Wool Wellbeing

At Devon Duvets we’ve been committed to helping people sleep better for over 12 years. In fact, this commitment stems right back to the time when making duvets was just a twinkle in the eye of our owners, Dick and Pauline Beijen.

Wool Wellbeing Tip #3: Work Wellbeing

Work and our jobs can take up a very large part of our lives and with the fast pace, technological world in which we now live, there are times when it can seem to create a 24/7 demand and therefore can become stressful and demanding.

As part of our Wool Wellbeing series of blogs, we’ve come up with some wellbeing tips for work.

Recent research about sleep and sleep behaviours was carried out by the British Wool organisation, and with some surprising results. Here’s a few things they discovered:

New research, conducted by British Wool to mark its ‘In Bed With The Menopause’ campaign, found that 65% of women didn’t know the menopause could affect sleep until going through it. The research also looked at the wider effects of the menopause and the symptoms women were experiencing.

We’ve all been there - trying to change our duvet cover and wondering if there is an easier way. Single duvet covers are manageable, but when it comes to a King, Super King or Emperor size then it becomes far trickier - especially if you have having to do this by yourself!

Although we are all individuals, each of us with our own life journey, talents and quirks, we all have one very important thing in common. We all need our sleep. Sleep is critical for our wellbeing – physically, mentally and emotionally and is as vital to us now as it was thousands of years ago.

As the lyrics in Bob Dylan’s song states “Times, they are a changing” and throughout time, our sleep patterns have also changed. Historical research shows that there is a huge amount of evidence that people in Western societies used to sleep in two phases (biphasic); known as ‘first sleep’ and ‘second sleep’.

It’s amazing to think that certain types of food and drink can help you to sleep better – but it’s true!  Most of us know that chocolate and other sugary foods are more likely to rev you up, and even more so if you are tucking into them before bedtime. Spicy, fatty and acidic food (such as curry, onions, pickles and strongly flavoured crisps) eaten late at night can also cause sleep issues.

As the nights start to get a bit warmer, you may be thinking about a lighter duvet, but with so many options out there, it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees (and speaking of trees, we’ll get to that a little further on in this blog!). So, with keeping cooler in mind, we’ve put some pointers below and if you’d like more information, then we’re here to help.

Firstly, each one of our duvets is individually handcrafted, here in Devon, by our brilliant seamstresses. We only use natural fibres for our fillings because they are breathable and better for temperature regulation, unlike synthetic fibres, which can trap heat and make you feel hotter. Natural fibres are also sustainable and eco-friendly too, because when it’s time to replace your duvet, it won’t sit in landfill for decades. You can even use the filling for compost in your garden!

Secondly, we often get asked when the best time is for making the switch to a summer duvet. Although this will depend on when

April is Stress Awareness Month and it is now widely recognised that not getting enough uninterrupted sleep each night can have an impact on our stress levels. If we’re not sleeping properly, then we are tired during the day, we find it hard to concentrate and can struggle with our daily jobs and chores. This can then add to the usual stresses of everyday life.