22 Jul I stole the blanket
Firstly let me set the scene; I am a 33 year old male and I have been keeping my partner warm with my body heat all winter. I even get into her side of the bed first so that I can warm it up before she gets in. Night after night I keep her warm, I swear I am her favourite person in winter. Well that was until that fateful night three weeks ago when this all changed. I did an unspeakable thing. I stole the blanket while she was asleep, truly a heinous crime. But I ask myself “why would she be so protective of the blanket? Is it that big of a deal?”
Lan Li and Lian Zhiwei from Shanghai University recently published a review article in the journal of Building and Environment in which they aim to answer 10 questions concerning thermal environment and sleep quality. One of these questions was “Are there any gender differences in sleeping thermal comfort?” It turns out that there are some differences between men and women and their thermal comfort.
Females appear to be more sensitive to the ambient air temperature than males (this includes both hot and cold). When compared to males, the hot and cold receptors on the female’s skin are more sensitive to changes in temperature, their skin temperature also changes quicker in response to environment and the female brain receives and responds to this thermal information quicker than males. In short, women are more sensitive to changes to air temperature (like blanket removal) and women also prefer a higher ambient air temperature than males do.
Sadly in addition to sensitivity to hot and cold, women are also thought to have poorer sleep quality than men and females are also more susceptible to insomnia than men are. So it makes sense that any irritant (eg hot or cold temperatures) which may cause arousal from sleep or prevent sleep happening should be avoided. I guess I understand now that my poor partner shouldn’t have to defend herself against blanket stealing marauders (like myself). I hope this helps you to sleep well ladies – be sure to keep warm in winter and remember to stay cool in summer!
Tag a friend who knows a blanket thief. #sleep #winter #warmblankets