The Sleepy People guide to choosing the right duvet

Just about everyone loves the lightness, softness and warmth of a duvet these days. But there are many types of duvet, to suit all sorts of tastes – and the changing seasons. So to help you find the perfect duvet for your needs, we are proud to present a short guide from Sleepy People’s own sleep experts.

What do the Tog Ratings really mean?

We’ve all seen Tog Values on duvets, but might not necessarily know what they really mean. In a purely scientific sense, a Tog is a measurement of thermal insulation, with a low number indicating quite a low level of insulation and a high number meaning something that will keep you as warm as toast on even the coldest nights of Winter. However, a higher Tog value isn’t always better, as most people sleep more soundly when their body is kept at a cool to normal temperature. So most sleep experts agree that you should set the thermostat to around 65 F or 18 C and manage your body temperature with a duvet that’s designed for the season of the year. That ideally means choosing a Tog value of 2.5 to 7.5 in Summer, changing to something between 7.5 and 10.5 in Spring and Autumn. Then if you want to stay warm in bed throughout the Winter, you should consider a duvet with a Tog value of 13.5 to 15.0.

Our lightest duvet, specially designed for summer months.

A lighter duvet which is perfect for use during the summer months

A lighter duvet, yet heavier than a 4.5 Tog, which is perfect for use during the summer.

Perfect for Spring and Autumn, for use in a bedroom with central heating or with a blanket in winter.

Perfect for winter month’s when you want to stay warm, cozy and snug.

Perfect for winter month’s when you want to stay warm, cozy and snug.

Choosing the right size of duvet

All of our high quality duvets are made to standard UK bed sizes in our own Lancashire mills. So if you have a standard size bed, choosing the right size is easy. Having said that, lots of people like to choose the next size up in order to make the bed look more attractive – or simply because they like a lot of duvet to cuddle up to. And you know the old saying: ‘One good turn gets most of the duvet.’ So taking a size up is also a good idea if your partner tends to grab a little bit more than their fair share of the duvet while they sleep.

Duvets for children

It’s important to note that babies less than one year old really mustn’t be given duvets, as they can pose a risk of both overheating and suffocation. In any case, babies find it much easier to snuggle up with a cellular baby blanket. However, once a child has passed the 12-month mark, they should be fine with one of our cot duvets. It’s also worth bearing in mind that even older children should be given a light duvet with a low Tog rating until they are at least ten years old, as they will sleep better and be safer if they avoid overheating in bed.

How does an ‘all-seasons’ duvet work?

Making sure you always have the right duvet for the season doesn’t have to mean owning – and storing – three different duvets. Our all-seasons duvets consist of two individual duvets, which are held together at the corners with Velcro. The lighter one is a 4.5 Tog duvet, which is ideal on its own in the summer, and the heavier one is a 9 Tog duvet, which is perfect for spring and autumn. Then, when winter comes, simply put them together to enjoy a warm and comfortable 13.5 Tog value.

Choosing a duvet that’s right for you and your partner

Making sure you always have the right duvet for the season doesn’t have to mean owning – and storing – three different duvets. Our all-seasons duvets consist of two individual duvets, which are held together at the corners with Velcro. The lighter one is a 4.5 Tog duvet, which is ideal on its own in the summer, and the heavier one is a 9 Tog duvet, which is perfect for spring and autumn. Then, when winter comes, simply put them together to enjoy a warm and comfortable 13.5 Tog value.

Which type of filling is right for you?

As with pillows, there is a wide range of duvet fillings now available, with options to suit those who suffer from allergies and asthma as well as to meet personal preferences ranging from slim and light to deep and downy.

It has been proven that 25% of allergic conditions and 50% of asthmatic conditions are caused by house dust mites, which are most commonly found living in bedding such as pillows and duvets. So if any member of the family suffers from allergies or asthma, it is well worth choosing an ‘anti-allergy’ duvet filling, Crucially, these aren’t just ‘non-allergenic’ or ‘hypo-allergenic’: they actively fight the microbes – notably house dust mites – and bacteria that can cause such serious problems for allergy and asthma sufferers.

Hollowfibre fillings are made from spun polyester and so are naturally non-allergenic and machine washable. However, not all hollowfibres are created equal, and so our range now includes three very different types of hollowfibre duvet filling, each with its own unique advantages

Classic Hollowfibre

This is created from a 50:50 blend of polyester fibres and our very own conjugate fibres, which offer a springy and plump appearance that makes beds look inviting and provides lots of comfort.

Cirrus Hollowfibre

While it’s good to stay pleasantly warm in bed, it’s worth bearing in mind that when we’re warm, we can lose up to 500ml of sweat every night, which can make for an uncomfortable night’s sleep. Cirrus Hollowfibre, which you’ll find in our Silentnight Microclimate duvets, helps to wick moisture away from your body, enabling it to evaporate into the air rather than stay in your bed.

Quadfill Hollowfibre

Duvets work by trapping the natural warmth of your body in the air gaps between their feathers or fibres. One of the most efficient ways to do so is with Quadfill hollowfibre. As the name suggests, each fibre has not one air gap, but four. So more air is trapped in each fibre, and you get extra warmth without extra weight; as you’ll discover with our Silentnight Hi Therm range.

Microfibre Hollowfibre

This is perhaps the best option if you like the feel of natural duvet fillings but prefer the washability and hypo-allergenic nature of hollowfibre. As light and soft as the finest down duvets, you will find microfibre hollowfibre inside our Silentnight Luxury Egyptian Cotton Microfibre Duvet.

Usually made from the feathers and down of Ducks and Geese, many people still love natural duvet fillings for their softness, lightness and natural breathability. After all, it was the softness and warm of natural products like these that inspired the first Continental Quilts, as Duvets were once known.

Natural duvet fillings are also incredibly durable, though they may need ‘fluffing up’ a little more often than hollowfibre duvets. They also need to be professionally cleaned rather than machine-washed, as it is hard to thoroughly dry a naturally-filled duvet at home. It is also worth bearing in mind that those who suffer from allergies or asthma are best avoiding natural duvet fillings, and choosing hollowfibre instead.

Can I machine-wash a duvet at home?

If you choose a natural feather or down filling, professional cleaning is always the best choice, as it’s very difficult to get a naturally-filled duvet dry without specialist dryers. However, as long as your washing machine drum is big enough, you can wash all of our hollowfibre duvets at 60 degrees C.

Is it really a 5-year guarantee?

We make all of our Silentnight duvets in our own Lancashire mills, which enables us to give them a full 5-year guarantee. So if you have a problem within five years that arises from a manufacturing fault, we will be happy to refund or replace your duvet at our discretion. We are also happy to provide a refund or replacement at the time of delivery if any duvet you buy from sleepypeople.com is incorrectly supplied, faulty or found to be damaged on delivery.