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Heating pads have been around for a while and a lot of people consider them to be useful additions to their life. After all they provide many great heat therapy benefits. Especially if you invest in high quality heat pads that offer infrared and gemstone therapy. However, some  people believe a heating pad is a good option to sleep with at night. Without knowing the consequences. So is it safe to sleep with a heating pad in my bed?. That is the question so many pain sufferers want to know.

Is this true? Is it the taking the trusty heat pad to bed the way to go?

This article is going to analyze the heating pad and illustrate whether or not it is a good idea to pursue this way of sleeping in the future. It’s best to be best educated in situations like this as it can have dire consequences.

Simple Answer

Let’s begin with a straightforward answer to this question.

No, you should not find it “safe” to sleep with a heating pad in your bed. This is well-regarded as being a bad option and is something medical professionals state is unnecessary. It is recommended to take a look at alternatives that are easier on the body and are not going to put it in harm’s way. There is a reason that all good quality heating pads have a automatic shut off feature where they close up shop within 20 minutes up to 4 hours. This is a safety feature for both you and the device itself.

Why It’s Not Safe To Sleep With A Heat Pad

Let’s dig deeper to illustrate why a heating pad in your bed over an extended period is the last thing you should be doing. But first, can you lay on a heating pad?. Yes, it the particular heating pad is designed to withstand your body weight. Some pads specifically state to not lay on them. While other full body heat pads are designed to lay on.

*Do note that sleeping on a full body heat pad is different to taking a small device to bed and leaving it on all night. A full body heating pad is designed to give you a full heat therapy session for multiple hours. But never should you lay down on a heating pad while you sleep. Remember, these are electrical devices, so lets dig into some reasons to avoid this attractive option.

Prolonged Use Can Burn Your Skin

This is the primary concern for sleeping with a heating device in your bed.

You can burn your skin due to overexposure in one area of the body. The heating pad feels good for a few minutes but if you keep it in the same spot, your skin is going to feel the heat. It is going to burn and it will not feel good at all.

You have to avoid letting it burn your skin by sleeping with the heating pad on your body.

The Heat Pad Could Cause Inflammation

If the heating pad is kept in the same spot, it might cause inflammation and that is a major point of concern. You do not want to let inflammation become a problem because you were being negligent and slept with the heating pad in your bed.

You are not going to be healing the aching muscle with overexposure to heat. In fact, it will get worse. Again, there is a reason as to why experts say that heat sessions should not last too long.

Can Tweak and Cause Further Injury To Muscles

The heating pad is a physical item and is going to put a strain on your body over an extended period. If you roll onto it, you are going to get hurt and that is not the feeling you want especially for those who have aching muscles to deal with. While some heat pads are quite slim these days, rolling on the digital remote control or even on the heating pad itself can cause it to break.

For example on the Beurer heating pad, it specifically state that you should not place anything heavy like a washing basket on top of the pad itself as it can cause damage to the internal heating system. It is best to avoid putting yourself at risk as well as damaging one of the best pain relief products out there.

Leaving Heating Pads On Can Cause A Fire

Yes, this is possible!

There are over 2,000 reported incidents in the United States per year with regards to house fires. According to the reports, 8 people a year die as a direct result of heating pad fires. This is why it is important to think about something like this and if it could break down on you and spark a fire. If there is even a hint of a possibility, it becomes a no-brainer to avoid heading down this path.

Sparking a fire just to sleep with a heating pad seems like an awful idea!

So No, Don’t Sleep With Your Heating Pad

These are the reasons why it is highly recommended to avoid going to sleep with a heating pad overnight. It should be kept in the problem area for a set period of time and should not include moments where you are sleeping. When you use a high quality heating pad that offers infrared energy, you can feel the benefits and pain relief for an amount of time after the session has expired. So there really is no reason to sleep with one if you apply infrared heat to your tires, sore, stiff muscle before you go to bed.

The goal should be to use the heated pad in a controlled situation rather than one where you are unaware of what position you are in. If you were to turn over the wrong way as you are sleeping, this can easily cause injury or do more harm than good. This is why it is best to use the heating pad as directed.