Especially in our New York market, a cozy bed is a must. Heated mattress pads are a great way to warm up your king or queen size bed, or any size bed for that matter. In this article, we’ll take a look at heated mattress pad options, as well as other possible ways to stay warm in the winter.
About Mattress Pads
A mattress pad adds extra padding to your mattress, giving you a little softer surface to sleep on. Some mattress pads double as a mattress protector, meaning that they’re waterproof. A mattress pad differs from a mattress topper in thickness, and mattress toppers do little to protect your mattress. A mattress topper can be seen as a way to change the feel of your mattress, while a mattress pad offers protection along with a bit of extra padding.
About Heated Mattress Pads
A heated mattress pad looks like a standard mattress pad, but it has the bonus feature of heat. If you’ve ever used a heating pad or electric blanket, you’re familiar with the basic premise of a heated mattress pad. While many heated mattress pads use insulated wire as the heating element, some use heated water in tubes. We’ll get into these technologies in a bit more detail further on.
Benefits of a Heated Mattress Pad
Besides keeping you warm on cold nights, a heated mattress pad has a few benefits to consider:
Energy Savings
Using a heated mattress pad allows you to worry less about the temperature of your bedroom at night. Rather than turning up the thermostat, you can have heat right where you need it. This saves on your energy bill and keeps you from getting out of bed!
Performance vs. Electric Blankets
Compared to a traditional electric blanket, a heated mattress pad is a far better option. A heated mattress pad goes on the mattress top, underneath your body. Combined with a comforter or duvet, this creates an insulated heating zone in which you are the center. An electric blanket, on the other hand, goes on top of your body, which allows heat to dissipate into the air. In addition, an electric blanket can inadvertently be pulled off of you as you sleep, whereas a heated mattress pad is always right under you.
Heated Therapy
A heated mattress pad has an added bonus of helping with muscle and joint pain. Much like a medicinal heating pad, the heated mattress pad promotes muscle relaxation. Stiff and sore joints also benefit, as the heat helps to relieve these symptoms as well. This means that a heated mattress pad not only lulls you to sleep with its warmth, but can combine with a quality mattress to help you wake up pain free.
Heated Mattress Pad Options
There are two types of heated mattress pads available at City Mattress. Electric heated mattress pads are the most common, but a water-based heated mattress pad is a great option.
Electric Heated Mattress Pads
These heated mattress pads work similarly to an electric blanket or medicinal heating pad, with insulated wires running throughout the pad. When energized, the wires give off heat, usually spread evenly through a high-temperature plastic encasement that prevents the heat from dissipating. The Beautyrest Heated Mattress Pad is a great example of this type of heated mattress pad. It also features dual zones on queen and king size pads, so each sleeper can set their desired temperature separately.
Water Heated Mattress Pads
As an alternative to wires in your mattress pad, these heated mattress pads use heated or cooled water to regulate the temperature. A control unit warms or cools the water as it circulates through tubes in the mattress pad. A key benefit of this technology is less danger of fire or electrical shock. Our own City Mattress Radiance Temperature Controlled Cooling & Heating Mattress Pad is an excellent choice in this category. Simply add water, plug it in, and set your desired temperature!
Final Thoughts
Finding the right heated mattress pad for you is firstly a matter of deciding between electric or hydro-controlled. An electric heated mattress pad uses insulated wires to produce heat, and does so in a more efficient way than an electric blanket. A hydro-controlled heated mattress pad can heat as well as cool, and it has no wires within the mattress pad itself. If you’re still unsure about which is best for you, speak to one of our Sleep Experts, online or in-store. They can answer your questions, address your concerns, and have you sleeping more comfortably than ever before.