Well, here's one more, from AT reader MG. It's the Bed Buddy Hot/Cold Pack, which can be microwaved and then tossed between the sheets. They're around $15 each and are reuseable. The heat they provide is wet heat, not the dry kind that gets us all uncomfortable this time of year.
Earth Therapeutics makes socks with gels inserts that are heated in the microwave for a real toasty night. You know you can't fall asleep if your feet are cold...
I own one, it's great. You can find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $10
I prefer the hot water bottles sold at any walgreens/cvs! no microwave needed.. just some hot tap water.
funny! my mom makes something that looks similar with rice and a big sock.
this thing is great! we have one and when we got our new puppy, my husband and i wrapped the bed buddy up in a baby blanket and put it in the puppy's cage. she really seemed to draw a lot of comfort from it in her first month or so.
I think I am a bit older then most who are reading this but I can remember as a child my mother would tell my siblings and I to find a lg rock which she would heat on the wood stove, wrap in a towel and send us off to bed up-stairs where there was NO heat. That rock was a life saver on cold winter nights. Of course that was way before bed buddies or even microwaves which are a lot easier
Rice in a big old sock, man. It's practically free, and it works.
How does that work? Do you just heat up dry rice in the microwave?
Normally, I'm pro DIY, but the idea of a foodstuff (even uncooked) in your bed makes me shudder. I'd buy the $15 non-food item, since bugs still eat uncooked rice.
I have had my bed buddy for something like 10 years. I drape it over my neck/ shoulders when watching TV or on the computer, and it helps with neck pain. It smells nice when you heat it up, like warm bread. I love it.
The bed buddy has been a fixture in my extended family for at least a decade. We are plagued with bad sinuses and headaches, for which bb is a godsend.
heated mattress pad
Well, you CAN use an old sock (which is just about as attractive as the Bed Buddy), but the model that Earth Therapeutics makes (washable terry-cloth cover, box-stitched rice bag) is a little bit nicer & herb-filled for about $10 at places like Bed, Bath, & Beyond or Linens & Things. Unfortunately, they changed the style recently, and the terry covers aren't as nice as they used to be.
Or you can, like, sew up a fabric tube yourself. You can fill with rice; you can choose to add herbs or not, or mix the rice with a bit of essential oil (lavender or rosemary are good choices). You stop being able to smell the herbs after a few months of use. There is a very distinct "heated rice" scent.
I think it works by heating the water that rice absorbs from the atmosphere, because if you reheat one several times in the same evening, it's more likely to burn. I have had one go crispy in the microwave; it isn't pleasant, particularly the smell.
Also, about $100 cheaper than a heated mattress pad, though those are also nice. Heated mattress pad won't really do as much for shoulder/neck/sinus pain, though.
Aside from the slippers someone mentioned with the gel inserts, rice-insert slippers are also made. They are VERY difficult to walk on, & basically just for snuggling. :)
I have a similar one with lavender in it (and rice?). I love it for neck pain and for warming up on an extra-cold day. So much better than something electric (scared of too many EMFs!). Sometimes low-tech is so comforting.
My bed buddy is an electric blanket. Never thought I would have one though. I caught it on sale last summer a king size for $40. It enabled me to take off the 3 blankets and the down comforter. I have 3 cats and they enjoy it too.
I should worry about EMFs but I enjoy it way to much and I think they've come a long way since they were first introduced.