How Would You Stay Warm While Sleeping During a Winter Power Blackout?
Millions of people suffered through power blackouts because of Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. At least their power blackouts were not during the hottest or coldest time of the year.
Hurricanes are not the only events that cause power blackouts. Tornadoes, severe storms, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and terrorism also can cause power blackouts.
Why does a power blackout mean a cold house in the winter? Electricity activates the fans that blow heat from your furnace to the rest of your house. If the fans are not working due to a lack of electricity, the warm air cannot be circulated.
Not everyone can afford to buy an electric generator or will be able to get a steady supply of fuel for it. Also, not everyone has a fireplace or a wood burning stove. Thus, this article will discuss other ways to remain warm while sleeping during a winter power blackout. Remaining warm while sleeping is more difficult than remaining warm while awake. A person who is awake is more active and is generating more body heat.
Although propane or kerosene heaters can keep your house rooms warm, if you use these heaters, you should practice fire safety. Those who sleep with these heaters running have an increased risk of becoming victims of fires or carbon monoxide poisoning. To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, there should be good ventilation in the room that has the portable heater.
During the day, it might be easier for you to sleep. This is because it would be warmer, especially if you and your family members slept in a room where the sunlight is streaming into it.
If you and your family members’ sleep habits, however, allow you to sleep only at night, everyone probably should sleep in your basement, which is better insulated against the cold. Putting a thermometer in the different rooms should indicate which rooms are the warmest and when they are the warmest.
Your family probably would be able to keep a small room warmer if your entire family members concentrated their body heat mainly in that one, small room. Another option would be to pitch a tent in a room and have multiple family members sleep in the tent in different sleep shifts. The more of your family members that sleep in the tent, the more body heat there will be in the tent. Sleeping pads would provide you and your family members both comfort and insulation from cold floors.
The type of clothing that would keep you and your family members warm during the day would help to do so at night as well. Sleeping fully clothed might not be as comfortable as pajamas but being fully clothed will keep sleepers warmer. Wearing a wool, stocking cap, for example will keep your heads warm. This is critical, if the head would not be under blankets or in the sleeping bag. Cold air masks can keep your faces and necks warm.
The extremities tend to become cold before the rest of the body becomes cold. Wearing thin, nylon socks, which are covered by thick fleece or wool socks, and which are covered by slippers would help to keep your feet warm, especially if the sleepers put hot water bottles at their feet while sleeping. A sleeper also could be in a sleeping bag that is covered by wool or fleece blankets or quilts, or by a space blanket. Chemical hand warmers placed inside of gloves or mittens would help to keep your hands warm.
What suggestions do you have about staying warm while sleeping?
