Due to temperature regulation or human psychology, many people can’t sleep without blankets. If the blankets regularly slide off your bed overnight, there are ways to keep the covers in place.
Start by determining why the blankets slide off and if this is what’s happening. If you share a bed with a partner, they may pull the covers away from you. Using two blankets is the easiest solution.
If the blankets are falling off the bed, consider if this is due to kicking out or tossing and turning in bed. Ensure you’re relaxed and at the right temperature so you don’t subconsciously throw the covers away.
Increasing the weight of blankets or attaching weights to the bottom of the sheets can keep them in place. Alternatively, increase friction between fitted sheets and blankets with a different fabric.
Fastening the blankets is an even more effective way to keep them in place.
You can achieve this by applying ‘hospital corners’ to the covers, tucking them into place, or getting in blanket suspenders that clip the sheets to the frame of your bed.
Why Are My Blankets Off When I Wake Up?
Waking up shivering because your blankets have slid off the bed overnight isn’t a nice experience. There are many possible explanations for this issue, which include the following:
- Your blankets or bedding are too small and light for the size of the bed.
- You’re tossing and turning in bed, causing the blankets to slip.
- You’re kicking the blankets off in your sleep, perhaps because you find them too hot.
- The fitted sheet fabric is incompatible with your blankets, requiring more friction.
- You share the bed with a partner who ‘hogs’ the blankets, tugging them away from you.
You can resolve these issues without sleeping alone in a separate room.
How to Keep Blankets from Sliding Off the Bed
If you want a solution to the frustration of blankets sliding off the bed at night, whether by accident or design, consider these options:
Lower Temperature in Bed
You’re likely overheating if you often wake up hot and sticky at night. Your body will react to this uncomfortably high body temperature, even while sleeping, and seek ways to cool off.
Sweating is the natural response to overheating, but you may seek other ways to cool off, like kicking the covers off the bed. You may be removing sheets without even realizing it.
Other signs that suggest you’re too hot at night include the following:
- Damp pillows and bed sheets due to sweat.
- Waking up with a dry mouth and an unquenchable thirst.
- Headaches and foggy thinking upon waking.
- Muscular cramps in the arms or legs.
You must reduce your body temperature before sleep. Ways to achieve this include showering before bed, sleeping without clothing, and chilling your bedroom beforehand.
Heaver Blankets
If kept in the middle of a bed, heavier blankets have sufficient weight to remain in place while you move in your sleep. Be careful that the blanket doesn’t slide to one side, as gravity will take its course.
Additional weight can come from adding multiple blankets to a bed (which also provides a safety net if one sheet slides off) or getting in a blanket made from a heavier fabric.
Adding weights to the bottom of blankets can keep the covers in place without restricting movement. Unlike clips or folds, weighed blankets enjoy complete flexibility in their midsection.
You’ll need to distribute all weight evenly on your blankets. Attach an even number of weights, directly correlating them on all four edges of the bedsheet.
Gravity will drag it down and off the bed if any side or angle carries more weight.
Any weights you choose must exceed the mass of the bedsheet. Lighter weights may be easier to sew or attach and make the blanket easier to move, but they may not be as effective.
Be mindful of the impact of attaching weights to blankets. You’ll likely need to remove and reattach these additions every time you launder your bedsheets, which is time-consuming.
Bedding Fabric
The combination of fabrics between your fitted sheet and blankets may cause blankets to slide off the bed. The blankets will become slippery if there’s insufficient friction between the materials.
Silk and satin offer the least resistance when combining a blanket and fitted sheet. While these fabrics are more breathable, they create little friction. You may need to sacrifice some luxury for practicality.
Cotton offers more resistance, so consider switching at least one of your bedsheets. The softer the cotton, the less friction will occur, so think carefully before buying deluxe Egyptian cotton sheets.
Separate Blankets
Sharing a single blanket or bedsheet with a partner can lead to subconscious disputes. If one of you prefers to ‘cocoon’ themselves, it can lead to an unbalanced division or see blankets slide to the floor.
Before you resort to sleeping in separate rooms – often referred to as a “sleep divorce” in couples with an otherwise stable relationship – consider using two blankets rather than one.
This will also help those sharing the bed maintain optimum comfort. If a partner has a different preference surrounding weight, thickness, or fabric used in bedsheets, you can meet these requirements.
Mattress Protector
Applying a mattress protector to your bed can improve friction beneath your fitted sheet.
If a mattress protector doesn’t increase your body temperature and make you too hot overnight, this can be an easy solution to exchanging all bedding.
If you frequently find yourself cold at night, opt for a fleece or flannel undersheet. This will provide more friction as well as warm you in bed. You can counter this with lighter fabric for your blankets and sheets.
Tuck Blankets
A larger bedsheet or blanket can offer comfort and coziness in bed but is likelier to slide off overnight.
If you have oversized bedding (like a king-sized blanket on a queen-sized mattress), consider tucking your blanket into place at night.
It’ll likely restrict your movement in bed. The blankets will feel comparatively tight against your body, so if you’re prone to claustrophobia, is this may not the most comfortable solution.
If you remain content to tuck your blankets and bedding, the best approach is to use “hospital corners.” This approach, also popular for hotel beds, keeps blankets in place, reducing the risk of slippage.
Follow these steps to attempt hospital corners on your blankets:
- Spread a blanket evenly over your bed, with equal measurements.
- Pull the blanket tight and tuck the bottom under the mattress, leaving the corners loose.
- Lift one corner at a 45-degree angle, laying this on the top of your bed.
- Hold this angled part of the blanket, resembling a triangle, and tuck the rest under the mattress.
- Adjust the blanket so it is at the edge of the mattress, and tuck in the corner.
- Repeat on all other corners of the blanket.
If you’re comfortable with hospital corners, this can become your default approach to making your bed in the morning. Consider clipping the blankets to the bed if you find them too restrictive.
Clip Blankets
Another popular approach is using clips to keep blankets on a bed. A hardware store or furniture supplier specializing in bedding supplies will stock bedding straps, also known as blanket suspenders.
You can use these additions to clip each corner of a blanket to your headboard or the frame of your bed. These clips can be adjusted to fit your needs and be removed when you need to wash your sheets.
If you don’t mind some restrictions in your sleeping arrangements, apply the clips diagonally across your bed to hold the blanket in place. If you find this uncomfortable, use the clip at the bottom of the bed.
Minimize Movement
If you’re moving around in bed, you may kick, drag, or knock your blankets off.
If you’ve been informed that you’re prone to kicking out, flailing your arms, and rolling over in bed, consider focusing your attention on your movements.
You must determine why you’re so active in your sleep. We have already discussed the impact of uncomfortably high temperatures in a bedroom, but other considerations include:
- Are you affected by vivid dreams and nightmares, potentially inspired by an inappropriate diet?
- Is a new bed that you haven’t yet adapted to, or an old mattress that’s no longer fit for purpose, causing your back and muscle pain?
- Are you failing to unwind sufficiently before bed, meaning that your mind is still plagued with anxious and restless thoughts when you should be at rest?
Losing blankets overnight can disturb your sleep, especially during colder seasons, so find a way to keep your covers in place while you rest.
