cron-web.org

[A1CR]

One of the biggest downsides of CR is discomfort due to cold. In this post, Dean provides a tip he has found helpful for dealing with this challenge - an electric mattress pad:

It has been a harsh cold winter here in the North East - very good for those
of us who believe cold exposure provides may provide health/longevity
benefits.

But many CRONies (including me) are quite sensitive to cold and climbing
into a chilly bed can be really unpleasant. A solution I've mentioned
before that I'm very happy with is an electric mattress pad.

I warm it up 1/2 hour prior to bedtime to, and crawl into toasty sheets -
very pleasant. My wife keeps her side on low all night, but I turn my side
off as soon as I lay down -- to increase my exposure to cold overnight, and
to avoid the potentially hazardous electro-magnetic field (which I'm not
sure the existence/significance of, but better safe than sorry...). The
residual heat from the warm up period keeps my side of the bed warm until
after I'm fallen blissfully to sleep.

The electric mattress pad has a big advantage over an electric blanket, IMO,
since it goes *beneath* you, below the sheet, rather than (uncomfortably) on
top - no stiff wire mesh in the blanket or attached cord to content with.

It also allows you to save on your heating bill and conserve energy - by
turning your thermostat way down at night. A colleague of mine who purchased
one for his (very chilly) wife has been able to turn his thermostat down
from an uncomfortably warm (for him) 72degF to 62degF overnight. The
resulting savings on his heating bill should pay for the pad in just a few
months.

The pad I purchased for my wife and I at Christmas is this one:

http://store.yahoo.com/comfort/el2.html

I have no connection with this company other than being a happy customer.

Bottom line, an electric mattress pad makes a great birthday/valentine's day
gift for the CRONie, or just plain chilly person, in your life. Of course,
it is no substitute for a little romantic cuddling

Take care!

--Dean