Can You Die From Sleeping Under A Blanket

Can You Die From Sleeping Under A Blanket?

Die? Why would anyone think that? Are blankets dangerous, if they are, are they so lethal that we could literally die from using them? These questions will be answered in the course of this article and I’ll do my best to shed some light on how to use them safely.

But blankets keep us safe. If not literally, at least in our heads. They ignite that feeling of safety in us which is what we need to feel relaxed and fall asleep faster.

Aside from this, which is our main reason for using them, they also provide other health benefits which often go unnoticed in most cases. Like calming our nervous system, which will in succession, prevent rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and anxiety.

No doubt, whatever has advantages will come with its fair share of flaws too. In the course of this article, we will weigh up some do’s and don’t’s when dealing with blankets.

But first, let’s answer this spicy question.

Is It Possible To Die From Sleeping Under A Blanket?

The most common way a blanket could kill you in your sleep is through suffocation.

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This is only possible if two unfavorable factors play a role in it. Under normal circumstances, your body will react in a certain type of way if your airways stop receiving air. This reaction will cause you to wake up and gasp for air or find out what the problem is and rid yourself of it.

As human beings, that is the way we were programmed. And there is no limit to the number of times it can happen. Even if you have to wake up a hundred times to get air, you will.

Once your body can no longer breathe unconsciously, you will have to do it deliberately. Although breaking your sleep numerous times at night will bring negative effects when the sun rises.

If that is what your body has to do to keep you alive, it will. However, there are some health problems that might be inimical to the “stay alive” mechanism.

Lung diseases or Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) might cause an individual to choke in their sleep. Most people with these conditions, require the assistance of machines to help them breathe properly when they are unconscious.

Here, one can already tell that this ability has been impaired. If such problems were to befall them without their machines, the unthinkable might happen.

Another reason suffocation could occur is if the body is not in the right state or shape. For example, if the person was drugged or poisoned.

The brain would be too dull to react to this sudden air restriction. And they might die or end up with brain damage if they go on for minutes without breathing.

Is It Bad To Be Under Your Blanket?

It depends on how you use the blanket. Hark back to when I said there are certain rules you should follow in order to sleep safely.

A blanket should cover from your feet up to your neck, your head should be on a pillow, the blanket should not reach the pillow level. Unfortunately, sleeping with a blanket over the head is a ritual for many people and I’ve met some of them online who have grown so fond of it that it is technically impossible to convince them to do otherwise.

The truth is, to make the most of the blanket, you don’t need to cover your head. There are no additional boons to reap. Below are some reasons why you should not cover your head with a blanket when you sleep.

The Air You Inhale From Your Blanket Could Be Germ Ridden

Okay, not to cast aspersions on your hygiene but your blanket can never be absolutely clean.

According to research, the average individual wash their blanket just once a week. Only those in the hospital or other health care centers, wash more than once.

Think about it, you use it for seven days straight just to wash it once, it’s safe to say there are some microscopic germs in your blanket.

Even though you don’t see them because it’s not clearly dirty. When you sleep with a blanket over your head, you create a block between your nostrils and fresh oxygen.

The force you apply to pull air from the blanket will definitely pull those germs along into your nostrils. Those germs can trigger your allergies, or cause you to sneeze and cough. Hereby making sleep uncomfortable for you.

Overheating:

When searching for the rationality behind the usage of blankets, one can easily link cold weather to it.

But gone are those days when people used blankets solely because of the climate. These days we are so accustomed to using blankets that sleeping without one would just feel odd.

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By the way, protection against cold is just one of the many benefits, so why keep them away during summer. Now, babies find it easy to sleep even when the temperature is high and a recent study revealed that they even sleep deeper as the temperature increases.

But for older humans, the reverse is the case. The difference is that babies do not know that they are overheating while adults know, even when they are unconscious.

You will find it hard to sleep at night if the temperature of your room was high and you were sweating because you slept with a blanket over your face.

If you were in that condition, you would not be able to breathe properly and this would cause your body to wake up from time to time to seek fresh air.

Frequent repetition of this could lead to acne because the pores on your face aren’t getting enough air or worse insomnia.

You Might Wake Up Feeling Dizzy

There is no blanket made of material that is super breathable. I mean, how would it be able to keep you warm if air passed through it freely.

It is because their fabrics are tightly woven together that they are able to protect you from cold. With that said, sleeping with a blanket over your face will not allow the free passage of air from your nostrils, the same way it won’t give leave to the carbon dioxide you exhale.

And continuous intake of your own carbon dioxide might cause you to feel dizzy. Because oxygen doesn’t end in your lungs, it circulates the body, even the brain needs its fair share.

Moreover, individuals with heart problems may worsen their symptoms by consistently inhaling their carbon dioxide.

It Can Lead To A Deterioration In Brain Activity

Remember when I said your brain needs its own fair share of oxygen. This is one of the negative effects you might face if you deny your brain air.

Your body might not feel dizzy, but sleeping for hours without getting enough air will put a damper on the brain’s ability to perform daily tasks effectively.

You might find it hard to remember things you just heard or to concentrate on a routine task which you should have already adapted to. Which can be frustrating.

In some cases, you might experience a slight migraine. This might come as a shock to you but research has shown that 23% of people who sleep with their heads covered fall ill with dementia. Another reason you need to stop this habit is as soon as possible.

Next time you want to sleep with your head covered, think of all the damages it can cause. Whatever feeling you get from sleeping like that, isn’t worth it.

Is It Possible To Suffocate In Your Sleep?

If someone held a pillow over your head and pressed it firmly against your face while you slept, they could suffocate you.

But if that is not the case, you can’t suffocate under normal circumstances. If your airways are not getting enough air, your body performs what I call “the stay alive mechanism”.

That means you will wake up each time air stops coming in. This can happen as many times as you need to. There is no assigned number.

Unless this ability is obstructed, that is to say, there are certain health conditions that could cause someone to choke in their sleep, e.g: sleep apnea and lung disease.

In the absence of this and any other catalysts causing the body to sleep like an overheated baby. You will wake up. Even if someone tried to suffocate you with a pillow, you would awaken immediately to fight for your life.

Is It Bad To Cover Your Head During Sleep?

Yes, it is, just as I’ve explained previously, you put your health at risk whenever you sleep like that.

Is It Bad To Sleep With Too Many Blankets?

Yes, it is. Especially if you cover your head when you sleep. First of all, there is no need to sleep with more than one blanket.

One is enough to enjoy all the benefits blankets have to offer. The primary purpose of blankets is to keep you warm, that is why they are created through firmly woven fabrics.

So that air has a hard time passing through them. One blanket is capable of increasing the temperature of your body, which is just what your body needs if the temperature of your room is low.

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That decrease in temperature will be countervailed by the elevation the blanket will provide. And the end result will be a regulated temperature.

With which you can enjoy your sleep. But when you add more blankets, your body will get hotter and under such temperature, it won’t be able to rest.

Also, remember that your skin pores need to breathe and these blankets aren’t exactly super breathable. Not to mention, you sleep in pajamas, so that means your skin could be covered with three to four layers. That’s three to four layers of thickness air has to fight before it can get to your skin. I’d say it gave up on the way.

Remember, at the beginning of this article I said we’ll treat some regulations to follow when using blankets. Well, you have another don’t. Don’t use too many blankets. One is enough.

Why Do We Feel Safe Under A Blanket?

Blankets feel like a covering, a little tent we can crawl into which keeps us safe and warm.

In the safety of these blankets, we can relax and enjoys our sleep. Other types of blankets, like weight blankets, make us feel as though an enormous person has us wrapped around their arms all through the night.

All these contribute to relaxation and sound sleep which has so many health benefits. In summary, everything starts from the warmth a blanket provides. When we hug a loved one, there is a warm feeling that overwhelms us and causes us to feel safe in their arms.

Well, our brain releases the same set of chemicals it does when we enjoy those hugs. So it’s only normal to expect the same reaction and similar advantages.

Why Is It Hard To Breathe Under A Blanket?

This is one of the reasons I strongly condemn covering your head with a blanket. Blankets are not to be used like that. If it was easy to breathe under a blanket, it would not be able to serve the very purpose for which it was created. Yes, blankets were created to restrict air passage, at least to an extent. That is the only way it can keep you warm at night.

Its fabrics are so tightly woven that only a minuscule amount of air will make contact with your skin. Which is just the right amount you need to enjoy a warm sleep.

Hence, you shouldn’t even use more than one. Different blankets are made with different fabrics. If you slept with your face covered under a fleece blanket, breathing would be damn near impossible.

It’s hard to breathe under a blanket because of the way it was created. That was the purpose, it’s meant to cover your body, not your head.