Winter is coming, the nights are drawing in and the temperatures are plunging. But as the heating kicks in and we start to get snug in bed of an evening, one question starts to pop up: how thick should your winter duvet be, and what is a tog rating anyway?
According to the experts, there is in fact a set rule about what your tog rating should be, but the answer changes depending on whether you leave the heating on overnight or whether you have a well insulated or poorly insulated bedroom.
Bedding retailer Cuddledown UK says that most households switch to a winter duvet in October, and that the best time to do so is when overnight temperatures settle at around 16C and the central heating begins to kick in.
It says: “Most people in the UK switch to a winter duvet sometime in October, once overnight temperatures settle below around 15–16°C and central heating starts running less consistently through the night. There’s no fixed date, the right time is whenever you notice yourself reaching for an extra blanket two or three nights in a row.”
In terms of the tog rating, it argues: “For a typical UK winter, most people are comfortable with a 12 to 13.5 tog duvet. Go for 13.5 tog if your bedroom runs cold or you don’t use central heating overnight; 10.5 to 12 tog is usually enough in a warmer or well-insulated room. If you sleep hot even in winter, stick with a 10.5 tog and add blankets on the coldest nights instead.”
But tog rating actually has nothing to do with the materials used, or how heavy or lightweight the duvet itself is. In fact, according to Cuddledown, a lightweight goose down quilt can actually beat a heavier synthetic fabric.
It adds: “Tog rating is just a measure of how well a duvet holds warmth: the higher the number, the warmer the duvet. It has nothing to do with weight or fabric weave, and everything to do with how much air the filling traps. That’s why a lightweight goose down duvet can outperform a heavier synthetic one at the same tog rating.
“The honest answer is that it depends on three things more than the calendar: how warm your bedroom actually gets overnight, whether you run the heating while you sleep, and whether you personally run warm or cold.”
- Your heating goes off at night and your room drops below about 16°C: 12 to 13.5 tog will make a noticeable difference.
- You’re a consistently cold sleeper, or your partner runs warmer than you do: 13.5 tog, or a combination duvet so you can each choose your own layer.
- You already sleep hot: don’t go above 10.5 to 12 tog just because it’s winter. A lighter duvet plus an extra blanket on the coldest nights is easier to regulate than an overly warm duvet.