COLD TOES, HOT COFFEE

If my feet are cold, I can't fall asleep. In winter, my feet almost always feel frigid after only a few minutes in bed.

My attempts to solve this problem have been many.  

When I get up, I place a pair of heavy socks on the bathroom radiator so they are toasty warm when I am ready for bed. I slide my slippers under the radiator so the tops are warm, too.  But that seems to keep my feet warm for only a few minutes after removing the slippers and crawling into bed.

My next strategy is to fold a flannel sheet to approximately 6 ft. X 3 ft. and drape it on the bedroom radiator. When I go to bed, I fold it once more and place it under the covers at the bottom of the bed, then place my feet between the folds. This keeps my feet warmer longer than the heated socks by themselves, but not by much.

A few weeks ago, I searched the internet for "foot warmers."  I found several different ones and finally purchased Bed Buddy Soothing Foot Warmers on eBay. (Later, I found them for about half the price on amazon.com.)  They are fleece booties with long, oval bean-bag-like inserts. It is recommended to  place the inserts in the microwave for no more than one minute ---although I heat them for two ---then place them in pouches under the soles of the booties.

After heating them, I scurry upstairs and place them on the radiator under the flannel sheet while changing into PJs. I grab them right before I jump into bed and quickly put them on before inserting my feet between the folds of the flannel sheet.  They heat the bottom of my feet, but if my toes are cold, I have to maneuver my feet so that the bottom of my left foot is on top of my cold right toes, for example.  They seem to stay warm for quite a while, at least until I fall asleep, which sometimes takes 30 to 45 minutes.

One can't walk with the inserts in the booties.  I don't want to walk on my dusty floors and then crawl into bed, so this is not a problem.  If I get up several hours later to go to the bathroom, my feet are plenty warm, so I remove the booties and drop them at the top of the steps so I remember to take them downstairs to store near the microwave.

The biggest problem is that the booties come in only one size. I have large feet for a woman ---size 10. Yet the booties are so loose that they often come off during the night ---but usually after I've fallen asleep  when my feet are already warm. The product could be improved with velcro closures or, perhaps, by manufacturing them in varied size ranges.

After retiring from teaching, I took a position as a customer service representative, where I worked nights. Even though I RE-retired months ago, I am still in my night mode.  Many days, my husband is up before I hit the sack.

So last week one day, he was in the kitchen eating his breakfast while I was completing computer work in the next room.  When I was ready to head toward bed, I grabbed my foot warming inserts, placed them on the paper plate I use to warm them, opened the microwave, shoved the plate inside without even looking, and hit the mug my husband had placed there, spilling coffee on my foot warming inserts, the paper plate and the inside of the microwave.

After cleaning my mess, I placed the warming inserts on the kitchen radiator to dry, so my feet remained cold when I went to bed that day.

The blurb on the label for my foot warmers explains that they are scented with "eucalyptus (to revitalyze), clove (to comfort), and cinnamon (to calm)."  I actually don't find the scent soothing, but once my feet are under the covers, I can't smell the herbs. I am hoping the scent will eventually go away.

Now, when I heat them, my foot warmers are scented with eucalyptus, cloves, cinnamon, and COFFEE ---definitely NOT an improvement.

Maybe the label should read "eucalyptus (to revitalyze), clove (to comfort), cinnamon (to calm), and coffee (to stimulate your heart, respiratory system and central nervous system)" ---not something I really need when I'm attempting to fall asleep.