Thermostat settings

[malibu]

That's exciting that you moved together with your boyfriend, congratulations! I hope you find a setting that you both find comfortable. My husband and I both like it warmish (but 80 would be too warm, we keep out heater at 77... in the summer AC at 79. Maybe you could keep the AC at a high temperature like we do, maybe better than turning it off completely. We do have the same problem when we receive guests, most find our house a bit too warm What we do is we use a space heater and blankets (electric) if the room temperature is not as high as we would prefer.

[britishtetra]

Hello Karina, unfortunately that is the way with quadriplegics. I am C4/5 and I am always cold. A quadriplegics body will take the temperature of the room. In the winter my heating bills are extraordinary, I have to change the boiler every five years. Try and compromise, get him thermal socks, always wear a woolly hat that keeps the warmth in the body. If not, you are always going to get this problem.

Pete

[AlrightyAphrodite]

Tough one girl. I keep a window AC in my bedroom. I also have a chillipad mattress cover I can set from 55 to 110 and it's only on my side of our bed

But 80? Indoors? In winter? I'd be sick too. He's gotta meet you in the middle somewhere. Have him put a beanie on and maybe you can live at 77.

[britishtetra]

Also in time the body changes, I now feel the cold more easily than I did years ago. Sometimes you don’t wanna sit in the house wearing a woolly hat and thermals, so putting the thermostat up is more comfortable. When you are cold you don’t urinate, feel narky and I have a heard it can trigger AD. My dad wears a T-shirt, and I am sat there in a sub Mariners jumper, which is pure wool, still cold. I am going to look for some ugg boots, my feet are cold 😊

Pete, 👍

[Deleted]

I’ve seen heated throws, a bit like an electric blanket but softer and to wrap around yourself on the sofa etc. They have various heat settings and might be really useful for him.

[brinzerdecalli]

I'm not quad technically [SMA type 2] but I am also a reptile. I keep the thermostat at 76 but would go 80 if my nurses didn't complain too much. I grew up in farmland without AC so I guess I just got used to hot summers.

80 isn't that hot if you are naked, so one option is to become a nudist... haha There's also some nice HeatGear Under Armour ware that can keep you cool. Fans are simple but great. There's a watch that can trick your body into feeling cool called Ember Wave, which may help with you feeling sick. Or if it is really bad, there are shirts with coolant systems in them for biking. Likewise, there are space heaters, ColdGear Under Armour, and heated blankets and jackets for him.

Have an open discussion and look for options together. Any relationship is about compromise and self-sacrifice. Take turns using your solutions, if they are less comfortable, so no one person feels like an inconvenience, harbors resentment, or feels alien in their own home.

But for the poor puppy, try a cooling fan or cooling mat!

Best of luck to you two! I'm sure you can overcome this obstacle if you love each other! It's only one of many, but steel yourself for everything worth anything won't come easily!

[MarineAmp]

I find this slightly hilarious that this topic came up. It has been a major source of contention in my house. Being an amputee I tend to run hot, I attribute it to not having as much surface area for heat to escape. I also always preferred sleeping in the cold, and you can't forget to have a fan or two on. When talking with potential women to date, during the first phone call I like to lay out all my red flags and deal-breakers. One of them is asking what temperature they prefer to sleep in.

In dealing with couples that have different temperature preferences I would say it is always possible to put on more clothes to stay warm, but you can only take off so much to stay cool. In my experience, someone is going to get sick of the other getting their way and throw a rebellion at some point though.

[sungod]

I agree that every body can adapt to new temperatures, even quads! You might try finding a midpoint temperature to try to compromise, but you could still have a room for each of you to escape in the heat/cold gets to be too much. I find that my body "stores" heat pretty well. He could try getting plenty of time in the heat and sun outside, then maybe she would tolerate the cool insight better.

That said, it's still tough! If I was living in Florida, I couldn't imagine feeling like I have to wear winter clothes just to be inside.

[ContingentlyComposite]

My boyfriend (who has SMA) gets cold easily and hates sweaters and jackets. In lieu of turning on a space heater, he often uses these little hand warmer heat packs under his wrists. www.amazon.com/HotHands-Hand-Warmers-Odorless-Activated/dp/B0007ZF4OA?ref_=ast_sto_dp They keep his hands really warm, but are also surprisingly effective at warming him up all over. Probably pretty unenvironmentally friendly though.