Duvets And Pillows

The duvet and pillow are the solid items of bedding that encourage a good night's sleep by offering comfort and support. There are a number of factors to consider in order to ensure that you get the most appropriate duvet and the right pillow for you, but doing so will help you enjoy a restful evening's slumber. Learn what a tog rating is and how it will affect your night, what the available options are for pillow filling, and determine the best duvets and pillows for your bedding, for the kids, or for the guest room, using our guide below, and then shop on JustLinen to find the duvets and pillows that you want.

We always ensure that our prices are as competitive as possible, and we regularly have sales, discounts, and offers that help to further reduce the cost of the bedding we have on our site. If you spend more than �50 on your order, you will also enjoy free delivery to your UK address, so you can have access to your new bedding items within a few days at no extra charge.

Alternatively, if you have any questions or queries, you can call and speak to one of the team or call in to Dawson's Department Store where you can see our full range of bedding, including duvets and pillows, and bedding sets.

Duvets

The duvet is the main item that will keep you warm during the night, but you don't want anything that is too warm because overheating is a major cause of sleepless nights. So too, of course, is being too cold, and this can be caused by a duvet that has too low a tog rating. A lot of people have summer and winter duvets, which have different tog ratings according to the time of year that they will be used. As well as tog rating, though, you will need to look at filling material and, with certain fillings, you may see a fill power rating as well as a tog rating for that duvet.

Material

There are both natural and synthetic fibres used in the construction of duvets.

Feather and down duvets are warm and soft. They are also breathable, which means that hot air will not become trapped in the duvet, therefore increasing comfort levels. Down clusters are spherical and they trap a lot of heat while feathers are long and heavy. This means that duvets with a higher concentration of down are lighter than those primarily filled with feather.

Everything plays a part in determining which is the best duvet filling; even where the down came from. Hungarian and Swedish down, for example, comes from birds that are better equipped to deal with cold winter months, so they are typically warmer and offer a warmer duvet than other down options.

Tog Rating

Tog rating is something that you will have come across as soon as you started shopping for a new duvet. It is a measure of how warm a duvet is, or, more accurately, how effectively one can trap warm air to keep you toasty during the night. A lower tog rating does not trap warm air, which reduces insulation, while a higher tog rating means that warm air is trapped in the duvet, giving you a warm cushion against the cold night.

A tog rating of 2.5 to 7 is considered ideal for summer months, when you want something light that will cover you without stifling you. 10.5 to 13.5 is considered the ideal tog rating for a winter duvet, and these duvets are usually thicker to provide more warmth during the night. They would usually be too hot during summer months. Many people have two or more duvets so that they can swap between a lighter summer duvet and a thicker, hotter winter one.

Fill Power

While most duvets use tog rating as a measurement of how warm the duvet is, some, especially feather and down duvets, have a fill power rating instead. This is the volume occupied by the filling and tends to range between 400gsm and 700gsm. The smaller numbers are lighter and better suited to use during warm months, while winter duvets tend to have the higher fill power rating. The fill rating determines thermal efficiency of the duvet, in the same way that tog rating does.

Pillows

The pillow is another important element of the bed, and it can make the difference between a comfortable night and tossing and turning without any sleep. Everybody's pillow tastes are different, and while you might prefer a sturdy and large pillow, your partner might prefer something that is so thin it is barely there.

The key to ensuring comfort is to choose a pillow that offers the right balance between support and comfort but remember that bigger pillows will tend to be warmer, because they will envelop your head. Size, therefore, not only affects support but also warmth levels.

The choice of pillow can be very personal, and it can be difficult to find one that exactly replicates the feeling of an existing pillow, primarily because there is no measurement like there is with a duvet, that determines its warmth or comfort rating. Consider, instead, the type, size, and filling used in the construction of the pillow.

Types

When it comes to pillow types, there aren't that many different variants to choose from. There are standard rectangular pillows, as well as more modern square pillows.

Square pillows are also referred to as continental pillows and are especially suited to those that enjoy sitting up in bed, whether to read or simply because it is there preferred position.

King size pillows are extra wide, when compared to standard pillows, so that they fit better on king size beds, which have wider dimensions than a standard double bed.

Fillings

You have a choice of synthetic or natural filling when shopping for pillows.

Synthetic materials are great if you are allergic to feathers or down, and they tend to be less expensive than pillows that are stuffed with natural materials.

Lightweight fibres can give a similar feel to down pillows.

Latex foam is one of the more modern materials and pillows made from latex will naturally return to their original shape once you move your head and pressure is lifted from the cushioned pillow. Latex does not collect dust, either, which makes these a great choice for those with dust allergies or that suffer from asthma and respiratory problems.

Memory foam pillows offer the same benefit, that they will return to their original shape soon after you move from the pillow, and this material offers excellent support because the pillow effectively moulds around the shape of your head, neck, and shoulders. It is the same kind of material as is found on memory foam mattresses and mattress toppers.

Natural fillings come down to a choice of feather or down, once again. They both fit snugly around your head and shoulders, providing support and stability, and the more feather there is in a pillow, the firmer it will be.

Buy Duvets And Pillows From JustLinen

The bedroom, and especially the bed, is supposed to be a safe haven; somewhere we need to be as comfortable as possible to encourage a good night's sleep and to ensure that our body has the support that it needs. Uncomfortable and poor sleeping positions can lead to numerous physical problems, ranging from a simple bad back to more serious, ongoing problems. What's more, the right pillow can help to alleviate pain and stiffness caused by existing medical conditions.

If you are asthmatic or suffer from allergies, then the choice of pillow and duvet can also have a big impact on how well you breathe during the night. If you are struggling to breathe properly, then you will not enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep, and you will be more inclined to snore and keep others awake too.

At JustLinen we stock a large selection of duvets and pillows. We have many designs and various styles, from a great range of manufacturers and designers. Choose synthetic or natural fillings, opt for the tog rating and fill power that best suits your personal tastes, and choose a design that complements your bedroom design. Whether you need bedding for the master bedroom, or something to put away for use when you have guests, we have the bedding for you. We even offer free delivery on any order valued over �50.