Why Do Blankets Hurt My Feet? 4 Common Causes

Blankets are supposed to make you comfortable, but some of us experience foot pain when relaxing under the covers. It’s essential to find out why your blankets hurt your feet because it’s usually easy to fix. There are many explanations for foot discomfort under sheets and covers.

Blankets hurt your feet because they’re too heavy, too tight, or too hot for your liking. Switching to lightweight, breathable blankets will reduce foot discomfort at night. You can layer multiple sheets and blankets to make your feet more relaxed when you sleep.

If you have the wrong blankets, your feet will undoubtedly hurt a bit. You’d be surprised by how big of a difference switching to a new set of sheets and breathable blankets can make. Let’s explain why your blankets could be the source of your hurting feet.

Why Can Blankets Cause Foot Discomfort?

Blankets can make your feet uncomfortable for all sorts of reasons. If your sheets are too tight under the blankets, your feet will sweat excessively. Not only does this feel gross, but it also increases the likelihood of fungal growth. On the bright side, you can often change the way you sleep to prevent these issues.

So, why do your feet hurt from your blankets?

Heavy Blankets

Perhaps the most common reason your blankets can make your feet hurt is that they’re too heavy. Heavy blankets can bend your toes and ankles, putting them in awkward positions throughout the night. You should be able to lay on your back without having your blankets press your feet or toes at weird angles.

Tight Fabrics

If your blankets are tightly wrapped around your feet, they could put a lot of strain on your toes. We all enjoy wrapping our feet during the colder months, but it can cause nerve problems. Consider getting slightly bigger blankets, then loosely tucking the edges under your feet.

Similar issues happen if your bed sheets are too loose. Your feet will slide all over the place, making your muscles tense while you sleep.

Non-Breathable Blanket Fabric

Breathable fabrics keep your feet comfortable at night. While your feet shouldn’t be cold, they also shouldn’t be sweating non-stop. Foot sweat will inevitably cause daytime foot pain due to rashes, swelling, and more. Try breathable fabrics for better results.

Foot Nerve Pain

If you have pre-existing foot problems, there’s no doubt that your blankets will make them hurt. Healthline details numerous lifestyle issues that can make your feet hurt when they’re under the covers, including sleeping in the wrong position.

How to Stop My Feet From Hurting When I Sleep Under Blankets

If you want to stop your feet from hurting from your blankets, it’s important to choose a lighter blanket. You can use multiple blankets that don’t weigh a lot rather than one overweight blanket. Remove the layers as needed to prevent excessive sweating at night.

Getting the right blanket for your bed is the best thing you can do for nighttime foot pain.

The Linenspa Comforter Duvet Insert is great for people with nighttime foot pain from blankets because it’s lightweight, breathable, and extremely soft. Linenspa is one of the best bedding brands I’ve come across, and I use a lot of their supplies on my bed setup. This blanket comes in multiple sizes and colors, and it fits in a duvet of the same size.

Try some of these suggestions to prevent foot pain from your blankets:

• Use a body pillow to elevate your feet under the blankets. Body pillows are great for side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers. You can use them to prop up your feet, which stops them from getting pushed into uncomfortable angles when you sleep.
• Cover up with bed sheets and thin blankets rather than a thick, heavy blanket. Once I switched from ultra-heavy blankets to a bed sheet and three thin blankets, I never experienced foot pain at night. You can remove some of the layers if they’re too much, but you can’t do that if you only have one blanket.
• Don’t wrap your feet too tightly with the blanket because it can hurt them. I suggest getting a blanket that’s one size bigger than your mattress. For example, get a queen-sized blanket if you have a full-sized mattress. This method lets you tuck some of the blanket material under your feet without making it too tight and uncomfortable.

You shouldn’t have to deal with blankets hurting your feet. There are more than enough solutions to this blanket problem, all of which result in more comfort and better sleep.

However, your blankets might not be what’s hurting your feet at night. Below, I’ll talk about why your bed sheets could be the cause of ankle, toe, and shin discomfort.

Do Bed Sheets Make Your Feet Hurt?

Bed sheets can make your feet hurt if they’re tightly wrapped around your feet. Tight bed sheets will pull your toes and ankles back, which can strain the nerves in your foot. Best Life Online recommends sleeping with your feet out of the blankets and sheets to keep these in proper sleeping positions.

If you think your bed sheets are making your feet hurt, try sleeping with a lightweight blanket that’s only on your lower half. Also, make sure your bed sheet is the right size for your bed.

Washing your bed sheets on the wrong setting can make them shrink, which pushes and pushes your feet if you tuck them. Proper bedding laundry washing can help quite a bit, including washing sheets with clothes.

Another potential cause is having a dense, firm mattress. If you change your sheets and blankets to no avail, you might want to think about getting a mattress topper. I use a memory foam pad and a mattress topper to soften my firm mattress.

Finally, you could try visiting a podiatrist to find out why your feet always hurt when they’re under the blankets. A podiatrist deals with all foot problems, including arch issues and strained nerves throughout the foot area.