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Spin 2.0

Temperature balancing blankets

Nov 13 05:42

For a lot of people with disabilities, uninterrupted sleep is next to impossible. Whether you have to wake up to turn or to catheterize, getting 8 hours in a row? Forget about it. I haven't got that in 1 ½ years, and the one time I did, oh man, I felt like I was on the best drug ever.

For me, the reason I can't sleep for 8 hours straight is because of my body's inability to adjust its temperature. When I first get in bed, I'm so cold I pile a feather duvet, a poly-filled blanket, a woven cotton blanket and a sheet. After going to sleep, I wake up an hour and a half hour later like clockwork, hotter than Georgia asphalt. I feel like I’m going crazy.

People with spinal cord injuries are notoriously screwed when it comes to adjusting our bodies temperatures. Simply put: We can't do it, well not very well at least, and depending on our level of injury.

As a C6 quadriplegic, adjusting my body's temperature is out of the question. I finally turned to the Internet recently, and I discovered the Outlast Sleep System, a bedding manufacturer that creates mattresses and bedding that has thermocules which help the body self-adjust it's temperature through the night.

Sounds amazing...but is it for real?

Don't worry, the thermocules won’t bite, and they’re hypoallergenic. All they do is trap the heat your body and store it while you sleep (so you never overheat) and then releases it as your body cools. It’s really too bad the most inexpensive blanket they sell is $100 (available through the Sleep Number Store), but if it can really do what it says….I’d pay $500.

What do you use to stay comfortable through the night? Some people with spinal cord injuries skip the top sheet, others like using an open leave cotton thermal blanket (and use a pile blanket on top to trap warm air), and some people will just cover their head when feeling cold to trick their mind into warming up.

I’ll admit. I’ve done that one too.

Have you tried Outlast? How do you stay cool at night?

- Check it out: Outlast Sleep System

- Buy it online: Sleep Number Store

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1. Ausquad | Nov 14 12:09

Hi Tiffany. My name is Cameron & I'm a C7 incomplete quad. I've been reading your posts here for a while now & today I stumbled onto your "10 commandments" clip on youtube which I think is brilliant. I really like your "just get on with it" outlook & the honesty in your writings. Life like this isn't much fun but its our life & it won't go away so we have to "Deal Withit", (my facebook name. Add me as a friend if you like), & do the best we can with what we've got. I also am continually amazed at the stupid comments AB's make & have verbally slammed the door on a few of the worst ones since my injury in 2009 but I think their lack of thought or consideration is their disability. Keep up the great writing you do & the great attitude. Maybe we can talk sometime on FB. Take care. Cameron.

Spin 2.0

By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.