Electric blankets have been around for decades and can be a lifesaver on cold winter nights.

But many people are concerned that electric blankets cause blood clots, so is it true?

Can electric or heated blankets cause blood clots?

However, there is no evidence or research available that suggests electric blankets cause blood clots but there are other health problems that can occur because of overheating in electric blankets.

In this article, we will discuss what are blood clots, can electric blankets really cause blood clots and other dangers of using electric or heated blankets.

We will also discuss safe ways to use electric blankets without having any problems.

Let’s get started.

Table Of Contents

What are Blood Clots? (Can Electric Blankets Cause Blood Clots)

Before you know whether electric blankets or heated blankets cause blood clots or not, you need to know what is exactly a blood clot is.

Blood clots are nothing but a part of blood that is thickened and this is also known as thrombosis.

When we get a cut on our body then you must have seen the blood forming around the injury and clotting the area to prevent further blood loss.

This is how external blood clots can prevent that damaged area from further blood loss.

But these blood clots can be a problem when it happens inside blood vessels because they can block or stop the blood flow in our body.

Also Read: Can Electric Blankets Cause Nerve Damage? 

Reason Why Blood Clots Happen?

There can be lots of reasons why blood clots can happen like if you sit too long in a car or plane, being on long bed rest, during or after pregnancy, and others.

But there is another reason behind blood clots which is cold weather.

American hospitals report that the percentage of stroke patients increases during the winter season.

And in the winter season, most people use electric blankets to warm up their bodies and when they have blood clotting problems then they blame their electric blankets.

Electric Blankets And Blood Clotting Problem (What’s the Connection)

According to NorthWestern Medicines, it lots common to get a heart stroke in winter because of blood clotting.

Heart stroke can happen when your blood gets thicker.

And in winter, people who don’t want to get freeze because of the cold use electric or heated blankets.

And when they regularly use them, people with diabetes, poor blood circulation, low or high blood pressure, or any health problem get blood clotting.

Blood clotting can happen because of cold weather and their blood get thicker because of cold.

And when this happens they can get a heart stroke.

Most people can blame their electric blankets or heated blankets because they started using them at the same time.

But that is not true there is no connection between electric blankets and blood clotting.

In fact, electric blankets can make your body warmer.

But that doesn’t means electric blankets are safe too because there are other dangers of using electric blankets.

Also Read: Can Electric Blankets Cause Leg Pain?


Dangers of Using Electric Blankets

There are lots of dangers of using electric blankets such as leg pain, body pain, hair loss, joint pain, nerve damage, and eventually death.

Because there are lots of cases of people who used heated or electric blankets and because of overheating the blankets get fired up and the person inside it died.

These tragic accidents can happen when you use an electric blanket carelessly.

  • The heat from electric blankets can create pressure points and muscle tingling which leads to body pain.
  • The heat and EMF from electric blankets can cause nerve damage.
  • People with diabetes and poor blood circulation should not use electric blankets because they can’t sense overheating in electric blankets because of nerve damage.
  • The heat from electric blankets can make your hair dry and weaken its root which leads to hair fall or hair loss.
  • Electric blankets can cause many health issues if you don’t use them correctly or have any health problems.

So you need to understand how to use electric blankets safely.

How to Use Electric or Heated Blankets Safety 

When you use electric or heated blankets then you don’t have to be careless because if you don’t use electric blankets properly then you can face serious health issues.

So you need to understand how to use heated or electric blankets safely.

  • Always check your electric blankets fully before using them because damaged blankets can give you an electric shock or start to overheat.
  • Always prevent overheating by using heated or electric blankets for only 60 minutes.
  • Turn OFF the electric blankets when not in use.
  • Do not sleep with Electric Blankets turned ON.
  • Use Automatic Electric Blankets that automatically turn OFF after a certain period of time.
  • Do not fold your electric blankets.
  • Do not use electric blankets on camping and put the electric blankets away from the water.
  • Do not put anything on electric blankets.
  • Do not increase the temperature of the electric blankets of a sudden, gradually increase the temperature of the electric or heated blankets.
  • Avoid Electric Blankets when you have diabetes, poor blood circulation, low or high BP, pets, pregnancy, or any health problems

If you want a warmer feeling then you can get a hot water bottle but do not increase the temperature of electric blankets over the limit.

Final Words

People have had doubts and questions about electric blankets for decades.

Because using electric blankets are not 100% safe because there are many disadvantages of using electric blankets.

And people with health problems definitely should not use electric or heated blankets because it can make their problems worse.

There are lots of research and studies conducted on people who use electric blankets and the results are shocking.

Because people who use electric blankets for warming up their bodies in winter are found less activity and muscle soreness with different body pains and health issues.

So always try to avoid using electric blankets because there are better ways to stay warm during cold winter nights than using electric or heated blankets.

And electric blankets are sure a problem but they do not cause any blood clots or heart strokes.

If you have any questions regarding blood clots and electric blankets then you can ask them in the comment section of this article.