Can You Use an Electric Blanket If You Have Diabetes

Some people with diabetes can use an electric blanket, but only if they feel heat normally and their doctor agrees. If you can't feel heat on your feet or legs, don't buy one.

If you do feel heat and your doctor agrees, get the Brookstone Cozy Heated Plush Throw. Warm the bed with it, then switch it off before you get in.

Why Can T Diabetics Use Electric Blankets?

Makers warn people with diabetes off electric blankets because a blanket can burn skin that can't feel the heat. UL Solutions says people with diabetes are more vulnerable to burns, and Sunbeam's manual lists a diabetic among the people who should not use heated blankets. Electrical Safety First recommends against a blanket on the bed of anyone who may be insensitive to heat. Whether that is you is your doctor's call.

Pick the branch that matches what you notice and what your doctor has said:

• You can't feel hot water or a warm surface on your feet or legs the way you used to, or your doctor has told you your feeling is reduced: don't buy an electric blanket. Ask your doctor what to use for warmth instead.
• You feel heat normally, your doctor has said a heated throw is fine, and you want warmth over your lap or legs: get the Brookstone Cozy Heated Plush Throw. It has four heat settings and shuts itself off after four hours.

If your bed raises and lowers, check the manual of any heated bedding for an adjustable-bed exclusion before you buy; the Home & Comfort under-blanket's manual, for one, rules out adjustable beds. The best electric blanket page is for readers whose doctor has cleared a blanket and who want to compare whole-bed options, and the Brookstone heated blanket page is for those who want a closer look at that brand.

Once you've picked a branch, the question is whether to sleep with it on. The makers disagree. A burn director quoted by UL Solutions advises switching the blanket on about half an hour before bed and off before you get in. Home & Comfort's manual says to use the lowest setting for prolonged use or sleeping, and HEMA's manual says to set L or 1 for sleeping or long use. Follow the manual for your own blanket.

Heated blankets are bad for you in two specific ways. Falling asleep on a bunched-up area is a common cause of burns, because hot fabric stays on one body part. Folding a blanket in use can damage the internal wires and cause overheating. Lay it flat, with no folds or creases.

Can Diabetics Use Heating Pads?

Whether you can use a heating pad on your back with diabetes is your doctor's decision. The makers' diabetes warnings above cover heated blankets, mattress pads and throws.

If your doctor clears a pad, keep it away from your blanket. UL Solutions says not to use a blanket with a heating pad, and Sunbeam's manual says not to use heated bedding with another electrically heated product. One heat source at a time.