March 9th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

Why electric blankets are an essential bit of kit for any student away at uni

Going away to university or college is a huge undertaking for any young person and for many it’s the first time they’ve lived away from home. This means you have the practical considerations of setting yourself up with everything you need for your new accommodation. Whether you’re in halls of residence or private rental, one of the many things you will need to provide is your own bedding.

Getting a great night’s sleep is probably quite far down the list of things you’re relishing about student life but trust us when we say it’s definitely something you’re going to need to get you through your uni years! We have some great advice for achieving this (and no, it’s not cocoa before bed or laying off the booze or caffeine – we’re well versed in student life!), it’s an electric blanket.

Aren’t electric blankets designed for old people?

We understand: electric blankets do have a bit of a rep as being beloved by your gran and not for hipster post-Millennials but trust us when we say, electric blankets are perfect for students! Hear us out…

Control your own heat

Chances are, whether you’re in halls or a house, you will have other people to consider and you can’t just keep the heating on all night to keep you cosy and warm. Not everyone is going to want it on plus you may not even have access to the heating system anyway. An electric blanket gives you absolute control over how warm and toasty your bed is at night, giving you a great night’s sleep. Many of them have fully controllable settings meaning that you can set the timer to stay on for a fixed duration if you don’t want it on all night and some have Intelliheat technology that adapts to changing temperatures throughout the night meaning you’ll never overheat or be too cold.

Great for crawling into bed late

We know the score; while early nights make great sense for young minds trying to absorb all the education they’re being given, you’re more likely to be going to bed late after all that burning the midnight oil studying or partying. Therefore, it’s highly likely that the heating will have been off for hours by the time you crawl into bed and that can make for chilly sheets. This will delay your sleep while your body expends energy getting warm. An electric blanket (or underblanket) means that you will find a lovely warm bed, whatever time of night you fall into it. Either turn it on half an hour or so before you get in or choose one with a quick heat setting that can heat up in under 5 minutes. A word of warning though, it could make you even less inclined to get out bed in the morning (and no, your tutor is not going to take that as a valid excuse for being late!).

MYLEK Fully Fitted Single Fleece Electric Blanket

Price: £64.99

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Cheap to run

We all know students like a saving, so you don’t need to worry about the running costs of an electric blanket as they cost as little as 2p per night! This is because they don’t actually get really hot; they just use, distribute and retain the small amount of heat that they do produce really well. That’s much cheaper than putting the heating on at night (or through the day if that’s when you’re choosing to take a nap!).

Eco-friendly

Because electric blankets create and intelligently retain heat, they don’t actually require very much energy. As well as being cheap to run, as mentioned above, it also makes them a really eco-friendly heat source so you can stay toasty all night, completely guilt-free!

Easy to care for

Modern electric blankets are fully machine washable - just remove the controller, roll it up and pop it in the washing machine - so it’s easy to keep clean. Or should we say, it’s easy to take home in the holidays for your mum to wash?

Perfect for student accommodation

Student digs can vary but often buildings can be quite old as can the central heating system which can prove unreliable. An electric blanket means you don’t have to worry about this as you’ll always be warm enough at night. Most beds in student accommodation are singles and there are lots of electric blankets available in this size.

Cozy Night Single Electric Blanket

Price: £32.99

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Essential student kit

So, when you’re packing up your books, your towels, and your pots and pans for university, make sure you’ve packed an electric blanket as well and make your bed the envy of all your housemates!