Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

atlasobscura.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 78 posts

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#41

Post by zeta0134 »

ahmedfromtunis wrote: post #13

Is this a common thing? Sleeping without any sort of cover during the hot summer months (notably July and August) is the norm here (North Africa) and never heard of anyone who does it (AC or not). Is this an American thing? Do people in warmer regions of the country (Texas, Florida, ...) also feel the same?

Speaking personally, I have the "must be covered" gene along with the "overheats easily at night" gene, so it's been a bit of a struggle hitting a balance. Right now a thin breathable quilt is the way to go, even in deep winter. Hard to explain really, but I feel anxious (and cold!) if my body is exposed, even if it's actually pretty hot in the room.

The best mitigation for this conflict seems to be those knitted blankets with the enormous holes. Terrible heat retention, and they're pretty heavy. That got the job done during a Texas summer on more than one occasion.

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#42

Post by rsynnott »

boelboel wrote: post #11
expedition32 wrote: post #3

I did not realize that things like sheets, blankets and pillows used to cost serious money.

Not just bedding but clothing was costly. High quality bedding (as well as clothing) still costs quite a bit of money especially once you take into account you need 2 sets for rotation. A proper quality set will run you $1000-2500 and there's luxury brands which will cost much more.

… Wait, what? In what sense are my ikea sheets improper?

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#43

Post by wodenokoto »

roenxi wrote: post #30
wodenokoto wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it is totally a thing. We don't have a lot of hot nights in Denmark but when we do, we still sleep under a duvet, or maybe half under one and it is just as awful as it sounds.

Are you sure? That seems like the sort of thing people might just not do. It can't take that many brain cells for an uncomfortably warm person to work out that more blankets make you more hotter -> less blankets makes you less hotter. The article seems to provide very limited evidence that people sleep under blankets on hot nights and it sounds like a silly thing to do in the abstract. A lot of people would just remo…

I didn’t say we use more blankets when it’s hot.

But if you are so used to blankets that you can’t fall asleep without one, dropping the blanket because it’s hot is a pretty bad sleeping strategy

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#44

Post by martin- »

roenxi wrote: post #30
wodenokoto wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it is totally a thing. We don't have a lot of hot nights in Denmark but when we do, we still sleep under a duvet, or maybe half under one and it is just as awful as it sounds.

Are you sure? That seems like the sort of thing people might just not do. It can't take that many brain cells for an uncomfortably warm person to work out that more blankets make you more hotter -> less blankets makes you less hotter. The article seems to provide very limited evidence that people sleep under blankets on hot nights and it sounds like a silly thing to do in the abstract. A lot of people would just remo…

I sleep with a blanket even when it's too hot. 90% of the year the temperature is low enough that I need it, and sleeping without it the other 10% of the year just feels wrong, and I feel exposed.

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#45

Post by obsidianbases1 »

threwrfaway wrote: post #38
roxolotl wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who lives in the Northeast US but travels to Florida somewhat regularly it amazes me how low people keep the AC. It’s common for people and places, or at least those I visit, to keep the AC lower than I keep my heat in the winter(18c). So sometimes I’m so cold I have to ask for additional blankets or bring a jacket to a place like a movie theater.

Folks in the South don't consciously realize it, but they're setting the AC low to keep it running for its dehumidification. These are the same folks who sweaters is its 80F outside. They can handle heat. If ACs had the ability to run as dehumidifiers in convinced the temp would rise

If it's less than 80 outside it's cold. If it's over 69 inside then it's hot and I can't sleep

-florida man

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#46

Post by eth0up »

1. Being properly tucked-in, as a vestige of comfort from the crib, where babs are often protected with at least some form of cloth.

2. You are from florida, where there's an entire species of insect for every sqr centimeter of the body, and enough mosquitos after 19:00 to write each of them through displacement.

3. Ideal sleeping temerature is probably so close to 'perfect' that as body temp drops through sleep, it crosses the thin threshold of comfortable to slightly cold.

Since we've abandoned the penny, I hope that rounds up to a nickel of thought.

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#47

Post by Nzen »

etrautmann wrote: post #32
risingsubmarine wrote: post #14

'Go Wild' (John Ratey, Richard Manning) theorizes that the modern concept of bedrooms in which we segregate ourselves to sleep is a mismatch with our evolutionary established state. We would naturally lie in very close proximity of tribe and family for heat, contact and security. Sleeping and resting on one another out in the open. Perhaps pillows and blankets (esp weighted) serve as a proxy for this, not just temper…

That would result in insanity for me. Is there any argument other than it seems like cave people must have?

If I am to believe the creator of the _History in Taberna_ youtube channel, communal beds were a medieval to early modern practice in inns [0].

[0] https://youtu.be/5IPQIl-FiCY?si=drUMJuR5tLLppWqD&t=738 relevant section is 13:00 - 14:00 of a 30 minute video about various inn / tavern aspects.

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#48

Post by futune »

expedition32 wrote: post #3

I did not realize that things like sheets, blankets and pillows used to cost serious money.

This is a fascinating topic which was covered in-depth here: https://acoup.blog/2021/03/05/collections-clothing-how-did-t...

If I remember correctly, it claim is that about 50% of all labour over the course of history has gone into making textiles. More than food!

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#49

Post by simonebrunozzi »

bonsai_spool wrote: post #5
voidUpdate wrote: post #4

> "I barely know what a BTU is" Neither does anyone else, its one of those archaic units that changes slightly based on who is using it and hangs on in oil and gas industries, and also air conditioners and heaters. It was defined as the amount of energy to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at one atmosphere of pressure, but that amount of energy depends on the starting temperature of the water, and di…

Why would the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of a defined mass of water depend on the temperature? This goes against the idea of specific heat (editing to add - I didn't realize that water's specific heat has a temperature dependence and changes around 5% over reasonable indoor temperatures https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-heat-capacity-wa... )

See water's triple point.

Re: Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

#50

Post by kgwgk »

bonsai_spool wrote: post #19
kgwgk wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it doesn't go against the idea of specific heat. You may be thinking of ideal gases and even then specific heat may or may not be constant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_gas

A specific heat is the amount of energy needed to raise a defined mass of a substance by a defined temperature. What does that have to do with a perfect gas?

The question was

> Why would the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of a defined mass of water depend on the temperature?

and the answer is that it does, except if you have a very restrictive model where it doesn't. (Edit: I see there was an edit to the previous comment, I had missed that.)

Post reply on HN