Have you tried wool pillows and new sheets?

Do you remember when it was winter, you were a child and your mother made you wear a woollen coat? Didn’t we moan at how scratchy and uncomfortable it was!

Oh, how times have changed and how woollen garments are so much more comfortable and easier to wear.

Add woollen pillows to the mix, a nice woollen duvet and you will be as snug as a bug in a rug on those cold nights!

What is so good about wool? Healthy Sleep

Wool is a natural insulator meaning it keeps you cool on warmer nights and warm and cosy on those cold, winter nights.

It has a way of continually absorbing moisture away from the body and then releasing it into the air as vapour, making it the perfect choice for a comfortable sleep all year round.

Healthy Home

Dust mites thrive in hot humid conditions, but wool’s breathability reduces humidity and keeps temperatures from rising, making wool bedding ideal for allergy and asthma sufferers.

As well as its breathability, wool is also naturally flame retardant, thanks to its high water and nitrogen content. It has a far higher ignition threshold than many other fibres and produces less noxious fumes that cause death in fire situations.

Healthy Planet

Wool grows naturally and is a renewable fibre. Sheep produce a new fleece every year. Wool is a keratin protein fibre, like human hair and is 100% natural and not man-made. Like us, sheep only require a regular ‘hair-cut,’ which is also essential for animal welfare. Wool products use less energy than man-made fibres during manufacture.

Sheep are also part of the natural carbon cycle, and their wool contributes to the absorption of carbon – in fact, 50% of the natural weight of wool is pure, biogenic carbon. Wool growers actively work to safeguard the environment, through responsible pastoral farming practices, farmers are also able to influence the level of carbon stored in plants and soils, making a positive contribution to mitigating climate change.

At the end of its useful life, wool can be returned to the soil where it decomposes quickly and releases valuable nutrients into the ground. In contrast, synthetic fibres are extremely slow to break down and are harmful to the environment.

How important is your bedding both for warmth and heat.

Have you ever gone into a bedding shop and thought you had picked up a bargain set of bed sheets, only to find they did not lead to such a comfortable sleep.

I always thought the higher the thread count, the better quality the sheets and it is often the case, but not always. I now check on a few other labels such as organic and environmental certifications, stitching and if I really want to splash out on some expensive sheets, I will just buy the pillowcases and see how well they wash up etc.

Sheet Jargon

Combined cotton (smoother shorter fabric),

Egyptian cotton is made from a long staple cotton. . . does not necessarily come from the banks of the river Nile. A gold seal on the packaging means grown in Egypt but not necessarily manufactured there.

Flannelette cotton, usually cotton and brushed to make fluffy and warm.

Percale means that the yarn is tightly woven. They are likely to have a lower thread count, and they feel crisp and cool.

Sateen is smoother and silkier, but prone to snags so more thread is added by the manufacturer to compensate this, making these sheets warmer and heavier.

Finally

If you are buying a new duvet inner, consider wool, and if you like weight, add a wool blanket. Wool will add a whole new dimension to a better night’s sleep.