Orthopedic beds and mattresses

Bedding items (pillows, toppers etc)

In addition to a bed and mattress, some other items of bedding are essential for a healthy night's sleep. These bedding accessories work with the bed and mattress to enable the body to achieve an adequate comfort level through restful posture and the balanced temperature regulation of the body.

Essential bedding items are bed sheets, a duvet or blankets (or both) and pillows and pillow cases. Other items that enhance the appearance of the bed like a valance, a headboard and a throw are common, but serve no practical "sleep aiding” purpose.

Pillows

Pillows work with the bed and mattress to maintain a healthy and restful body posture and care should be taken in their selection. Many people make the mistake of under-spending on their pillows, or selecting a pillow that offers minimal support.

Latex and memory foam pillows now compete with traditional feather and foam pillows and offer superior orthopaedic qualities at very affordable prices. Memory foam pillows can be purchased with an orthopaedic profile designed to offer maximum support benefits to the head, neck and upper back.

Quilts

The main purpose of a quilt is to regulate the body's temperature during sleep. As the body becomes inactive and a restful state is induced the body temperature drops. When combined with, and compounded by, night time room temperature variations, it would be almost impossible to sleep without some form of insulating covering – a quilt or mix of sheets and blankets fulfil this requirement.

Quilts have a number of advantages over blankets, aside from their obvious simplicity and ease of "bed making”.

• Most quilts offer superior hypo allergenic properties and special materials and treatments can be used to make it almost impossible for dust mites to live within them.
• Many quilts can be shaken to move the insulating material into different sectors of the unit allowing the quilt to sleep cooler or warmer at different times of year.
• Quilts are also purchased with a Tog rating allowing the buyer to know exactly what the thermal qualities of the quilt will be.

Blankets

One or more blankets offer an insulating alternative to a quilt, but they are not generally regarded as enabling the body to breath (and the air to circulate around it) as efficiently as the quilt alternative.

Bed sheets

Bed sheets (fitted or loose) can be used as mattress covers and also as a body comfort layer between traditional blankets or a quilt. They are available in a range of materials from synthetic (hypo-allergenic) fabrics to luxurious Egyptian cotton and synthetic-natural blends. Breath-ability is the key feature of a good bed sheet.

Mattress toppers

These are mattress accessories intended to aid the comfort and support of an existing mattress. They sit (or fit) directly on top of a regular mattress and offer additional cushioning or support. They are often seen as economic way of improving an older mattress, or adding a new technology like memory foam to an existing bed. Their value in doing so is open to debate.