Summer Bedding - Dunelm

1. Summer BeddingHow to get a Great Night’s Sleep when Temperatures Start to Soar www.dunelm.com

2. When the sun comes out and the temperatures start to soar, it usually means one thing – summer’s here. The warm weather allows us to get out and really enjoy the outdoors – whether it’s sunbathing in the garden or camping in the countryside. However, once the day’s excitement is finished and it’s time to get a good night’s rest, the heat is far less welcome. Trying to get to sleep in the stifling heat is a frustrating experience. You can keep the curtains closed, fans on full, windows thrown wide open, but these steps only go so far in helping you to create a comfortable environment in which to get a great night’s slumber during the summer months. Having the right bed linen and bedding is the key. www.dunelm.com | 1

3. Creating the Perfect Environment for a Summer Slumber Ideally, you should swap your bedding over as soon as you feel the weather start to change. Before you go about creating a relaxing rest haven, there are some factors you should take into consideration. Seasonal Bed Linen – Not for all Seasons You have your wardrobe, and in it you have your winter clothes and your summer clothes. You don’t wear your thick winter jumpers during the height of summer (unless the great British summer reverts to type with torrential downpours!), and you’d freeze if you donned a pair of denim shorts during the winter. Think about your bed linen in exactly the same way. Just as there are summer and winter clothing collections, there are seasonal bed linen collections. Many of us are guilty of having one set of bedding for the whole year round, and usually it’s one that’s more effective during the winter. Whilst thick bed linen sets, composed of flannel sheets, high tog duvets and warm blankets (great on cold winter nights) should go straight in the wash and back in the linen cupboard during the summer. They’re sure to leave you tossing and turning on muggy evenings. We spend around a third of each day asleep in bed, so it’s definitely worth ensuring this time is enjoyed in the maximum level of comfort. www.dunelm.com | 2

4. Getting Started With Your Summer Bedding A Summer Duvet After a day out in the sun, you want to come home to something that’s plush but not too clingy or thick when you nod off for the night. Summer duvets are designed with breathability in mind, so naturally they’re much thinner than standard varieties - allowing body heat to escape more effectively. Tog Ratings The majority of duvets in the UK are given a tog rating. Tog ratings refer to warmth, and are awarded based on the amount of thermal insulation the duvet filling can provide – or how effectively it can trap warmth. Each one is given a rating from one to 15 – with one being the coolest and 15 being the warmest. In a hot and stuffy bedroom, a duvet with a tog rating between one and 4.5 is the best choice to have on your bed. Lower tog duvets offer far less insulation, and this allows the heat from your body to quickly escape, keeping your temperature at a much cooler level. Anything above 10 and you’re likely to be contributing to your own sleepless nights. www.dunelm.com | 3

5. A Synthetic Duvet or Natural Duvet? We often don’t consider the impact the material our duvet is made from can have on our night’s sleep. Budget and personal preference have a far greater influence on the end choice. However, its impact can be pretty significant. Duvets made from natural fibres are typically filled with down and feathers, whilst synthetic varieties use hollowfibre and microfibre. Natural duvets require less filling than their synthetic counterparts to keep you warm, and this means they help your skin to breathe and the air to circulate more easily. By switching from a synthetic duvet to a natural duvet, you won’t be left feeling quite as uncomfortable and sticky throughout the night. This doesn’t mean that synthetic duvets don’t have their benefits, though. They’re non-allergenic, meaning that they don’t exacerbate the symptoms of allergy sufferers, and you can also put them in the washing machine. The Temperature Regulating Duvet In the past couple of years, another synthetic alternative to natural duvets has arrived, and it’s one specially designed to keep temperatures down and the number of easy nights you enjoy at a high. Temperature regulating duvets, like our 10.5 Tog Temperature Regulating Duvet, draw the moisture away from your body to help you sleep comfortably. . www.dunelm.com | 4

6. Mattress Toppers It’s easy to overlook your choice of mattress topper when the time comes for you to change your bed linen. However, having the right mattress topper can make all the difference. Although they’re primarily designed to protect your mattress against general wear and tear, they can also help to soften firm mattresses, adding an additional cushioned layer to help you get comfy when you get under the sheets. Feather or down mattress toppers are ideal if you want to revitalise a lumpy mattress that’s seen better days. It’s a far cheaper option than purchasing a new mattress, and they’re also very breathable. If you have allergies, a synthetic alternative like the Dorma Anti Allergy Mattress Topper, is more suitable as it can help to prevent the growth of bacteria which can exacerbate allergies. You could go one step further by adding a temperature regulating mattress topper to your bedding set. Like temperature regulating duvet covers, they use innovatively developed fibres that draw moisture away from your body, enabling you to have a dry night in humid conditions. www.dunelm.com | 5

7. Bed Sheets For many of us, our choice of bed sheets is more dependent on colour coordination than comfort, and as a result what we ultimately get is something that represents style over substance. It looks great but doesn’t feel all that luxurious to touch. During the small hours of a really stuffy morning, the colour, pattern or detailing of your bed sheets aren’t likely to be major concerns. In the summer, practicality should naturally feature higher on the list of priorities when it comes to choosing a bed sheet. Think about the following elements when picking a set of summer bed sheets: Au Naturel – Just as with your duvet cover, choosing a natural fibre bed sheet can help you to achieve relaxation. Those that feature 100 per cent natural fibres, such as our 100% Cotton Bedlinen Collection, breathe and absorb the moisture from the air and your body, so when you wake up, you don’t find yourself wrapped in perspiration soaked sheets. www.dunelm.com | 6

8. Material Matters – Fit for king or queen, silk bed sheets might seem like an opulent choice. Though they cost noticeably more than sheets made from other materials, they do enable you to relax in complete luxury. If your budget can’t accommodate silk, you could always opt for Egyptian cotton. Egyptian cotton bed sheets are much talked about (they’re the choice of many of the world’s most luxurious hoteliers), and for good reason. The fibres are taken from Gossypiumbarbadense plants grown in the Nile River Valley, and they’re much longer than standard cotton fibres. With this it’s possible to use fewer splices to make a thread or fibre, which means the end result is a much softer, stronger sheet. Thread Counts – You’ll see the thread count of your bed sheets clearly listed on the label. Thread counts contribute considerably towards comfort levels. Sheets with a higher thread count are a much softer, finer option, providing the kind of breathability you need on the muggiest of evenings. The actual count refers to the number of threads packed in per square inch in a weave. So, in the instance of bed sheets made from Egyptian cotton, it’s far simpler to get in those extra threads because the yarn is so fine. As the thread count increases, the smoothness and softness also rises. It’s no surprise that high thread count bedding has become extremely popular in recent times, but you don’t have to purchase 400 thread count bed sheets to enjoy a comfortable night. Any high thread count bedding over 175 is fine enough to make your bed luxurious to touch. Washing your bedding every couple of days during spells of hot weather can also be a great help. There’s nothing appealing about sleeping on sheets that have absorbed the perspiration of a restless night. Fresh bed sheets allow you to feel fresh. It’s built into many routines already, but taking a cool bath before going to bed can be hugely beneficial for helping you to nod off. You’ll feel refreshed and clean, and it’s much easier to fall asleep when you feel 100 per cent comfortable. www.dunelm.com | 7

9. Pillows When you lay your head down at the end of the day, you want to lay it on a pillow that’s fully supportive of your neck and head. The wrong pillow - be it too firm or too soft - will have you continually tossing and turning just to find a sleep position that suits you. Before buying a pillow, it’s worth thinking about what type of sleeper you are. Do you lie with your face in the pillow? Or on your back or side? What Type of Pillow Do You Need? Pillows are usually rated by their firmness. The firmness of a pillow is determined by its amount and type of filling, and given a rating of soft, medium or firm based on this. Investing in the right pillow can help to reduce the aches and pains you wake up with after a long night’s slumber. Your sleeping position will narrow down the available options to the most ideal for a serene snooze. Soft pillows suit those who sleep on their front. They’re filled with soft fillings, like duck or goose down or soft polyester fibres, which mean they reduce the strain on your neck. Medium firmness pillows for those who sleep on their back. If you face the ceiling whilst sleeping you’re likely to be most comfortable with a pillow that provides shoulder support, as well head support. There are plenty of natural and synthetic options available, including the Hotel Goose Feather and Down Pillow. Those filled with a mix of feathers and down or medium-rated polyester fillings are widely considered the most suitable options. Firm pillows for side sleepers. It’s important to have the maximum level of support when you sleep on your side. Firm pillows give full head and shoulder support, helping to keep your spine aligned as you sleep. Memory foam pillows are also a great option for all sleep positions. They react to your movement, relieving pressure points. With the right one you’ll get a more consistent level of support, regardless of the position you drift off to sleep in. www.dunelm.com | 8

10. Getting the Look - Summer Bed Linen Trends The best summer bed linen drawers feature collections that blend comfort with style, allowing you to create a sleep sanctuary that’s yours. Lighter tones are always a popular option during the summer, with teals, baby blues, whites and soft pinks proving to be a consistent option. These colours can also help to introduce brightness to bedrooms decorated in stronger, darker colours or rooms that don’t get as much sunlight. Clean and Simple Clean and refreshing, our White Hotel Morgan Striped Bedlinen Collection is great for those bedrooms that don’t get masses of natural light. Its simple white stripes don’t impose or overwhelm, making it an ideal choice to put in a guest room. www.dunelm.com | 9

11. Continental Elegance The Blue Jasmin Bedlinen Collection’s crisp white duvet cover bears an elegant floral border and a vintage Parisian-style print, allowing you to bring that classy, chic to your bedroom without having to redecorate. And remember, nothing says cosmopolitan charm and style quite like Paris. Bring the Outdoors In With the Blush Botanica Butterfly Collection, you can introduce kaleidoscope of pink butterflies and masses of colour to your room. Blush pink and decorated with a pretty floral and butterfly design, you can accessorise the collection’s pillowcases and duvet covers with plush pillow shams, and soft cushions to create a tranquil indoor garden. Bright Embroidery A duvet cover with a simple pattern can go a long way in rejuvenating a room in need of an update. It doesn’t have to be anything too intricate, as this can cause clashes with existing decors, instead choose enough colour to brighten the corners (like our Teal ScandiBedlinen Collection). www.dunelm.com | 10

12. Keeping it Clean Changing the bed linen – it’s a task many of us aren’t particularly keen on. Whether it’s stripping the bedding, hanging the sheets out to dry, or the moment we find ourselves lost deep within the duvet cover when matching the corners, many of us don’t change our bed linen quite as often as we should. Past studies have shown that just 40 per cent of us change our bed linen every week1. Leaving the bed linen on for too long can have a detrimental effect on our health, attracting all manner of mites and acting as a prime breeding ground for bacteria. As well as creating an unappealing sleep environment, these things can also trigger allergies. With the hot weather leading to greater perspiration, it’s recommended that you change your full set of bed linen, (pillowcases, duvet covers, and bed sheets) every two weeks. Once you’ve washed them, you’ll probably want to take advantage of the sunshine by hanging them on the washing line to dry. However, if you suffer from hay fever, this can exacerbate your symptoms by exposing your bed linen to large amounts of pollen. Instead try and dry them indoors – you don’t necessarily need to use a tumble dryer, a clothes horse is a fantastic alternative. Mattress protectors require less tender love and care – putting them in the wash once a month is enough. You can get away with cleaning your duvet even less frequently with a single wash each year. Although washing and changing your bedding might not top your list of favourite household chores, it’s worth remembering a clean sleeping environment is a better sleeping environment, and you’ll benefit from a more relaxing night’s sleep as a result. www.dunelm.com | 11

13. To view our full range of Bedding visit http://www.dunelm.com/ Free Reserve & Collect | Free Standard Delivery Over £50 | Free Furniture Delivery Over £150