We are all increasingly aware of the importance of doing what we can to help protect our beautiful planet. So, in the spirit of building a more sustainable life, we can all do our bit to be more eco-friendly this Christmas season. With that in mind, we’ve found some great ideas to share - all of which will help give planet Earth a gift this Christmas.
We are now discussing menopause openly at last and bringing the discussion into the mainframe, but there’s a part of it that is often misunderstood – and that’s perimenopause. Perimenopause is the first stage of the menopause process and can start several months, or as much as 8 – 10 years, before menopause.
One of the biggest causes of allergies are dust mites, those tiny insects found in household dust. According to a report by the charity Allergy UK, they are the UK’s most common indoor allergen. The report has also revealed that there could be as many as 12 million of us who have a reaction to them, in varying degrees. Signs of an allergic reaction to dust mites include sneezing, runny nose, coughing, itchy eyes and congestion. Dust mite allergies can also aggravate the symptoms of asthma. What’s more, if you also have eczema, a severe allergy reaction can cause a flare-up of the condition.
The report has also found that over half of indoor allergy sufferers said their symptoms were worse in the bedroom, with allergic reactions leading to disrupted sleep, which in turn will exacerbate the symptoms. Continued disruption to sleep patterns will eventually impact on daily life. It’s hard to concentrate on those all-important tasks at home or work if you are feeling tired and generally run down.
Of course, there are a number of things you can do on a day to day basis to help limit the number of dust mites in your home. As advised by the NHS website these include regular cleaning with a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter, cleaning cushions, soft toys, curtains and upholstered furniture, and choosing wood or hard vinyl floor coverings instead of carpet.
In addition to keeping your bedroom clear of as much dust as possible, your choice of bedding will also impact on your sleep. It’s not just about duvets and pillows but the report also found that 13% of allergy sufferers had used their mattress for 11 years or more and 3% has kept theirs for 20 years or longer. This leads to a huge accumulation of dust mites and (yes, we must say it!) their droppings – not often something that we really want to think about!
When considering soft bedding, if you have a dust mite alle
We’re all aware of ‘fake news’ and so-called ‘experts’ giving advice on social media. There are quite a few myths about sleep – and we’ve found eight common ones that we’ve tackled below!
Myth One: You Swallow Spiders While You Sleep
This myth claims that you will swallow about 8 spiders a year whilst you sleep! This is very unlikely, as spiders are very wary critters and the noise and vibrations you give off whilst you sleep are more likely to keep spiders away.
Myth Two: Sleeping On Your Front Is Bad For You
This is often blamed for increasing facial wrinkles and contributing to neck aches. According to research, there is no significant difference between sleeping on your back, side or front. A slide sleeping position is best for snorers though. Whichever way you prefer to sleep, it’s important to ensure that you have the right pillow to provide support for your head and neck. At Devon Duvets, we do a range of pillows, including lower pillows for front sleepers and higher firmer pillows for those who need a bit of extra support. If you’d like advice on which of our pillows is likely to be the best for you, just get in touch and the team will be happy to help!
Myth Three: The Older You Get, The Less Sleep You Need
It is true that sleep patterns change as we get older, this doesn’t necessarily mean we sleep less. Sleep experts recommend 7 – 9 hours sleep for the average adult. Older people may wake up more during the night (especially for trips to the bathroom!) or wake up early but they also tend to nap during the day, so the amount of sleep they have overall in a 24-hour period tends to stay the same. If you are having trouble sleeping, then perhaps take a look at your bedtime habits – such as watching TV in bed or eating late – and see if altering these will
When we were small, bedtime tended to be a well organised routine! Bathtime, maybe a glass of warm milk…then 7pm, up to bed! Brush teeth, wash face and if you were lucky, being read to for half an hour.
However we get older, those routines change and certain habits creep in, such as checking your mobile in bed, bingeing on the latest box set or eating late. Not ‘winding down’ before bedtime can lead to sleep problems like insomnia, which in turn affects our ability to perform our daily and/or work tasks. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories. Over time, lack of sleep leads to anxiety, and stress, whereas sleeping well helps you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
Sleep is also an essential function to keep physically healthy. This is the time that your body goes into ‘repair’ mode, as well as keeping your immune system in good shape. Lack of sleep makes us more vulnerable to illness.
But how much sleep do you need?
The table below sets out the generally recommended hours of sleep for each age. It’s also worth bearing in mind that keeping regular sleeping hours will help your brain and internal body clock to get used to a routine.
| Age Group | Age Range | Recommended Amount of Sleep per Day |
| Newborn | 0 - 3 months | 14 - 17 hours |
Here at Devon Duvets, we’ve always been committed to a Zero Waste policy and we’re very close to achieving it! We wrote a blog last year about how some of our fabric ‘waste’ is used by other companies to create products - and now we’ve found a wonderful local business who can turn our old pallets into fabulous garden furniture and a range of useful household items.
Keith & Keith Restoration was founded just down the road from us in Devon by Alan O’Livey, just before the pandemic in 2020. Having always enjoyed watching programmes about furniture restoration and upcycling, he was inspired to start his own business doing the same thing. He started out small, working from home, and using old pallets to make garden furniture, coffee tables and benches.
The business has grown rapidly in the past 18 months, and so Alan now has a workshop based in Plympton, where he is also now making commissions to order. He tells us that some customers have their own ideas about what sort of furniture they would like and so contact him to discuss these ideas. “I enjoy discussing creative ideas with my customers”, he says. “As a new business, it’s always good to keep moving forward and developing my skills.”
Branching out from old pallets, Alan now tracks down all kinds of old wood and other materials for his workshops and this means he has been able to expand on the types of products he makes. This includes coat hooks (with some great Dinosaur themed clothes hooks for children), mug rags, toy chests, cabinets and garden planters of all sizes.
Needless to say, we’re delighted that we’re able to work with another local busines in such a creative way. It means that Alan is helping us to achieve our Zero Waste policy and he won’t be short of old pallets that he can skilfully turn into beautiful and useful products.
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Many of us want to know where our products are made, and what materials are used, so we’ve always been proud that our award-wining products are made right here, in Devon - and only ever using 100% natural products that are responsibly sourced and sustainable. It’s also especially important to us that, through our commitment to use only British wool, we are helping to support British farmers.
Here, at Devon Duvets, we know all about wool and how amazing it is! It’s been at the heart of our business for over 11 years and we’re proud that the wool we use for our duvets, pillows and toppers is 100% British wool, from our hard-working British farmers - and that each product is individually handcrafted by our brilliant seamstresses, here in Devon.
Sheep are amazing animals, producing fleeces that continually grow throughout their lives. Humans have been farming sheep for thousands of years, especially for their wool, which is a wonderful fibre. Temperature regulating and breathable, it makes the perfect fibre for clothing and bedding.
In fact, sheep are ‘woolly wonders’ and here are twelve facts about them that you might not have known:
ONE: There are over 1,000 different breeds of sheep and the UK has the highest number of breeds in the world – over 60! Wool from British sheep has been prized for over 2,000 years.
TWO: Sheep are naturally friendly. They can wag their tails, like dogs, and they form strong bonds with other sheep, goats…and people.
THREE: Sheep are known to self-medicate when they have some illnesses. They instinctively choose and eat specific plants that they know will help them feel better.
FOUR: Sheep are intelligent and have a similar IQ to cattle. In fact, they are nearly as clever as pigs and are capable of problem solving.
FIVE: Sheep have excellent memories and can remember up to 50 individual sheep and people for years. Hand reared lambs will bond very quickly with their human ‘parents’.
SIX: Sheep are very sociable. They are highly independent from birth and like to be in a group. They are able to communicate different emotions through various vocalisations and will also move their ears to show differing emotions.
SEVEN: Sheep were considered to be sacred for thousands of years. The Ancient Sumerians (4,000 – 2,000 BCE) immortalised sheep in the form of their gods, as did the Ancient Egyptians (3,200 BCE – 30 AD), who also mummified them when they died.
EIGHT: A sheep’s fleece will grow for ever. Depending on the breed, a sheep will produce between two and thirty pounds of wool a
Although we do give care instructions on our website, we often hear from customers who want to chat to us about their wool duvets and asking how they can put as much love into taking care of them as we do in making them!
We thought it would be a good idea to talk about that here, in our blog, and also pass on some helpful information and advice.
Your Devon Duvets certified 100% British wool duvet is individually handcrafted by our talented seamstresses and only using high quality materials. As with any high quality wool product, it does need some extra TLC - but it is worth it to ensure that your investment in night after night of healthy sleep lasts as long as possible.
We only ever use certified 100% British wool in our duvets because we are committed to supporting British farmers - and the British wool we’ve selected is of excellent quality. This wool is carefully washed (known as ‘scouring’) in British mills without the use of bleach or chemicals, so it remains 100% natural. After the mill then needles the wool to create soft fluffy layers, it is brought to our workshops where our seamstresses can cut and encase it in beautifully soft, 260 thread count 100% cotton.
Wool is a wonderful fibre and is naturally hypo allergenic and hygienic as it is resistant to dust mites and the build-up of micro bacteria. As a result, it doesn’t need washing very often and, in fact, the less you wash it the better the wool fibres will perform. Your duvet can be kept fresh by regular airing and this can be done whenever you change your bedlinen but at least once every few weeks. Hang the duvet up on a line outside if the weather is dry, but if not, then over a clothes airer, top of your bedroom door or the back of a chair near an open window for a few hours will do the trick!
If there is a need to wash your wool duvet, then here are our top Do’s and Don’ts to make sure it stays as soft and snuggly as possible:
