Best way to add additional layers when using a down comforter

October 24, 2013 6:21 PM

I use a medium-weight down comforter with a removable cotton duvet cover in all but summer. I sleep with just a bottom sheet and the comforter, no top sheet. Most nights this is plenty of warmth for me. (I tend to run very hot and often sleep with one foot outside the covers to regulate my temperature.) Sometimes, though, on the coldest nights (I live in the Boston area), I need another layer. I would normally just throw something (usually a thin hand-made quilt) on top of the comforter, but I'm wondering if this actually diminishes the effectiveness of the comforter. I know that it's the layer of air that provides the insulation and therefore the warmth of a comforter. Does the added quilt or blanket on top crush the air out of the comforter, making it LESS warm? Because this is only an occasional need, I don't really want to remake my bed, with a top sheet (which I would feel like I needed between me and a blanket) and the additional layer under the comforter, since I'm afraid I will be too hot except for the very coldest nights. Or I am overthinking all this and should just go ahead and thrown the quilt or blanket on top of the comforter as needed?
posted by primate moon to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

I don't know the science behind it, but from trying various ways personally over the course of years, I believe that you get more warmth if the blanket is on top of the comforter than if it is under the comforter.
posted by janey47 at 6:25 PM on October 24, 2013

You're over thinking it. The more stuff piled on top of you, the warmer you'll be.
posted by bleep at 6:26 PM on October 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

I'd expect under-comforter layers to work better than over-comforter, because they'd seal better. If you don't want the extra warmth all the time, you could use a light layer-- flat sheet or cotton blanket-- and just make the bed with it fan-folded into a strip at the very bottom (top fold pointing up). Then, on chilly nights, just pull up the folded layer under the comforter.

A more adjustable solution would be to switch to blanket full-time, with the comforter above, but only drawn up to cover as much of you as necessary to get the right temperature.
posted by Bardolph at 6:35 PM on October 24, 2013

The blanket goes on top of the comforter. Even though it crushes the comforter a little bit, the feathers are still strong enough and oddly shaped enough to hold a lot of air between and inside them. That air warms up due to your body heat. By putting another blanket on top of the comforter, you will reduce the transfer of heat from the comforter itself to the cold room, keeping more heat within the comforter and around you.
posted by Miko at 6:42 PM on October 24, 2013 [12 favorites]

I do the same as you and just throw an extra blanket or two on top of my regular blanket as needed. This has always been sufficient for me and also convenient if the temperature is changeable.
posted by jeather at 6:42 PM on October 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think it is warmer if you have a sheet, blanket and the comforter on top, but I never bother either, just a woolen blanket on the top has always been perfectly fine.
posted by Kaleidoscope at 6:58 PM on October 24, 2013

Rather than adding an extra blanket, I often wear a vest when I'm really cold in bed. Less bulk, lots of warmth.
posted by radioamy at 7:14 PM on October 24, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I'm relieved to see I can just throw a blanket on top.
posted by primate moon at 7:51 PM on October 24, 2013

My experience from camping and living in tents down to -40C (yeah, conscription!) is that wearing a hat or beanie is very, very effective in retaining body heat. You sleep with your head outside the covers, right? You'll just have to consult your fashion sense to see if a nightcap is the right choice for you...
posted by Harald74 at 1:01 AM on October 25, 2013 [2 favorites]

You could always keep one of those fuzzy fleece throws nearby for very cold nights. Then roll up in it under your comforter. The fleece ups the warmth big time.

Or, if you're facing a cold snap you might consider a fleece fitted sheet. Huge difference.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 3:30 AM on October 25, 2013

It's true about the hats.
posted by Miko at 10:19 AM on October 25, 2013

I've taken to using Brookstone Nap blankets for top and bottom sheets in the winter, in addition to a down comforter. And now I only use those, year round, and lose the comforter in the summer.
posted by areodjarekput at 11:26 AM on October 25, 2013

I think the only thing that matters is if you feel warmer with the quilt on top. If it works then keep doing it. I can't imagine why it wouldn't though. As for hats I remember hearing we lose 70-80% of our body heat thru our heads.
posted by wildflower at 2:27 PM on October 25, 2013

I switch my Egyptian cotton duvet cover (summer) for a flannel one (winter) and that makes a huge difference. (The duvet covers are way easier to launder than the down comforter, too.) And when it gets really cold, I'll toss something on top, which is deliciously warm (to the point where it has to come off during the night lest I spontaneously combust).
posted by Capri at 4:28 PM on October 25, 2013 [1 favorite]