Last updated: October 2026
You can sleep with an electric blanket switched on only if it’s in good condition and its instructions say it’s suitable for all-night use, with a thermostat and overheat protection. If not, UK fire services say warm the bed, then switch off and unplug before you get in. Replace any blanket over 10 years old.
Below: how to tell if yours is safe overnight, a safety checklist, who should avoid them, free testing events, what one costs to run, what warmth does to sleep, and how electric blankets compare with a hot water bottle or heated throw.
Can you sleep with an electric blanket on?
It depends on the blanket. The London Fire Brigade says to unplug an electric blanket before you get into bed unless it has a thermostat control for safe all-night use, and other UK fire services give the same rule. Electrical Safety First, the UK electrical safety charity, says an overnight blanket should have temperature controls, automatic shut-off and overheat protection. So check three things:
- The instructions or label say it is suitable for all-night use, and on which setting (usually the lowest).
- It has overheat protection and, ideally, an auto shut-off timer.
- It passes the checklist below: under 10 years old, no damage, never used folded or creased.
If you can’t confirm all three, warm the bed for 20 to 30 minutes, then switch off at the wall and unplug before you get in. A cooler bed later in the night tends to suit sleep better anyway (see below).
How safe are electric blankets?
Most problems come from old, damaged or misused blankets.
- Fires are rising. Electrical Safety First’s analysis of government data found 31 accidental electric blanket fires in England in 2024/25, a five-year high and up from 25 the year before, with 11 casualties or deaths.
- Old blankets fail. At three free testing events in Nottinghamshire in autumn 2024, 170 of 282 blankets (about 60%) failed and were taken out of use. Age was the biggest factor, and some failed blankets were more than 50 years old.
So the real question is whether your blanket is safe. The checklist below answers that.
Electric blanket safety checklist
Go through this each autumn and whenever the blanket comes out of storage. It combines advice from the London Fire Brigade, Electrical Safety First and other UK fire services.
| Check | What to do |
|---|---|
| Age | Replace it at least every 10 years, even if it looks fine. An old round BEAB safety mark means it is over 10 years old. Newer blankets show a UKCA or CE mark. |
| Fabric | Replace if it’s worn, frayed, scorched or discoloured, has soiled areas or damp patches, or wires are poking through. |
| Flex, plug and controller | Replace if the cord or connector is damaged or gets hot, or the control buzzes or smells when switched on. |
| Tie tapes | Replace if they’re damaged or missing, so the blanket can’t ruck up. |
| On the bed | Use it flat. Never use it folded, rucked or creased, and don’t pin it in place. |
| Storage | Store it flat, rolled or loosely folded, in a cool dry place, with nothing heavy on top. |
| Buying | Buy new from a reputable retailer, never second-hand, and register it so you hear about recalls. |
And a few rules for use:
- Never use a hot water bottle in the same bed as an electric blanket.
- Keep drinks out of bed, and don’t touch the blanket with wet hands or feet. Spills can cause electrical faults.
- Don’t use it if it gets wet, and never switch it on to dry it.
- Follow the washing instructions exactly, and let it dry fully before use.
If you’re unsure, stop using it and contact the manufacturer. A blanket that fails any check should go to a household waste and recycling centre, not your normal bin.
Who should avoid one or take extra care
- Continence problems: Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service says not to use an electric blanket if you experience incontinence.
- Pressure relief mattresses and emollient creams: the London Fire Brigade says not to use one with an airflow pressure relief mattress, or if you use emollient creams.
- Babies and children: Electrical Safety First says not to use one on an infant’s bed. If an older child uses one, a parent should set the controls. We’d keep it simple: warm the bed, then switch off before they get in.
- Diabetes with nerve damage (neuropathy): if you can’t feel heat properly in your feet, you can burn without noticing. NHS diabetes foot care advice is to remove hot water bottles or the electric blanket from your bed before you get in. The same goes for anyone with numbness, including in Raynaud’s.
- Reduced mobility or confusion: if someone can’t easily move away from heat or switch the blanket off, warm the bed and switch off, and talk to their care team. Fire services offer free home fire safety visits.
- Pregnancy: we couldn’t find specific UK guidance on electric blankets in pregnancy. NHS advice on saunas and hot tubs is that a big rise in core temperature could be harmful, particularly in the first 12 weeks. So warm the bed and switch off before you get in, and ask your midwife if you’d like to use one through the night.
If your feet get chilblains, warm up gradually rather than putting cold feet straight onto a hot blanket: rapid warming is what triggers them.
Free electric blanket testing
Many fire services and Trading Standards teams run free testing events each autumn. Failed blankets are taken out of use, sometimes with a free replacement.
- Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service ran free testing for electric blankets, heated throws and heating pads at ten venues in September and October 2026, plus a limited collection service.
- Nottinghamshire County Council and Fire and Rescue Service ran events in 2024 where residents with failed blankets got a free replacement.
To find one near you, search “electric blanket testing” with your county council or fire service name. If you use the blanket to save on bills, the London Fire Brigade suggests Citizens Advice and your energy supplier for help.
Running costs vs heating the house
Electric blankets are cheap to run because they warm you, not the room. Your cost is watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × your unit rate. Ofgem’s price cap for October to December 2026 averages 26.32p per kWh for electricity and 7.97p for gas (Direct Debit). Uswitch says most blankets use about 100 to 300 watts, some singles as little as 40W.
| What | Energy | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| 100W blanket, 30 minutes to warm the bed | 0.05kWh | 1.3p |
| Same, every night for six months | About 9kWh | About £2.40 |
| 100W blanket on all night (8 hours) | 0.8kWh | 21p |
| 40W single blanket, 8 hours (Uswitch) | 0.32kWh | 8p |
| 2kW electric heater, 1 hour | 2kWh | 53p |
| 24kW gas boiler running flat out, 1 hour (Uswitch) | 24kWh of gas | About £1.91 |
Boilers rarely run flat out for a whole hour, but the gap is still large. One caution: a warm bed is no reason to let your home get very cold. The NHS advises heating the rooms you use regularly to at least 18°C if you have a health condition. Our winter wellness guide and hygge guide have more low-cost ways to stay warm.
Warm bed, cool room: what heat does to sleep
To fall asleep, your core temperature needs to drop, and your body does this by sending warm blood to your hands and feet to lose heat. In a lab study, warm hands and feet predicted how quickly people fell asleep better than core temperature or melatonin did. That’s one reason cold feet can keep you awake.
Gentle warmth can also help. A Dutch study found that raising skin temperature by just 0.4°C, without changing core temperature, reduced night-time waking and deepened sleep, especially in older adults. A Japanese study in a 3°C room found an electric blanket made sleep more stable.
Too much heat has the opposite effect. When an Australian study heated young adults’ beds in the early hours, their core temperature rose slightly and sleep efficiency fell by about 5.5%, with more light, broken sleep.
The practical answer: warm the bed before you get in, keep the bedroom itself cool (around 16 to 18°C suits most adults; see our guide to the best temperature for sleep), then switch off or use the lowest all-night setting. If you wake up hot or sweaty, it’s set too high. Night-time heat can also make night sweats and hot flushes worse.
Warming the bed fits neatly into a bedtime routine: switch the blanket on, then wind down with a warm drink and low light while it heats. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a caffeine-free, berry-flavoured bedtime drink. Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. See also deep sleep and our sleep hygiene tips.
Electric blanket vs hot water bottle vs heated throw
| Electric blanket | Hot water bottle | Heated throw | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warms | The whole bed, evenly | One spot, cooling over a few hours | You, on the sofa |
| Running cost | About 1p to warm the bed | The cost of boiling a kettle | About 8p an hour (Uswitch) |
| All night? | Only if marked for all-night use | Not against bare skin; use a cover | Check the instructions; treat as warm-up only unless marked for bed use |
| Replace | At least every 10 years | Every 2 to 3 years (check the flower symbol for the year made) | Follow the manufacturer; same checks as a blanket |
| Main risks | Fire from old or damaged blankets | Scalds and burns from splits or boiling water | Fire if old, damaged or folded while on |
| Best for | Cold bedrooms, people who feel the cold all night | Quick, cheap warmth | Evenings without heating the room |
For a hot water bottle, Devon and Somerset Trading Standards advises water that has cooled for a few minutes (not freshly boiled), filling it only two-thirds full, always using a cover, and never sitting or lying on it.
A weighted blanket has no heating element but does add warmth, so you may not need both. If you’re cold all the time, not just at night, read why am I always cold?, and if winter leaves you drained, see tired in winter.
For other safe ways to warm up at night, see our guide to cold feet at night.
If you use a hot water bottle instead, read our hot water bottle safety guide first.
FAQs
Can you sleep with an electric blanket on all night?
Only if the instructions say it is suitable for all-night use and it has a thermostat and overheat protection, and only on the setting they give. Otherwise, UK fire services say switch it off and unplug it before you get into bed.
How often should you replace an electric blanket?
At least every 10 years, even if it looks fine, and straight away if it has scorch marks, frayed fabric, visible wires, a damaged flex or a buzzing control. An old round BEAB mark means it is more than 10 years old.
Can you use an electric blanket when pregnant?
There’s no specific UK guidance on electric blankets in pregnancy, but getting very hot is best avoided, particularly in the first 12 weeks. The cautious approach is to warm the bed and switch off before you get in, and to ask your midwife if you want to use one overnight.
Are electric blankets safe for elderly people?
They can be, if the blanket is under 10 years old, undamaged and used as instructed. Take extra care if someone has reduced feeling, diabetes with nerve damage, continence problems, an airflow mattress or reduced mobility, and use free testing events and home fire safety visits.
How much does an electric blanket cost to run per hour?
At the October to December 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh, a 100W blanket costs about 2.6p an hour, and warming the bed for 30 minutes costs about 1.3p. Check the wattage on your blanket’s label.
Can you use an electric blanket and a hot water bottle together?
No. UK fire services and Electrical Safety First all say never use a hot water bottle in the same bed as an electric blanket. A leak or spill can cause an electrical fault.
Sources
- London Fire Brigade. Electric blankets.
- Electrical Safety First. Electrical safety advice for electric blankets.
- Electrical Safety First. Concerns as electric blanket fires hit five year high (2026).
- Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Electric blankets.
- Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. Electric blankets and 170 unsafe electric blankets taken out of use at recent events (2024).
- Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service. Electric blankets.
- Oxfordshire County Council. Free electric blanket testing.
- NHS England (Midlands). Diabetes foot health: high risk (patient leaflet).
- Collingwood Health Group (NHS GP practice). Is it safe to use a sauna or jacuzzi if I’m pregnant?
- NHS. Winter health and keeping warm.
- Ofgem. Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges.
- Uswitch. How much does it cost to use an electric blanket? (updated October 2026).
- Devon and Somerset Trading Standards. Have you dug out your hot water bottle? A few things to remember (2024).
- Kräuchi K et al (2000). Functional link between distal vasodilation and sleep-onset latency? American Journal of Physiology.
- Raymann RJ et al (2008). Skin deep: enhanced sleep depth by cutaneous temperature manipulation. Brain.
- Fletcher A et al (1999). Sleeping with an electric blanket: effects on core temperature, sleep, and melatonin in young adults. Sleep.
- Okamoto-Mizuno K et al (2005). Effects of an electric blanket on sleep stages and body temperature in young men. Ergonomics.
- Jose RM et al (2005). Hot water bottles and diabetic patients: a cautionary tale. British Journal of General Practice.
This guide is general information, not medical or electrical safety advice. Always follow your blanket’s own instructions. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex.
