A guide to healthy sleeping

Anyone with asthma or eczema, rhinitis or sensitivity to chemicals knows only too well the misery of long nights spent awake with allergy symptoms: itchy or watery eyes, blocked or runny nose, coughing , wheezing, postnasal drip and hot, angry skin rashes can all ruin a decent night's sleep.

One of the most common triggers for these reactions is an allergen found in the microscopic droppings of house dustmites, minute creatures that colonise dark, warm, humid places which offer a food supply of shed skin scales. So your bed, with its mattress, pillows and duvet, padded headboard and stuffed teddy bears provides dustmites with an ideal environment in which they thrive.

Steps to take

	First of all give any in-use mattresses a really good clean with a vacuum cleaner, ideally a modern HEPA model that will take in and retain house dustmite allergen.
	Next, enclose the mattresses in allergen proof barrier covers. These covers will prevent house dustmites already in the mattress getting out and stop new mites getting in. Of course if you buy a new mattress and enclose it in an allergen proof barrier cover you will prevent infestation from the start.
	Enclose pillows and duvets (whether new or in use) with similar allergen proof covers. As the pillow is home to the highest density of house dustmites and their allergen it is the most important item of bedding to cover. Encasing your pillow in an allergen proof barrier cover can bring an immediate reduction in asthma attacks and eczema flare-ups.

Choices

There is a wide selection of allergen proof barrier covers in the bedlinen sections of department stores or the catalogues of specialist mail order companies. We have looked at several different types, all of which prevent exposure to dustmite allergen, and offer the following advice:

Avoid barrier covers which have a PVC backing, we found them noisy to sleep on and very hot, so no good for anyone with eczema.

The covers made of polypropelene tore before we had got them out of the packaging so are obviously not very robust though could be an inexpensive option for a guest room for example.

The more expensive barrier covers made of a special "breathable" fabric or with a synthetic interlining are unquestionably effective but our tester found them very noisy. However for the same price we identified some allergen proof encasings made of pure cotton which we found supremely comfortable.

Our recommendations

We found two styles of Barrier Cover which win our Best Buy award, both from The Sounder Sleep Company.

The CottonFresh brand has been described as "the Rolls-Royce of allergen bedding" and it's not difficult to see why.

These allergen-proof covers zip-close around pillows, mattresses and duvets and are made of specially woven 100% pure unbleached cotton. CottonFresh barrier covers carry the Eco-Tex guarantee of textile purity so are suitable for the chemically sensitive.

In tests at the BTTG Laboratories in Manchester and the Medical Entomology Centre at the University of Cambridge house dustmites and their allergen could not penetrate the fabric. They can be washed frequently at 90°C and remain allergen proof.

They are undetectable in use and incredibly cool and comfortable.

We give them 5 ticks for performance and comfort.

Click here to look at:

	CottonFresh dustmite proof barrier covers for pillows and cushions
	CottonFresh dustmite proof barrier covers for mattresses
	CottonFresh dustmite proof barrier covers for duvets

	CottonSafe covers are also a recommended best buy

These comfortable protective covers are made of dustmite proof cotton terry with a fine, flexible non-PVC backing to make them waterproof, guarding against mould spores and damp - serious triggers for asthma and rhinitis attacks.

Guaranteed free from antimony, phosphorous, cadmium and zinc, these covers are so safe they've been granted the Eco-Tex guarantee of textile purity in the category "Products for Babies"

The CottonSafe pillow covers are zipped for total enclosure, while the CottonSafe mattress covers have elasticated sides which makes changing them easy. So they're ideal for children's beds and cots or for where bedding needs frequent laundering. A hot wash at 90° keeps these exceptional allergen barrier covers pure and fresh throughout their long life.

Click here to look at:

	CottonSafe waterproof anti-allergen covers for pillows
	CottonSafe waterproof anti-allergen covers for mattresses