In the winter I go to bed wearing socks, because it's just a little bit too chilly to slide my feet under the covers without them. But of course as the night goes on I overheat with socks on. I used to wake up and find my socks in mysterious places -- one under a pillow, one gently held in a hand.
Brilliant innovation: wear one sock. I've found that wearing one sock is exactly right for sleeping. It's the functional equivalent of sticking one foot out from under the covers for temperature regulation. But there are more possibilities, if you've got one sock on. It's great. You can stick the socked foot out from under the covers, or the unsocked foot, depending on just how much you want to cool off. If you're cold, you can double up the blankets on the unsocked foot, and let the socked foot bear more exposure, without cold toe consequences.
So somehow I've managed to teach the sleeping self that when she gets too hot in the middle of the night, she should just take off one sock. Now I wake up with one sock under my pillow, or thrown onto the floor, and one sock on my foot.
I discovered this last winter and I still feel like a genius.
I am a real man so I sleep with nada on all the time. But have you considered an electric blanket to gently warm your bed before you get in?
Posted by: Monjo | December 07, 2004 at 08:57 AM
Long live asymmetry!
Posted by: Two Dishes But To One Table | December 07, 2004 at 09:04 AM
I have found my husband rather useful in this respect .... I used to have to go to bed practically fully clothed in the winter but Husband has some kind of internal nuclear fission going on so now I'm toasty.
Just a thought ... you know, if you need to upgrade from the sock thing :0)
Posted by: Rhyme | December 07, 2004 at 09:09 AM
Sigh. Thanks, Rhyme, for reminding me of the better way to stay warm. Trust me, I would very much like to upgrade. Alas, for now the socks are all I can count on.
Posted by: Scheherazade | December 07, 2004 at 09:20 AM
When I was young and wild, I used to look forward to running the hairdryer on my feet for a few minutes before falling asleep. Very relaxing, moreso than most spouses, and more reliable too. ;)
Posted by: boo | December 07, 2004 at 09:43 AM
Having lived for years in ancient, poorly insulated homes, I understand why our foreparents had bedwarmers to preheat their beds. Using an electric blanket to preheat sounds like a good idea, but I would then have to turn it off upon entry.
We should get Janet Jackson's costume designer to come up with break-away socks.
Having gone from women-friends who are always a little too cold to those who are old enough to be always a litle too hot (in and out of bedcovers), it is clear that one has to be very flexible and practical about using a companion for bedwarmth. More than once, I've gotten a very pointy elbow in my gut for trying to warm cold toes on a warm body part.
Speaking of aging, I know you have a birthday around now, Scheherazade and I send best wishes for an interesting and fulfilling year.
Posted by: David Giacalone | December 07, 2004 at 10:25 AM
How did you luck into a husband who keeps you warm? Mine has the coldest feet in the history of the planet and he has a habit of letting me get in bed 10 minutes ahead of him to warm things up and then he hops in with his ice feet and puts them on whatever exposed skin of mine he can find!
Posted by: HKD | December 07, 2004 at 12:30 PM
HKD..... It's not all roses you know .... nuclear fission doesn't just go away in the summer! I'd be glad of cold feet in June !!
Posted by: Rhyme | December 07, 2004 at 01:12 PM
A similar tip will keep you surprisingly cool in the summer: carry a large chunk of ice tightly gripped in one hand. That hand will be fairly uncomfortable, but you'll be amazed at how much it makes the rest of you feel better.
Posted by: Dylan | December 07, 2004 at 07:30 PM
The best way to preheat a cold bed is to buy two or three of those microwavable buckwheat pillows and throw them in a few minutes before you climb in. They're cheap, and they cool down gradually so you don't have to worry about overheating during the night or turning them off (as you do with an electric blanket).
If you're interested, just Froogle "microwavable buckwheat pillow" for online options.
Posted by: SF Librarian | December 07, 2004 at 07:36 PM
that was hilarious! and strangely logical and dead-on correct at the same time. my first visit here, hi!
Posted by: em | December 08, 2004 at 11:36 AM
My grandma, whose house hovered around freezing in winter, used to put a big rock on the woodstove for an hour, then wrap in in flannel and put in under the covers with us at bedtime. This was the best thing. You could probably use a radiator in place of the woodstove. I don't think you can microwave rocks. Be careful, though-- Gram once gave herself a hernia trying to move the rock around in bed with her toes.
Posted by: turboglacier | December 08, 2004 at 04:11 PM