Are You Sleeping Well?

Heat, cold, sleeping posture and position are all important issues when selecting your next mattress toppers, pillow and down duvet. To give you a few pointers on sleeping posture we have a general guide to go by but for more in-depth advice it is always wise to seek out professional help from your bedding specialists who can go through the many attributes of the products they sell. If they cannot give you enough information on the ranges they sell then they should not really be asking you to buy them, many major high street retailers cannot offer in depth practical information of their products as the staff they employ do not have enough experience in the bedding industry.

Back to the general guide, if you sleep on your front the majority of the time then your posture is quite straight, advising you to buy firm or posturepeadic products such as mattresses and pillows would not be practical as this would alter the alignment of your spine causing unnecessary neck and back pain. Softer pillows such as pure down and medium anti allergy micro down pillows would be the best recommendation as this would allow the weight of the head to rest naturally giving a better level of comfort and relaxation. The majority of people sleep on their back; once again a firm pillow would cause too much strain at the nape of the neck and cause the head to rise unnaturally. Back and neck pain would occur very soon within one to two nights sleep, a softer pillow would be more suitable. Good quality two chamber mattress toppers would help here as they offer more posture control and do not allow the body to sink too much into the fillings which can restrict movement during the night.

One of the better positions when sleeping is to rest on the side of the body, this naturally allows the head, neck and spine to align better but you will need a much firmer pillow in order to take the weight of the head and keep it in the correct position. A softer pillow will allow the head to rest lower than the neck causing too much discomfort. Side sleepers can also use a softer mattress topper, single chamber and anti allergy micro fibre options can be used as they allow much more suppleness and comfort allowing the body to rest on its pressure points naturally.

Having covered briefly the ins and outs of posture, heat and cold are two other equally important factors, some people prefer to be snug and warm while others prefer to be cooler with less weight in the bedding items they use to cover them while they sleep. The best quality duvets and pillows are made from natural products such as feathers and down, light, breathable and excellent insulators make for a premium bedding product. Down duvets are also extremely light and release trapped warmth helping the body maintain a healthy temperature no matter what the conditions are.

Duck Feather and Down and Goose Feather and Down are the main fillings, a good choice and value for money, Duck Down and Goose Down are the preferred options when cost is not a deciding factor as pure 100% Down Duvets can cost nearly three times the amount of the feather and down alternative. Pure down duvets are more luxurious and comfortable, not only are they light but they do not have any quills in the filling which leaves the down feeling soft and sumptuous.

You will get all the benefits of the warmth and natural cooling properties of the duvet without the weight issues associated with lesser duvet qualities. However, if you still like to feel you are wrapped up in something substantial then feather and down duvets are your best option as you will feel snug as a bug! More filling is required to achieve the same level of insulation but unfortunately this weight gain is not conducive to releasing warm air so therefore they cannot cool the body down as efficiently.

Manmade fibres such as Climerelle Down, microdown and microfiber are inherently anti allergy and offer good levels of warmth and comfort and are used in every bedding application such as pillows, mattress toppers, duvets and quilted mattress protectors. Microdown fillings act like tiny clusters of down that are light and springy and give a good quality feel when used in a duvet, the fibres bounce back to shape no matter what they have been subjected to. The hollow fillings also trap warm air which will give good loft and is generally very good during the colder months, the products are much cheaper than natural fillings and are considered to be good value. Manmade fibres are also much more capable when washing and can normally been used in a domestic washing machine.

Both natural and micodown duvets use the European TOG rating scale which is a universal scale to measure the thermal insulation properties of a given filling or duvet. The warmest rating is 15.0 TOG, this essentially is a winter rated duvet. Designed to keep out the cold and trap any warm body heat and store it within the filling which will keep the body warm all night long, great if you like to sleep snug in a colder room. Coming down from this, more and more popular is the 13.5 and the 10.5 TOG duvet, this is also excellent during the colder months if you have the heating on low or live in a modern home which is very well insulated from the elements. 9 TOG and 7 TOG are rated for the autumn and spring months whereas the 4.5 TOG duvets are designed for summer use.

Other important factors to consider is the duvet covers, mattress toppers and mattress protectors, in order to keep the mattress in tip top condition we need to protect it very well as we lose moisture every night when we perspire and we also shed dead skin, this is completely natural and everyone does it whether they know or not. Being able to have a washable barrier like a fitted sheet and mattress protector that you can throw in the wash every few days is essential. Go for good quality Egyptian cotton sheets and 100% Cotton Mattress protectors that have anti allergy fillings then you can be rest assured of complete peace of mind while you sleep.