Earlier quoted context omitted.
Would probably weigh more than your entire bed :)
Probably! On the plus side you'll be shielded from radiation while you sleep!
But you might be exposed to lead...
Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
161–170 of 195 posts
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#162What about the possibility that our ancestors who slept under cover where better hidden from nocturnal predators (smell and sight) and maybe bitten by fewer pathogen-spreading insects?
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#163Come to Hawaii in the summer. Not in a hotel, just in a normal apartment like a normal person. You'll ditch any covers whatsoever.
I used to live in the Philippines with no AC and even then, except for the hottest nights, we slept with light sheets/blankets on. Sometimes with the fan blowing under the blanket on hot nights.
> except for the hottest nights
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#164Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#165It's a weight thing for me, and not a warmth thing. I crave the feeling of something on me when I'm sleeping. Probably a sense of security. I've been on the eternal hunt for something heavy weight, and low heat. Currently using 3 x varying weights of knit cotton blankets, and does the job.
I recall hearing about weighted blankets used as a way to help kids with sleeping issues. Quote from the article: As one more example of the goodness of blankets, there has also been a decent amount of research about the calming effect of weighted blankets, which can weigh up to 30 pounds. Studies indicate that they can curb anxiety and even be used in the treatment of autism. This triggered my memory. I heard it hel…
Reminds me of Thundershirts - basically vests you put on small dogs or cats - to give them a bit of compression to help them feel better.
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#166When I lived in a hotbox of an apartment with no AC, on the hottest nights, I slept naked on top of all the sheets with a fan constantly blowing air over me.
I've always preferred for the room temperature to be cold, with a bunch of heavy blankets on top of me, though.
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#167If it's too hot, I use a sheet. I think the explanation is pretty simple: crawly things that may come and bite us.
How would a sheet help with that?
I would hypothesize that a cover would restrict air flow around your sweat glands which would reduce your scent on the air around where you're sleeping. It would also mask the outline of your body. For insects adapted to bite humans, hiding these signals and providing a physical barrier would possibly reduce bite incidents. Reducing bites from potentially pathogen-spreading insects would have an evolutionary advantage.
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#168Amazes me that nobody seems to have noted (so far) that making a bed/sleeping nest is common behaviour among all the great apes. e.g. Mountain Gorillas make an elaborate (fresh) nest each night, covering themselves with some of the bedding preparatory to sleep. So why would humans be an exception?
There seems to me to be something much more deeply wired in us than has so far been suggested.
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#169It's a weight thing for me, and not a warmth thing. I crave the feeling of something on me when I'm sleeping. Probably a sense of security. I've been on the eternal hunt for something heavy weight, and low heat. Currently using 3 x varying weights of knit cotton blankets, and does the job.
Definitely. You know when you get an x-ray at the dentist and they put that lead blanket over you? I love that thing. I wonder if they make those in a king size...
That's a real thing, and yes, they do. They're called weighted blankets and my wife has one. They're clinically shown to help with anxiety.
Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)
#170Anecdotally, when camping I often wake up shortly before dawn when temperatures have dropped.
I imagine that poor thermal regulation and lower serotonin in the early morning is partly the reason for waking up early. I wonder if this is a hold over from our early days as a species; as hunter gatherers it would be advantageous to be up and awake before it's light out.