As I've written before, primarily in
the post entitled A Challenge that Hits Home, safe housing is a huge problem for
the chemically reactive. Almost every day I read about a fellow chemical
illness sufferer who is looking for some sort of temporary or permanent shelter.
The fact that the great majority of homes, hotels, and emergency shelters are
inaccessible to those with MCS is a huge problem. It's a serious issue any time
of year, but in the winter it becomes a true crisis.
My situation is certainly not as bad
as the situations many of my fellow sufferers find themselves in. I have a warm
house to stay in during the day, but it becomes a problem at night, when mold
levels rise. Because of my extreme sensitivity to mold, I sleep in a campervan.
It’s pretty cold out there this time of year, but I'm able to stretch out, and
I have electricity, which enables me to use a small space heater. It could
definitely be worse.
People with MCS may find themselves
struggling to stay warm for a variety of reasons. Some stay in trailers, sheds,
workshops or other non-conventional buildings that are not well-insulated or
designed for cold-weather living. Some live in conventional homes, but can't
tolerate the home's heat source.
My healthy readers may wonder why an
uncomfortable cold night is preferable to an uncomfortable night of reactions
to a toxic environment. The short answer is that the body doesn't need to detox
"cold." If I spend a cold
night in my campervan, I may be tired the next day, but I don't have other
lingering effects. If I spend the night in my home, I have continuing pain and
other symptoms that just continue to worsen as my body is unable to rid itself
of the mold toxins. There comes a point at which the cold itself is dangerous,
but when it isn't life-threatening or likely to lead to permanent injury,
choosing cold over toxins is reasonable.
Because this topic comes up so
often, I've decided to compile some tips on staying warm at night. Some are
things I've learned from experience and some are things I've heard from others.
I haven't tried them all and they aren't all applicable to every situation, due
to personal sensitivities, tolerances, and needs. I’ve written these primarily
for those with toxic illness, but my healthy readers might want to read through
them, too. You never know when an ice storm is going to take out your power. Here
are some suggestions:
- Prepare in advance -- It's wise to have multiple
layers of safe-for-you warm bedding and clothing ready, even if you don't
need them now. Because it can take months to offgas newly purchased products,
waiting until the need arises to purchase goods can be problematic. Even
if you have stable housing now and think homelessness or semi-homelessness
will never happen to you, I advise you to be prepared. I thought that,
too.
- Invest in good quality bedding -- I'm personally
a big fan of wool, which keeps me much warmer than other fabrics. In the
winter I use a wool blanket inside a zero-degree sleeping bag, covered
with a wool comforter. After looking for a zero-degree sleeping bag made
of natural fabrics and not finding one, I finally decided on a nylon
version. Nylon is the least toxic of the plastic fabrics and I find it
much more tolerable than polyester or acrylic. I did need to wash my new
bag many times and let it offgas for months before I could tolerate it,
though. A cheaper bedding option is a mylar emergency blanket. They're a
little loud and "crinkly," but do a good job of keeping a person
wrapped inside them warm, and most people with chemical sensitivities seem
to handle them well.
- Surround yourself with warmth on all sides-- The
more cocooned you can be inside your bedding, the warmer you will stay.
Sometimes people who can't find a tolerable sleeping bag will make a bag
of sorts out of blankets. One blanket can be folded in half lengthwise and
secured with pins or clips. It can go inside another folded blanket which
has the opening on the other side. The goal is to minimize air intrusion. Keeping
a blanket or another source of warmth below you as well as above you can
be very helpful.
- Layers are your friend -- It's helpful to have
some warm clothes that are too big for you so that you can easily layer
other clothes underneath them. On the coldest nights I wear six layers of
clothing to bed. The outer layer is a wool sweater that originally belonged
to my husband who is much bigger than I am. By the time I have my other
layers on, it fits me just fine.
- Cover as much of your body as possible -- A
helpful tip I picked up from a fellow toxic illness sufferer is to wear a
hooded sweatshirt at night. I had been wearing a sweatshirt and a knit
cap, but the cap often fell off. A hooded sweatshirt solves that problem and
also covers my neck. Although I haven't tried it, I've thought that
wearing a ski mask to bed would probably be helpful. Tucking pant legs
into socks will keep your legs fully covered.
- Put something warm in bed with you -- Sometimes
people use microwaveable cloth bags filled with rice, corn, or beans. Most
people with toxic illness don't handle the rubber or vinyl of traditional
hot water bottles, but the same results can be obtained from filling a
metal water bottle or canteen. Be careful not to burn yourself, of course.
I've become a fan of air-activated hand warmers ("HotHands" is
one brand). They stay hot all night long and seem very non-toxic.
- Pre-warm your body -- Some people recommend
exercising to warm up, but too much exercising close to bedtime can
interfere with sleep. Others prefer to take a warm bath or eat a small
amount of spicy or hot food.
- Pre-warm your clothing --I've heard of people
warming bedtime clothing in a dryer before putting it on.
- Pre-warm the bed -- A bed can be pre-warmed with
a hair dryer. People concerned about electromagnetic fields don't
generally recommend sleeping with an electric blanket or mattress pad, but
some people use them to warm the bed, then turn them off and unplug them
before sleeping.
- Insulate and block drafts -- Rolled towels or
blankets can keep air from entering underneath doors. Reflective
insulation or bubble wrap can be used for windows.
I've learned that keeping myself
warm is not the only overnight wintertime challenge. For safety reasons, it
seems wise to keep a cellphone with me, but I've learned that the batteries
stop working if my phone gets too cold. I now wrap my phone in a wool sock and
make sure it stays warm enough to function.
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