Rebecca, 44, from Hertfordshire, sleeps with a blanket under her mattress, which she says stops the swelling. “This was passed down to me by my nan, she swears by it,” she says. Others swear by putting a blanket over the mattress but under the bedclothes.
You can heat your bed before getting in with a hot water bottle, but check the expiration date. A guide to NHS Scotland, external says to let the water cool off the kettle for a few minutes before filling, only fill it two-thirds full, squeeze the air out of the top before putting the stopper in, and don’t hold it directly against your skin.
Use an electric blanket – to heat your bed before you get in or wrap around yourself on the sofa – is “one of the cheapest ways” to stay warm, says Emily Seymour, energy editor at consumer organization What?. Test by how?, external shows that it usually costs between 2p and 8p an hour to run an electric blanket to its highest setting. The London Fire Brigade, external says to turn off your blanket before you go to bed unless it has a thermostat control, not to use a hot water bottle at the same time and to replace it every 10 years.
