Blankets act as barriers between your body heat and the cold air from outside when it’s cold, and you’re trying to stay warm. If it is colder outside, you will need more layers of clothing or blankets to keep warm, so you can stay warm.
The fact is, The body keeps you warm, not the blankets. Your body can keep you warm in very cold environments as long as you are properly bundled up. Based on science, the blanket you use does not produce warmth but instead traps body heat to keep it from escaping. Your body will feel less cold if it retains more heat.
How Does a Blanket Provide Warmth?
How does cold air try to carry away your body heat? Our environment constantly loses heat, so we lose heat faster than the body can produce in cold weather. What is the purpose of a blanket?
It is essential to protect your body from cold air by wearing a blanket. The blankets don’t transfer heat very well. They keep it from escaping. As the environment gets colder, you need more insulation to prevent your body heat from escaping too fast, so blankets slow down heat transfer, preventing your body heat from escaping. You can keep warm with your body heat.
What Are the Reasons that Blankets Keep Us Warm?
Here are three important reasons –
Reason 1. Prevents Heat Escape
You wrap yourself in blankets and wear clothes! Even though your body will still radiate heat into the cold environment outside, the blanket makes it harder for that heat to escape.
As your body radiates heat, the blanket will absorb it. Inhibiting the heat flow from your body to the outside environment by heating up to some intermediate temperature and blocking your radiation makes you lose heat more slowly than you would otherwise. Partially reflective blankets reflect some of your body’s heat directly or absorb it and re-emit it back to you.
Reason 2. Filler Materials
The filler material of your blanket can significantly influence its warmth. The most common fillers for weighted blankets are polyplastic pellets and glass beads. Due to its excellent insulating properties, the plastic retains heat well. Due to their noise, uneven texture, and negative environmental impact, many blanket manufacturers are moving away from plastic poly pellets.
Using glass beads in blankets is also eco-friendly, quiet, and luxurious. As a result of their reduced heat retention, they are also ideal for cooling blankets. Using naturally heavy fabrics without fillers is one way some weighted blankets apply soothing pressure. Their construction may also make them suitable for winter use.
Reason 3. Fabrics
It is also essential to consider the fabric of the insert or duvet cover when considering the warmth of a blanket. Microfiber, Minky fleece, and wool are excellent cold-weather fabrics because they trap body heat well.
A flannel blanket is a great choice if you’re a cold sleeper. Flannel fibers trap body heat, ensuring you remain toasty and warm throughout the night. Designed to fit perfectly over our Gravity Weighted Blanket, our super-soft flannel duvet cover ensures warmth and comfort.
Important Notes After Analysis of the Reasons Above
Here are 2 important notes that you should need to know –
Note 1: The Myth That Blankets Keep You Warm is Untrue
Blankets do not keep you warm directly – at least not directly. You don’t get cold as easily when you wear a blanket because it slows down the heat loss from your body. In order to better understand this, let’s look at how the human body produces heat every hour. You can do this by going about your daily routine and doing normal things. It is still possible for your body to lose heat even without doing much.
The body feels hot when it produces heat faster than it loses, such as when we exercise, run, or do high-intensity activities. When the body loses heat more rapidly than it can, it feels cold.
Note 2: The Myth About Blankets Being Warmer Is Untrue
There is no difference in warmth between blankets. Insulation is the only reason other blankets appear to be warmer than others. Some blankets feel warmer because they are made of better materials with better insulation properties. The blanket’s function is to trap heat inside your body so it does not escape.
The thicker the material, the more difficult it is for heat to escape from the blanket. A blanket’s ability to trap heat depends on the kind of fabric used. Additionally, how well a blanket can keep a person warm is determined by other factors, like how it is draped or its structure.
What Are The Best Fabrics for Insulation?
Padded jackets, coats, mitts, and blankets will serve as lifesavers during winter if you don’t like the cold. However, the best fabrics for retaining heat are certain types. Make sure you consider the fabric of your blanket or clothing if you’re planning to buy one for winter.
Wool:
Wool is a good insulator since it is a natural barrier to keep heat from escaping. Among the oldest and most popular fabrics for insulation is wool. Natural fibers derived from sheep, rabbits, camels, and goats are used to make it. Among the uses for the material are blankets, rugs, clothing, carpets, and upholstery..
Fleece:
A fleece fabric is also on the chart. This fabric’s insulation properties are similar to wool’s, but its weight is significantly lighter. This thin, soft, and comfortable fabric is perfect for making pajamas, sweaters, and blankets.
Extreme weather conditions are no problem with their moisture-resistant properties. It’s also durable, so you won’t have to worry about it wearing out quickly. The more breathable nature of silk makes it a less ideal outer layer shell but a great insulator.
Faux Fur:
Faux fur can be used as blankets, carpets, or upholstery but is more popular in making clothing articles. Because of their ability to retain heat. Humans have been using fur for centuries to keep warm during the cold and winter months. But today, faux fur exists thanks to modern technology and textile making. It’s almost the same as real fur but considerably cheaper and more ethical.
Cotton:
Cotton is a universal fabric widely used for many purposes. It can be made thin and breathable during the summer or thick to keep you warm in the winter. However, because it absorbs moisture well, it is not suitable for wearing alone. You must layer up and bundle up when it’s cold so that it can serve you better. To make a heavier and thicker blanket with cotton, you can make a quilt instead of a regular blanket.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Makes blankets and comforters Warm?
Consider layering your blankets, comforters, or duvets instead of using only one thick one. Creating layers of insulation and trapping air (which conducts heat poorly) is the idea. You can also remove layers if you get too warm at night.
Does Being Wrapped in a Blanket Raise Your Temperature?
If you have a fever and chills, you may want to wear more clothes or cover up with blankets. The problem is that this will increase your body temperature, cause more discomfort, and may even result in you becoming dehydrated.
What Are the Best Winter Blankets?
It’s essential to consider thick, insulating materials when shopping for the best winter blanket to keep you warm without overheating. Fleece, flannel, and quilted cotton are soft materials that are good choices.
Conclusion
Remember to take your blanket’s overall design into account. For instance, open-knit weighted blankets let more airflow, making them poor choices in cold weather. You should look for a weighted blanket with a tighter weave if you want it to keep you warm in the fall and winter. Heat is retained better in blankets with tighter weaves since cold air cannot penetrate them.
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