How to Make Your Bedroom Warmer for Winter
A cold bedroom is more than just uncomfortable. It disrupts sleep, makes getting up in the morning harder, and can affect how well you rest through the night. The good news is that most cold bedrooms have the same small set of causes, and most of those causes are straightforward to address.
Here is where to start.
Why is my bedroom so cold?
Cold bedrooms are almost always caused by one or a combination of four things: a poorly positioned bed on a cold external wall, single-glazed or draughty windows, curtains that are the wrong weight or size, and a radiator that is either blocked or positioned in a way that does not heat the room efficiently. Working through these in order is more effective than reaching for a space heater, which treats the symptom rather than the cause.
Move your bed away from cold walls and windows
An external wall is the coldest surface in most bedrooms, particularly in older houses where insulation is minimal. A bed pushed directly against an outside wall sits in a permanently cooler zone, and this makes a significant difference to how warm you feel overnight even if the room temperature is technically adequate. If you can, position your bed on an internal wall, or at least pull it a few centimetres away from the external wall to create a small air gap. The same applies to positioning under a window: cold air from the glass drops directly onto a bed placed beneath it and will consistently disrupt sleep in colder months. Browse our beds collection to find options sized and styled for any bedroom layout.
What tog duvet should I use for winter?
Tog is a measure of thermal resistance: the higher the number, the warmer the duvet. For winter, a 13.5 tog single duvet is the standard recommendation for most people sleeping in a properly heated room. In a colder bedroom, or for anyone who runs cold, a 15 tog or the combination of a 9 tog and a 4.5 tog all-seasons duvet gives flexibility. Down and feather duvets tend to regulate temperature better than synthetic alternatives, though high-quality synthetic fills have improved considerably and suit anyone with allergies. Avoid the temptation to pile on extra blankets as a substitute for the right duvet: they rarely distribute warmth as evenly. Our coverless duvets are worth a look if you want a simpler, warmer bedding setup for winter.
Get the curtains doing their job
A thermal-lined curtain reduces heat loss through the window significantly compared to an unlined one, and the difference is most noticeable in bedrooms where the window is large or single-glazed. Close them as soon as dusk falls: the window loses heat rapidly once the outside temperature drops. For more on curtains, draught-proofing and heat retention across the home, our guide to keeping your home warm without turning up the heating covers the details.
How do I keep the heat in my bedroom overnight?
The most effective approach is to warm the room before you sleep and then let it cool naturally overnight rather than keeping the heating running all night. Setting your heating to warm the bedroom for 30 to 60 minutes before bed, with the radiator thermostat turned down or off overnight, gives you a warm room to fall asleep in without the cost or the disrupted sleep of continuous overnight heating. An upholstered bed frame also helps here: fabric headboards and frames retain warmth better than wood or metal, making the immediate sleep environment feel warmer even before the room reaches temperature.
What temperature should a bedroom be for good sleep?
The NHS and most sleep research point to 16 to 18 degrees Celsius as the optimal range for adults. Below 12 degrees, cold begins to actively impair sleep; above 24 degrees, overheating becomes the problem. A simple room thermometer tells you what you are actually dealing with, which is more useful than guessing from how the room feels.
Is it better to heat the bedroom or use an electric blanket?
For most people, an electric blanket used to pre-warm the bed for 20 to 30 minutes before sleep, then switched off at bedtime, is more efficient than running a bedroom radiator all evening. It heats the specific area where you need warmth without heating the whole room. An under-blanket, placed between the mattress and the fitted sheet, is more effective than an overblanket at maintaining warmth without overheating. Modern electric blankets with timers and auto-shutoff are safe for overnight use provided they carry a current safety certification, though most sleep specialists recommend switching off before sleep rather than running them all night. Pairing an electric blanket with the right mattress makes a noticeable difference to overall warmth and comfort through the night.
Draught-proof your windows and doors
Bedroom windows, particularly sash windows in older properties, are a common source of draughts that make a room feel significantly colder than the thermometer suggests. Self-adhesive foam draught strip around the frame takes 20 minutes to fit and makes a noticeable immediate difference. The gap under a bedroom door is worth addressing too: a draught excluder keeps cold air from the hallway out of the room overnight.
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