You may have heard of an electric blanket, but few people have heard of an electric mattress pad. Well, the electric mattress pad is basically an alternative to using an electric blanket at night. While the electric blanket warms you from the top, the electric mattress pad provides a great source of heat from below. This will quickly warm you up at night, especially if you have a good, thick blanket covering you. You can use your electric mattress pad all night long if it’s particularly cold, or you can use it as a bed warmer, heating the bed up before you go to bed and then turning off the mattress pad once you’re covered up.

Going from a standard mattress pad to an electric mattress pad may require a period of adjustments. There are electric wires within the electric mattress pad, and some people find these wires uncomfortable at first. A lot of this discomfort has to do with what kind of electric mattress pad you purchase. The cheaper models may simply not include enough padding. However, some people will find all electric mattress pads a bit uncomfortable in the beginning just because they do feel different. However, if the pad has enough padding, you’ll adjust quickly and soon find yourself sleeping soundly.

Many newer electric mattress pads have much smaller wires than older versions. In fact, some users say they can’t feel any wires in their electric mattress pad and sleep very soundly from night one. These newer pads are also a lot more energy efficient and use much less electricity than older models. With these power-saving pads, it’s possible to turn down your heater at night and actually save a lot of energy.

But what if you like a warm bed while your partner doesn’t? For those who share a bed and can’t agree on a heat setting, some electric mattress pads come with dual controls. One half of the mattress pad can be heated while the other half is turned off. This is great when one person is constantly cold while the other gets very warm at night.

Electric mattress pads can provide more than just warmth at night. Some people who suffer from arthritis find that a heated bed helps their joints. Those who have frequent muscle cramps or are recovering from a major injury may also find pain relief by using an electric mattress pad.