If you have allergies, there's nothing worse than coughing up a storm in the middle of the night or sneezing so hard you wake everyone up. That's why it's important to have an anti allergy duvet that can keep you nice and cosy!
Just like the name states, an anti-allergy duvet is a duvet specifically designed to help battle certain allergies. Of course, even the best anti-allergy duvet won't cure your peanut allergy or get rid of all allergy symptoms.
However, it can help diminish many of the common bedding allergens people tend to react to! So, let's take a closer look and discuss whether you need an anti-allergy duvet!
How do allergies disrupt sleep?
First off, it's important to note just how widespread allergies are and how serious they can be.
In fact, there's even a well-established organisation in the UK that exclusively deals with allergies and government regulations surrounding allergy treatment.
It's called the British Allergy Foundation or simply Allergy UK. And if you head over to Allergy UK, you'll quickly see how important it is to have the tools to battle or control certain allergens.
All of that being said, allergies that are found in bedding typically aren't this drastic. It's food allergies that can usually be rather dangerous, as well as certain insect stings.
Nevertheless, getting a good night's sleep is rather important in the long run!
How can bedding trigger allergies
Usually, when you talk about allergies, you think of pollen allergies or food allergies.
Bedding on the other hand might not be as clear of a connection to allergy sufferers.
However, if you suffer from allergies, your bedding does play a role here.
And there are two main ways in which it does so – how it deals with dust mites and what material or filling it uses.
So, let's look at both of these factors and then see how an anti-allergy duvet can help you both stay comfortable and keep your allergies at bay!
And if you have any questions after reading this guide, feel free to leave them in the comment section!
Dust mites
Most of the time when you read about what an anti-allergy duvet can do, it will claim to protect you from dust mites. And that's because these things are everywhere! Plus, some people are allergic to dust mites, meaning that they can expect a slew of rather annoying symptoms.
And, as you might have guessed, these symptoms can prevent you from getting a great night's sleep! This is especially prevalent during warmer weather when there's more dust in the air. But we'll talk more about how anti-allergy duvets can stop dust mites later on.
The filling and cover
Another thing to consider with any bedding product is the materials used. After all, your skin is usually in direct contact with the bedding. So, if you have some type of response to the covers or the filling, you won't be able to sleep easy.
The most common way this will happen is with down duvets however, wool duvets can also cause allergies for some. And as far as the cover is concerned, while cotton allergies are more rare, some people might have very sensitive skin. This means that rougher covers could trigger a rash at night as they toss and turn.
In these cases, silk duvet covers could provide some relief. However, for a lot of people, dust mites are a much more realistic threat than the material the duvet is filled with or the covers.
What is an anti-allergy duvet?
Now that we've determined how bedding, and thus duvets, can cause certain allergies, one question remains – how can duvets stop allergies?
Well, to put it simply, by avoiding allergy triggers and by making it harder for the allergens to fill the air.
And it's important to note that this isn't just a sales pitch, as research does support these claims.
So, when you get an anti-allergy duvet, such as the Silentnight anti-allergy duvet or the Slumberdown anti-allergy duvet, here's what you should expect.
Of course, not every anti-allergy duvet is the same and some might have more or less thought put into their design.
But most of the time, it will be some version of the following two features.
Anti dust mite covers
The most unique feature any duvet in the anti-allergy range is going to offer is an anti dust mite cover. Basically, these covers were specifically designed to hamper the movement of dust mites through the air and your bedding.
They do this by making a very close nit that's too dense for the dust mites to easily get through. And this means that any dust mites hiding within your anti-allergy duvet have nowhere to go and will die off on their own.
Anti-allergy filling
Another thing you'll often see in anti-allergy bedding is anti-allergy fillings. Unlike the covers, here it's more about the actual material being used.
Basically, an anti-allergy filling is going to make it so that it's difficult for germs or bacteria to form within the duvet itself. On top of that, anti-allergy fillings will typically be synthetic materials and thus have hypoallergenic fibres that won't cause any allergies themselves.
They can be organic materials as well but not all of them. As we've said, something like down can cause allergic reactions in some people.
How to get a good anti-allergy duvet
Now that you know what an anti-allergy duvet is and how it works, let's see how you can get one!
After all, if you just pick up the first duvet you run across, without checking the features or the average rating, you might end up with a terrible duvet.
And that's another thing, allergen-resistant duvets are still duvets!
In other words, besides just dust mite protection and non-allergenic duvet materials, it needs to keep you comfortable and cosy.
So, if you suffer from allergies and want a proper anti-allergy duvet that's both soft and can keep dust mites at bay, here are a few tips you should follow.
Check for certification
The most important thing to keep in mind when searching for anti-allergy duvets is to look for certifications and the hypoallergenic tag. Specifically, we'd suggest looking for the OEKO-Tex certification.
It ensures that no dangerous chemicals are used in production. And no harsh chemicals means there's a lower chance of having a nasty reaction to the duvet. The hypoallergenic tag is another important thing to look out for as it indicates that none of the materials should cause allergies.
That being said, things such as wool and feathers can sometimes squeeze by the hypoallergenic tag. So, keep that in mind if you're in the store and can't look up the exact information or read the reviews.
Look for soft covers
If you have sensitive skin, it's essential that the duvet covers are soft. This is because harsher materials can trigger eczema or similar skin conditions. This is also important when getting bedding for a baby as they tend to have very sensitive skin.
But even if you're not specifically looking for hypoallergenic bedding, soft covers are just good to have. To ensure things stay lightweight, soft and smooth, we recommend either going for silk or high thread-count cotton.
Take note of the TOG
Regardless of whether you're looking for allergy-friendly bedding or a regular duvet, you need to keep the duvet TOG rating in mind. That's because the TOG dictates how warm or cold you'll be under the duvet. And there's little point in being free of allergens if you freeze your butt off and end up sneezing from a completely different reason.
For a lot of people, an all-season duvet is going to be your best bet. This is a duvet with a 10.5 TOG rating that can keep you comfortable throughout most of the year. Plus, regardless of whether it's an anti-allergy duvet, 10.5 TOG is a pretty popular option.
This is because it's hard to go wrong when getting a 10.5 TOG duvet. It's also great when it comes to gifts. The only downside is that it can't keep you comfortable through more extreme weather.
Other important features
Like we've said, an anti-allergy duvet still needs to hold its own as a duvet. So, you should also look at other features that make a “regular” duvet more or less worth it. Is it affordable? Does it come with a warranty? Is there free standard home delivery?
In other words, first try to find the best duvet on the market and then take a look at whether it's allergy-free. This is because, at least in our experience, all of the good duvets tend to be hypoallergenic. And you can even get an anti dust mite cover separately if you really want!
Do you have other anti-allergy bedding options?
It's important to note that anti-allergy duvets aren't the only form of anti-allergy bedding. In fact, they might not even be the most impactful, depending on who you ask.
Some people swear on good mattress protectors as the key to solving their allergy issues. This is because anti-allergy mattress protectors can be easily cleaner and can prevent dust mites from crawling around your bed. Anti-allergenic bedcovers serve a similar purpose.
And you can find anti-allergy pillows as well. But do you need all of these bedding items to cope with your allergy symptoms? Well, that depends on you really.
If your allergies are truly that sensitive, it could be worth getting completely hypoallergenic bedding. Or, if you're getting new bedding anyway, why not check to see whether it's hypoallergenic? However, we aren't encouraging you to throw out all of your current bedding in the hopes of your allergies going away forever. Talk to your GP and see whether hypoallergenic options can help and then take it from there.
Conclusion
And that's all you need to know about how to get an anti-allergy duvet! So, are you going to get one for yourself? Let us know your reasoning down in the comments. And if you have any questions, don't be afraid to reach out and ask us directly.
A CPD certified Sleep Consultant with more than 2000 hours of research into all the different ways we can get a great night's sleep. As a former insomniac, I know how difficult life can be without a nightly recovery and I love that I get to share everything I've learned with you all.
So hopefully we can all sleep soundly!
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