Making a Comfortable Bed

Types of Mattress Coverings

The bedding department of any brand retail store is filled with bed and mattress coverings.  They are available in varied colors, designs, sizes, and prints.  Whether it is a duvet, quilt, bedspread, sham, blanket, mattress pad, or pillow, finding the right mattress covering takes a little searching. Quality mattress coverings are available in your body type and in the manner in which you sleep. 

Starting with the top and bottom sheets, beds consisting of comfortable mattresses and pillows can be made to be the best option for a good night’s sleep. Let’s look at the different types of bed covering there are available to cover a mattress:

1. Mattress Pad

A mattress pad is a quilted material that covers the mattress.  It is designed to protect the mattress against skin dander, dust mites, stains, and sweat.  It is thin and is quilted which adds a light layer of cushioning to the mattress.  It fits beneath the bottom fitted sheet.  Many mattress pad brands feature corner straps made of elastic.  

2. Duvet

A duvet is like a shell. It does not provide any warmth. It covers a comforter. You use a duvet the way you might use a pillowcase. You slide it over a comforter, similarly to the way a pillowcase covers a pillow. It can add a bit of a decorative touch to your bed and keeps the comforter clean. 

3. Quilt

Quilts are an American traditional bedding cover.  It consists of batting layered between a top and a bottom.  Traditional quilts were hand-made with different types of fabrics pieced together revealing pictures of the countryside, birds, family logos, frontier cabins and more.   Today, quilts are machine-made or they are made in homes with a sewing machine.  Modern quilt coverings are made from cotton or a cotton blend.  Quilts can be used year-round and they are a decorative bed covering with colorful patterns.

4. Bedspread

Bedspreads are mattress coverings that highlight a bed.  They are very lightweight and can be used throughout the year.  Even though bedspreads are not used very much by the younger generation, they remain a staple of bedding in most homes with parents and grandparents.  Bedspreads are most visible in hotels around the country.  They are available in solid colors or decorative designs. They usually reach the floor. 

5. Sham

A bedding sham often complements a duvet covering.  They are decorative bed pillow coverings. Shams are most often designed with an opening in the back where a pillow is inserted.  It may also feature a zipper for a tighter fit that gives you a more even appearance.

6. Blanket

Blanket sizes for mattress covers can be used to match their size (twin to California king).  Blankets can be designed with down. They can be quilted, knit, thermal, fleece, silk, linen, wool, cotton and much more.  A comfortable blanket can keep you feeling cozy on a spring day or wrap you up in warmth on a winter night.  Blankets are chosen by what works best for you regarding their weight and texture.  Blankets with their spatial fibers make great insulators.  That’s why we wrap a newborn in a baby blanket.

What’s The Right Pillow For Me?

To top off covering our mattress, to lay our head down to rest, or to decorate our beds, let’s find a pillow for you.  We have sleeping pillows, decorative pillows, throw pills, and bolster pillows.  A bolster pillow helps us sit up in bed to read or watch TV.  Sleeping pillows are available in varied sizes:  standard, queen, or king.  

Mattresses are one of the best investments in helping you fall asleep.  Pillows are the next in line.  If your pillows are old and worn, it is past time to get a new one.  Just like there are standing and sitting posture, there is also a sleeping posture.

Waking up without feeling tired and stiff is an indicator of a good sleeping posture.  Your pillow helps to support sound sleep.  Pillows support your neck, back, and shoulders.  But their comfortable support has an effect on your spine, chest, hips, legs, and knees.  

Just like our mattress environment, the right pillow also helps us feel comfortable and supports our upward and lower body.  Choosing a pillow that fits your body is an individual choice.  Knowing the types of pillow options can help you choose the right one.  

There are pillows manufactured with varying fills.  Also, the majority of pillows made today are hypo-allergenic and can repel mold and dust mites.  The higher number of fills noted on a pillow indicates higher quality.  

For instance, a 500 fill or an 800 fill represents high quality synthetic, wool, cashmere, down, latex, and cotton fill.  No, a higher number does not mean that your pillow will last a lifetime.  The latest innovation in pillow technology is “memory foam” pillows.  

These pillows conform to your head, neck, and shoulder.  It helps to distribute your weight evenly.  Pillows are also designed in specialty shapes.  Cervical pillows are perfect for your neck and back.  Contoured body pillows give you relief of pressure points on your body.

When you go shopping for your pillow, you are allowed to try them to see which pillow size, fill, material, and shape works best for you.

There is a lot that goes into a bed. You might have to ask questions and do some research to get what is right for you. When you do, you will have the perfect place for rest and relaxation.