The Power of Posture – Travel Pillows Not Created Equal

While traveling cross-country a few times last year, I experienced something I suspect that a lot of travelers out there can relate to. All of the travel pillows I tried were more uncomfortable than not wearing one at all.

I tried numerous travel pillows, and more often than not, I would arrive tired and with a sore neck that would last for hours or even days. My head and neck just were not being supported properly.

A little research helped me identify the problem.

All day long, your postural muscles in your neck are in contraction, to support your head. When you try to relax, your postural muscles want to relax with you. This is fine when you are lying down, because your bed supports you. However, when you are sitting up, like in an airline chair, your head is left unsupported.

The travel pillows that I tried were poorly designed for this purpose. There was no support under my chin. To make matters worse, the excess padding in the back, pushed my head forward even further.

Remember this equation:

Posture = Comfort.

When you are lying in bed, gravity helps keep your body in alignment. The trick is to keep that same posture sitting up as you have when you are lying down.

When you are sitting up and trying to relax, gravity is the enemy. Without full support gravity will take over and as your neck muscles try to relax, your head will drop forward or you will cock it to one side. You have lost your posture.

Now you are out of alignment and the weight of your head is placing stress on your neck. In addition to being uncomfortable and unable to relax, you will likely be sore and get very little rest. Remember, the average adult human head weighs 15-20 pounds. Pick up a 20 pound weight the next time you’re in a gym and think about that tugging on your spine as the plane bumps and jars.

The best travel pillow is one that is comfortable, lightweight, and gives you full support, including under the chin.

Recently, several major airlines announced they will no longer provide pillows on their flights. Good riddance. In addition to the question about sanitation and hygiene, those little white pillows were basically worthless.

Use this opportunity to get yourself a top quality memory foam travel pillow with full support. You will arrive healthier and happier. Isn’t that what travel and life are all about?

Decorating With Pillows

It is so easy to add springtime color and comfort to your home with pillows. You can sew them yourself or purchase the pillow forms from craft, hobby or department stores and then decorate them yourself. From little bitty pillows that can be used to decorate doorknobs to giant pillows that can be used as extra seating, pillows can transform the look of the room in an instant!

If you are looking for super fast and inexpensive ways to redecorate your home, don’t overlook the pillow. In hundreds of shapes and sizes and every color under the sun, pillows are a wonderful way to add color to a dull room. They are so completely versatile you will want to get plenty of pillow forms to cover. Old pillows can be refurbished with new fabrics and colors, and there are even some very quick fixes for the sewing challenged!

Making pillows: squares, circles, rectangles, ovals, and bolsters are all the most obvious pillow shapes. You don’t need to stop there; you can make any shape you want. There are even pillows that store blankets! There are so many possibilities; it’s a good thing that you don’t have to pick just one! You can even choose to have pillows in the shape of Sponge Bob, Dora, Monsters or any of your other favorite characters.

Perhaps, you already have plenty of pillows but you want to breathe new life into them. It’s very easy thing to do even if you aren’t super crafty. If you don’t want to spend hours on a complex makeover project, consider these simple ideas: make two granny squares to fit the existing pillow, turn them at an angle and secure the corners of the granny squares. This idea also works using two bandanas and tying them together at the corners. You can even cover pillows with your old scarves and you can make pillows from old blankets or quilts and they are wonderful on a particularly chilly night. Why stop there; you can even make pillows from old sweat shirts or T-shirts. The possibilities are endless.

Some not so ordinary uses for pillows may be as simple as making giant pillows to use as extra seating for a large gathering. Large square or rectangle pillows are perfect for children and teens to sit on the floor and that will free up precious sofa space for older guests. Smaller pillows can be used for comfortable padding on metal chairs or unpadded barstools. Pillows made from old flannel backed table cloths and stuffed with plastic grocery store bags are perfect for the patio or deck.

You can also make pillows for use as decorations for your home. “Do Not Disturb” is a great pillow for a bedroom door and “sleeping” is perfect for a new baby’s bedroom door. These little pillows can be made from felt scraps, cotton print fabrics or from fun fur, which can be found in the remnant table at your local fabric store.

You can make wonderful pillows for Fido and Fluffy. Using a Scotch guarded fabric that when doubled will be the right size for your dog, simply stitch up the sides and stuff with grocery bags. You can do the same thing for a cat, but toss in a little cat nip to attract the cat. Cats love the pillow even more if you stuff it with plastic bags so it will crinkle when they touch it. Tossing in a fabric softener sheet will help eliminate odors!

Time For A New Pillow – Read On

Be sure you have a comfortable bed pillow to rest your head on as you hopefully spend about one third of your day and night in bed sleeping. With so many choices on the market, you might be stumped about what type of bed pillow will give you the best night’s rest. With our tips, we’ll take some of the mystery about buying a bed pillow.

Decide on the Right Size of Bed Pillow
The size of bed pillow you pick will depend on the size of your bed and how you sleep. For a twin, you’d probably choose a standard pillow. For a queen bed you’d get two queens, and for a king bed you’d get two king pillows. If you prefer a large pillow to snuggle with on a smaller bed, use a king on a twin bed. Or if you want a stack of large pillows to lean on, you’ll get more. And you could choose 4 or 6 standard pillows for a king size bed. Luxury hotels use 4 king pillows on a queen bed. The choice is yours and depends on what you like.

Set Your Bed Pillow Budget
Like everything, you can pay a lot or a little for a bed pillow. And you usually get what you pay (or don’t pay) for. A cheap foam pillow might cost as little as $5 but a top quality down or feather pillow can be over $100, depending on the size. If you have a limited budget, select one or two good quality pillows to actually sleep on and use an inexpensive one for leaning up against for reading or for decoration with a sham on your bed.

Do You Sleep on Your Back, Your Side, or Your Stomach?
If you sleep on your back, you might want a flat bed pillow. If you sleep on your side or your stomach, you’ll want good support for your neck. Most quality pillows give information about the best use for the type of pillow you’re considering. Try out several types for greatest comfort.

Choose the Fill You Prefer for Your Bed Pillow
After size, the next most important thing to decide is what type of fill you want. A foam pillow will feel firm and hold its shape throughout the night, even when you shift on the bed. A down pillow will squish with your head and give it a soft cushion. You can crumple it up for snuggling. Something right in the middle would be a pillow made with polyester filling. And a good quality compromise might be a pillow with a core of foam or feathers, surrounded or wrapped with an outer coat of soft down. Most top quality feather and down pillows are hypo-allergenic and can be used by people with allergies.

Do You Like a Soft or Firm Bed Pillow?
The “loft” of a bed pillow is determined by the volume of fill it contains. For a firm pillow, the fill will be tighter. For a soft pillow, the fill will be lighter. Regardless of the firmness, be prepared to renovate the feather or down fill every 10 years or so. And of course, foam disintegrates or breaks down

Bed Pillow Cover or Ticking
The cover on a foam bed pillow is not too important. But for a feather or down pillow, be sure that the ticking or cover is tightly woven cotton so that the feathers don’t leak out. Buy a pillow cover for every pillow you own. This will keep the ticking clean and protect the pillow cover.

Care for Years of Comfort
It’s important to clean a bed pillow regularly. The pillow should come with care instructions. Some feather and down pillows can be washed in a home washer. Others recommend dry cleaning. Save the cleaning instructions in your linen closet and follow them for longest life.

Wool Pillows – Better for You, Your Sleep, and The Planet

With Natural Wool You Get a Great Night’s Sleep…

* Are you tired of tossing and turning, waking up to adjust the covers?
* Are you sometimes too hot, sometimes too cold?
* Do you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning because your sleep wasn’t good enough?
* Does your neck sometimes ache because you slept on it wrong?
* Is your pillow damp in the morning?
* Do you suffer from allergic reactions, find it hard to breathe, cough and sneeze at night?
* Do you suffer from fibromyalgia, arthritis, or rheumatism?

Wool has many health benefits…

Stop tossing and turning at night, throwing the covers off, putting them back on, sticking your leg out so you can reach a comfortable temperature! Bedding made with wool has millions of air pockets to insulate you. It wicks moisture away from your body so your pajamas don’t get all clammy and you don’t get chilled.

Do you start sneezing whenever you get into bed? Down, feathers, and the synthetic fabrics, (especially the petroleum-based foams), provide a wonderful environment for millions of dust mites, tiny microscopic insects that feed off your dead skin cells. Millions of dust mites leave lots of fecal matter behind. This is what causes many allergies and asthma attacks as you breathe this fecal matter in. Because wool wicks moisture away where it evaporates quickly, it is too arid for dust mites to live. This is the same for mold and mildew. It can’t survive in wool. You will breathe easier.

Wool helps you get the sleep you need to strengthen your immunity system, defending you from lurking bacteria. Not enough sleep can cause depression and is one of the leading causes of accidents. Studies have proven that sleeping on wool lowers the heart rate and blood pressure and contributes to a deeper, more restful night’s sleep. Wool
helps those who suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, and rheumatism sleep better. Wool has been proven to help babies sleep better, longer, and be more rested .

WoolieBees are finally Available in the United States!

Find out why Europe is raving about sleeping with WoolieBees!

Wool is the natural way to get a deep, restful sleep. It keeps you cool in the summer, warm in the winter. It keeps you dry and comfortable. Wool is the number one bedding material in Europe, has been for centuries. Europeans have known about the benefits of sleeping with wool products since they started raising sheep. They thought nothing could improve natural, healthy, comfortable wool.

Then They Discovered WoolieBees!

What’s the “twist” that makes WoolieBees different from other wool products?

WoolieBees has solved the only downside to pure woolen products. After long use, traditional wool products tend to mat when wet and compressed. This makes washing difficult. WoolieBees are made by a secret process discovered in New Zealand that makes small honeybee-sized balls of pure softness. These “Bees” still have all of the qualities of wool but they never mat. WoolieBees always stay fluffy and spring right back into shape. Only WoolieBees are made with this secret process. WoolieBees are machine washable!

WoolieBees are made from 100% pure New Zealand wool. These healthy free-range sheep aren’t fed unnatural hormones or chemicals. They eat what nature intended them to eat, pesticide free grasses in pristine pastures. WoolieBees sheep are raised only for their wool, not for their meat.

There are absolutely no added chemicals in WoolieBees. WoolieBees by law don’t need the added fire retardant chemicals other bedding does. Wool won’t burn, that is why firefighter’s clothes are made from wool. WoolieBees makes the safest bedding you can buy.

Finally, the Perfect Pillow!

Pillows stuffed with WoolieBees are completely adjustable as to firmness. Need a softer pillow? Unzip the 100% cotton casing and remove some WoolieBees. Now it’s too soft? Put some WoolieBees back. You control exactly how firm or soft your pillow will be.

WoolieBees Pillows cradle your head with luxurious support. You won’t wake up with a stiff neck when WoolieBees are supporting you.

WoolieBees do not break down and lose their shape like foam does.

Your WoolieBees pillows hold their shape all night and never shift. They won’t be flat under your head, and bunching around the sides of your head like down or feather pillows. You won’t get poked with a quill. Your head will sink into a WoolieBees pillow like you’re resting on a cloud.

You won’t wake up at night with a soggy pillow. WoolieBees wick moisture away where it evaporates, keeping you dry and comfortable all night long.

WoolieBees pillow is truly the perfect pillow.
WoolieBees, 100% pure New Zealand wool!

14 Most Important Pillow Facts and Figures

1. The average departmental pillow lasts about 18 months. If you fold over your pillow in half and the poor thing just lies there, you have a dead pillow. Time to bury it. I went back and stayed with in my childhood home recently and I swear the pillows were over 20 years old. Could be 30 years. Moldy, smelly and stained. Guess what my dear old Dad is getting on my next trip to the UK? And don’t pretend that a good number of you don’t have pillows like that out there. I know, I have been asking about your pillows. The answers amaze me.

2. Most pillows are the harbinger of dust mites – millions of them – and we bury our noses in those little critters every night! You can kill the little beasties by putting your pillow in a plastic bag and freezing the pillow in the freezer for a while. Using dust mite covers which also act as protective encasings are a good idea. Use a dry steam cleaner to kill the mites. Most people drool at night, so you must use some kind of encasing.

3. Do you scrunch up your pillow, fold it in half like a neck roll, or otherwise paw all over it like a your cat or dog trying to get it to fit comfortably underneath your head? Sure sign your pillow and you are not compatible. Time to go on the pillow search.

4. Some pillow fillings are hypoallergenic – meaning if you have allergies you are likely to not to have a reaction to these ones. Best examples here are hypo-allergenic (super cleaned), PURE down, wool, cotton or natural latex.

5. Best dust-mite resistant pillows are wool and natural latex. Worst pillows for attracting mold and dust mites are any kind of foam, memory foam excepted.

6. Biggest disappointment was a memory foam contoured pillow. To be begin with I thought I was in pillow heaven, until I woke boiling hot every night for a week. We also noticed a very unpleasant odor from the pillow and found out that memory foam outgases the VOC toluene.

7. Wool and its softer cousin Alpaca is the longest lasting and healthy kind of pillow you could hope for. Wool pillows hold their shape for years and are naturally inhospitable to dust mites. They also wick away moisture and will keep you cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Side sleepers are most likely to like wool pillows as a firmer pillow suits them best. But be warned, these pillows can feel like a rock if you prefer a squishy down pillow. Great for support, but totally lacking in the “sinking pillow sumptuous luxury feel .” A wool pillow is healthy, not sumptuous.

8. I tried the Royal Pedic latex contoured pillow and got my husband to try it too. This is another firm choice. It maybe a rubber material but make no mistake about it – this is a healthy “almost but not quite” rock. It comes in one size – standard. Being used to huge fluffy looking pillows, this looked darn small to me when I took it out of the package. I almost felt ripped off but I dutifully gave it a whirl for a week. So here was the big surprise- while I couldn’t scrunch it up like I was used to, I did not need to because the contour fitted perfectly underneath my neck. What’s more, I slept beautifully and had no back pain. I just have to get used to its appearance, as this pillow looks so pathetically small and scarcely a decorating asset.

9. Soft, Medium or Firm pillows which one is best for you? Well, here it gets interesting. Side sleepers do best with firmer pillows because they need to fill the space between the neck and shoulders to get proper alignment. Stomach sleepers like the softest pillows. Soft to medium is best for them because they do not need their head to be raised too high and cut off circulation. Back sleeper like the happy medium.

10. Now onto this mysterious thing called “fill power”. The easiest way to figure it out is to say as the numerical fill power increases so does the quality and so does the life of the pillow. Our best hypoallergenic down Hypodown 800 fill pillows will last 10 years. So like anything else you get what you pay for. Forget pillows with fill power less than 550. We tested a range of “fills” from 600 to 800. To be honest, most people had a hard time distinguishing between the 600 and the 800 although the purity of the down increases with the fill number.

11. What makes one down pillow hypoallergenic and another just a regular pillow? Here the answer surprised me. The stuff that people are allergic to in down is due to the cleaning process or lack thereof, in cleaning the down before it is put in pillows. So those companies that offer hypoallergenic down pillows put the down through a special rigorous cleaning process.

12. Goose down is much more expensive (softer) than duck down and if you really get into it for comforters where in the world the down comes from makes a difference. All geese do not produce the exactly the comparable level of soft down. This is a topic for another article for comforters, but in pillows, I discovered a labeling problem. An “all down” pillow may contain quite a significant percentage of feathers, or other fill. With our Hypodown pillows, they do contain a small percentage of milkweed fiber which has some properties to enhance the hypoallergenic nature of these pillows. However, I was astonished to find “pure down” is an incredibly loose term and one widely abused in my opinion.

13. And now onto synthetic down, the most popular brand being “Primaloft”. I confess that when I first tried out Primaloft I was very enthusiastic. At last, a big squishy soft pillow that felt as nice as down. They really are comfortable and soft. The price was right too. I have to say that after about 18 months of use, these pillows are not dead, but the fill has moved and the pillows are not nearly as plump as they were. The answer is they are much cheaper than allergy free goose down pillows (about 1/4 of the price) and they do not last as long. A nice choice for the guest bedroom, or the college dorm.

14. Cotton pillows. Another choice for the firm pillow lovers. These are simply the best choice of those with multiple chemical sensitivities. There is nothing in these pillows, which could trigger a reaction even in the most sensitive.

And the answer as to my favorite pillow? It turned out to be the natural latex contoured pillow. It has taken away a number of my aches and pains and I have been sleeping better. My only problem is one of aesthetics! My husband’s side of the bed is full of luxurious looking Hypodown pillows and I look at this tiny funny shaped pillow my side and it looks rather pathetic. But I sleep much better. So I figure that is more important.

When to Use a Toddler Pillow

A toddler pillow is often sold with toddler bedding sets, pillows are not recommended for children under 2. Children that small can easily suffocate while using one.
Actually, older children don’t need pillows either. Parents often think a pillow will provide their child with extra comfort, not realizing that their child was doing fine without it.
If you want to introduce a pillow, it’s best to wait until your toddler moves from a cot to a bed. But if you want to give them one while they are still sleeping in a cot, go with one that’s small (the size of an airline pillow) and firm. Stay away from feather pillows, which are too soft, can set off allergies, and can smother a child if their head sinks into it while they are sleeping.
When to buy a pillow for your baby?
When your baby becomes a toddler it is common for your them to get ear infections due to colds. Using a pillow proves quite helpful. A pillow props the toddler’s head upwards, which relieves the pain that might worsen if they lie flat. However, you just cannot pick any pillow from the shop and place it under your baby’s head. You should purchase a pillow that is gentle to your toddler’s delicate head. In addition, a toddler pillow is tailor-made for babies and young children.
What are the features of a toddler pillow?
A pillow for toddlers is a bit smaller than the normal pillow and is firmer. A large size pillow will wrap around your toddler’s head and provide discomfort. Although a toddler pillow is not easily available in retail shops, you can get them online at affordable prices. As you begin your search on the internet, you will come across a variety of pillows available with beautiful colours and patterns. There are shades of pastels, along with vibrant reds, blues, and oranges. Moreover, you won’t have to dig deep into your pockets for buying them. Almost all types are reasonably priced.
I have been using a pillow with my child since he was two and a half years old. He seems to love it and we never seem to have too many issues with him waking in the night or not settling (I know… I have jinxed it now!!)

I do not see any problems with using a pillow as long as the advice above is taken, i.e. not too big and that it is firm enough that it doesn’t end up wrapping around your toddler’s head.

Do You Have The Right Pillow For Your Body?

Odds are, you’re not paying too much attention to the pillow you cradle your head on night after night. But maybe you should. Using the wrong kind of pillow or one that is just worn out not only can lead to a poor night’s sleep, but also can contribute to body aches, allergies and asthma.

“When people come in and say they have neck and shoulder pain, the first thing I ask is what (pillow) are they sleeping on,” says Sandy Colley, director of sales at Joanne’s Bed and Back, a Washington-area chain. (Often, she says, it’s a down pillow bunched up for support, which can result in tension to neck muscles).

Colley says factors to consider when pillow shopping include: sleep habits (whether you lie on your back or side), length of neck and width of shoulders, personal preferences and budget. While the idea of spending more than $20 on a pillow may seem extravagant to some, the health benefits may be worth it.

Having a soft spot to rest one’s head while sleeping is important, but “the goal of a good pillow,” she says, “is to keep your neck in better postural alignment.”

Hollander Home Fashions, manufacturer of one of every three pillows sold in the United States, offers more tips:

Determine your pillow style: Stomach sleepers need a soft pillow with little elevation; back sleepers need a medium pillow with moderate elevation; side sleepers need a firmer pillow with higher elevation.

Keep it fresh: Pillows should be replaced every one to two years. A pillow past its prime could contain a high level of dust mites, which can increase breathing disorders, asthma or allergies.

The telltale signs: Pillows that have reached the end of the road will often feel lumpy or flat and will not re-fluff very well.

Take the test: To determine whether your pillow needs replacing, Fold your pillow in half. Place a tennis shoe on top of the folded half. If the pillow throws the shoe off, it still has some life. If the pillow remains folded with the shoe on top, it needs to be replaced.

Pillow Buying Guide

Pillow Queen Bedding Sets Bed Comforter Sets Memory Foam Pillows Goose Down Pillow
Be sure you have a comfortable bed pillow to rest your head on as you hopefully spend about one third of your day and night in bed sleeping. With so many choices on the market, you might be stumped about what type of bed pillow will give you the best night’s rest. With our tips, we’ll take some of the mystery about buying a bed pillow.
Decide on the Right Size of Bed Pillow
The size of bed pillow you pick will depend on the size of your bed and how you sleep. For a twin, you’d probably choose a standard pillow. For a queen bed you’d get two queens, and for a king bed you’d get two king pillows. If you prefer a large pillow to snuggle with on a smaller bed, use a king on a twin bed. Or if you want a stack of large pillows to lean on, you’ll get more. And you could choose 4 or 6 standard pillows for a king size bed. Luxury hotels use 4 king pillows on a queen bed. The choice is yours and depends on what you like.

* Read About Bed Sizes

Set Your Bed Pillow Budget
Like everything, you can pay a lot or a little for a bed pillow. And you usually get what you pay (or don’t pay) for. A cheap foam pillow might cost as little as $5 but a top quality down or feather pillow can be over $100, depending on the size. If you have a limited budget, select one or two good quality pillows to actually sleep on and use an inexpensive one for leaning up against for reading or for decoration with a sham on your bed.
Do You Sleep on Your Back, Your Side, or Your Stomach?
If you sleep on your back, you might want a flat bed pillow. If you sleep on your side or your stomach, you’ll want good support for your neck. Most quality pillows give information about the best use for the type of pillow you’re considering. Try out several types for greatest comfort.

Choose the Fill You Prefer for Your Bed Pillow
After size, the next most important thing to decide is what type of fill you want. A foam pillow will feel firm and hold its shape throughout the night, even when you shift on the bed. A down pillow will squish with your head and give it a soft cushion. You can crumple it up for snuggling. Something right in the middle would be a pillow made with polyester filling. And a good quality compromise might be a pillow with a core of foam or feathers, surrounded or wrapped with an outer coat of soft down. Most top quality feather and down pillows are hypo-allergenic and can be used by people with allergies.

* Buying Bed Linens

Do You Like a Soft or Firm Bed Pillow?
The “loft” of a bed pillow is determined by the volume of fill it contains. For a firm pillow, the fill will be tighter. For a soft pillow, the fill will be lighter. Regardless of the firmness, be prepared to renovate the feather or down fill every 10 years or so. And of course, foam disintegrates or breaks down.
Bed Pillow Cover or Ticking
The cover on a foam bed pillow is not too important. But for a feather or down pillow, be sure that the ticking or cover is tightly woven cotton so that the feathers don’t leak out. Buy a pillow cover for every pillow you own. This will keep the ticking clean and protect the pillow cover.
Care for Years of Comfort
It’s important to clean a bed pillow regularly. The pillow should come with care instructions. Some feather and down pillows can be washed in a home washer. Others recommend dry cleaning. Save the cleaning instructions in your linen closet and follow them for longest life.

Dust Mite Proof Encasings For Your Bedding and Pillows

There are dozens of different fabric materials used to manufacture the mattress and pillow encasings that are sold on the market. Some are made from 100% cotton, some are made from polyester and some are a mix of both fabrics or are made from other materials. Some have membrane coatings bonded to them to make them dust mite and pet dander proof and some do not have any membrane coatings at all because the fabric is so tightly woven together, the dust mite and pet dander allergen cannot penetrate through the fabric at all. The big concern for most people is for their dust mite encasings to be smooth and cool for better sleeping comfort. In the old days some mattress encasings were made from crunchy plastic or stiff vinyl materials that were loud and uncomfortable to sleep on. Some of these materials would also quickly melt or come apart in a hot dryer.

Today’s newer materials are smooth, not crunchy and are far more durable and comfortable to sleep on. We recommend that you purchase NON-Membrane mattress encasings that are cool to sleep on and can be safely dried in a cool to warm temperature clothes dryer. REMEMBER it is the hot water in your washing machine that kills the dust mites and flushes away the dust mite and pet dander allergen. NOTE: There is no need to dry your encasings in a hot dryer and your encasings will last longer when dried in a cool to warm dryer! Waterproofing your mattress encasing If you need to totally waterproof your mattress encasing the answer is very easy and inexpensive! Instead of purchasing a more expensive water proof mattress encasings or waterproof mattress cover that will have to be washed anyway if the person has an accident, just cover your mattress encasing with a sturdy but thin sheet of inexpensive waterproof material such as plastic, vinyl or nylon that can easily be wiped off or replaced if an accident occurs.

The Big Problem With Mattress Encasings is Taking Them Off To Clean Them And Then Having To Put Them Back On! Here’s The Answer There is a simple solution to this problem and you can save money by not having to search for and purchase the much more expensive mattress encasings that are on the market. All you have to do is purchase a mattress cover to place over a less expensive but still quality dust mite proof mattress encasing. Mattress covers can also add comfort to your bed, they are reasonably priced and easy to find online, at Wal-Mart, Linens And Things and other department stores. Get a mattress cover that has an elastic bottom that will fit under the encased mattress while covering the top and around the sides of the mattress encasing. Comfortable mattress covers are available in regular and waterproof styles. The mattress encasing will protect the mattress from leaching dust, dust mite and pet dander allergen. The mattress cover will protect the mattress encasing from becoming contaminated with fresh dust, dust mite and pet dander allergen. Waterproof mattress covers will also protect your mattress encasing from urine and liquid spills. The mattress cover will put a comfortable barrier between your encased mattress and sheets while extending the time and need to clean the mattress encasing that is being protected under the mattress cover.

Just wash your mattress cover in hot water when you wash and dry your sheets and bedding once a week as recommended by most allergists. Box Spring Encasings It is also very important to dust mite proof your box spring{s} with an encasing just like your pillows and mattress. However there is absolutely no need to use the more expensive fabric types of encasings for your box spring{s}. This is because there is zero heat exchange between your box spring area and your body. Your best choice is to encase your box spring{s} with inexpensive Vinyl encasings that will zip completely around your box spring{s}. Vinyl Box spring encasings make no noise on a box spring and they never have to be cleaned in the washer and dryer. Vinyl box spring encasings are also waterproof! To clean, just wipe them down with a damp cloth when they become dusty or dirty. Bedding And Chemicals There are many chemicals on the market advertising to get rid of Dust Mites and Dust Mite allergen on different types of surfaces! From our over 20 years of experience we feel that it is better to stay away from these chemicals that you may react to. Especially when it comes to bedding! Don’t take chemical shortcuts!

The most important and healthiest thing to remember is to wash your sheets, blankets, pillowcases and mattress covers if you have them in hot water a minimum of once a week! Wash your mattress and pillow encasings once every 2 to 3 months and if your mattress encasings are protected with a mattress cover, wash your encasings in hot water once every 4 to 6 months Also keep your home clean as possible! Use quality HEPA air cleaners or HEPA air purifiers with a high air exchange rate per hour in the needed bedrooms and family room. Purchase and vacuum often with a quality HEPA vacuum cleaner that is totally sealed so it does not leak dust and allergens back into the air while vacuuming! Thank you for reading this report. We hope that it was informative and will allow you get what you need while saving you your hard earned money!

Types of Orthopedic Pillows

An orthopedic pillow is used to prevent or to correct different problems pertaining to the neck or spinal cord. Most regular cushions become uneven after regular use. As a result, it causes strain in the neck and pain in the joints of shoulders. An that one can be made up of different materials , these varying according to the region of pain. It supports the neck, shoulders, and back of an individual.

Types of Orthopedic Pillows:

Foam pillow:
This one is made of foam and help to relieve spinal problems. If people have back problems, they can keep the it behind their backs while sleeping. If people use such cushion regularly, it eliminates the back pain. The foam is temperature sensitive and it molds itself according to the body pressure, thereby it provides relaxation to an individual by relieving pain.
Certain foam pillows have elastic features that adjust themselves in accordance with the head size of the individuals. They come in a removable pillowcase. Even people who sleep on their backs may use foam pillow to supports the backbone.
There are dual orthopedic foam cushions . This type contains two contour levels to provide more flexibility to the body when a person is sleeping.

Fiber orthopedic pillow:
The fiber cushion is for people who prefer sleeping on their sides. They look the same as regular one. They contain fiber material to cushion ears and jaws. If people use the regular pillow and sleep sideways, their regular one being rigid, squeeze the ears and it may eventually start causing pain. Fiber cushion on the contrary, are soft and do not cause any pain to ears and jaws. These are allergy free and available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Ripped pillows:
This pillow contain vents for circulation of air to neck. They are comprised of lobes to provide support to the neck region. It makes people to feel relaxed and renders a soothing effect.

Seek Advice:
People wishing to buy those pillows need to talk with an orthopedic expert. Spinal and neck diseases have their own characteristics. Specialists study these characteristics and suggest what type is best for them.

In general, the special pillows in the market today has an elevated outer edge as well as a concave center to support the head and neck as people sleep.

Thus, when choosing an orthopedic pillow look for one that is comfortable to use and supports the body contours, thereby preventing neck and back from strains.

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