It's the middle of winter, which means the best place to be is in a nice warm bed.
A couple of sheets, thick duvet and pillow, a hospital tuck and Bob's your uncle, right? Well, not according to the experts.
A good night's sleep is as much about science as slumber, according to University of Otago Clothing and Textile Sciences senior lecturer Dr Cheryl Wilson.
"It's a bit like the Emperor's New Clothes. We see the fibre, but it's actually the air that keeps you warm," she said this week.
"Textiles trap still air close to the body and hold insulation. It's the trapped air that's going to provide warmth as still air is a very good insulator.
"You want to create an environment around your body that holds warmed air and slows the transference of heat," Dr Wilson said.
"When looking at bedding, choose a structure that is going to be an effective holder of heat. For duvets, down is a master at forming small cells of air. Bulked synthetics, like Dacron, are very good, too.
"The differences are when you look at latent heat transfer. Some are more effective at letting water vapour through than others. Any moisture trapped in the structure will decrease its efficiency as an insulator.
"It's likely that a natural fibre system will allow water vapour to travel though more efficiently than a synthetic system will do," Dr Wilson says.
"Work we've done here found that the size of the air space around the body will also affect the insulation. So, if you're cold, the worst thing you can do is wrap the blankets tightly around you. You want your covers to be fluffed up, creating multiple layers of air cells around the body."
The subject of beds came up recently when a colleague invested $5000 in a new cot.
He justified the expense with a shrug: "You spend a third of your life in bed".
Bedpost owner Denise Preston has been selling beds for 14 years.
"A good sleep is one of the fundamentals of life. It's like food and exercise," she said this week.
"If you don't sleep well, it impacts on every aspect of your life.
"You can spend up to $14,000 or $15,000 on a bed, if you want something with all the bells and whistles. But some people will spend that on a TV," she said.
"When buying a new bed the first thing you have to look for is support. It's really important that it fits you and gives you support in the right places. It's just like buying a pair of running shoes or eyeglasses."
Researchers have found reason to go for natural materials when it comes to bedding.
A 2004 study by the University of Otago's Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences found synthetic pillows contain more house dust mite allergens, which affect asthma sufferers, than the feather alternative.
This was mainly because feather pillow covers have smaller pores, to stop the feathers falling out.
During the study, 20 live adult house dust mites were placed on feather, polyester and polyester-cotton pillows.
After 24 hours, the mites had penetrated the polyester pillow covering but, even after 48 hours, none had penetrated the feather or the newer polyester-cotton pillows.
Electron microscope measurements showed the pores of synthetic pillows to be more than twice as big as those of feather pillows.
Once inside a pillow, the mites start breeding and produce the allergens that irritate asthmatics and other allergy sufferers.
To make the perfect bed
> Start at the bottom with a bed ruffle, or valance. This will help to keep dust from collecting under the bed - which seems good advice - while providing a decorative accent. The bed ruffle goes on top of the bed base, covering the base and the bed frame. It does not require washing as often as sheets, which is also in its favour.
> Put on the mattress pad (you had to take the mattress off to get the valance on). Your mattress pad is a protective covering that goes on over your mattress. Smooth it out, running your hands outward from the middle to remove any creases or wrinkles.
> Put the fitted bottom sheet in place. Fitted sheets have revolutionised the bed. They are up there with sliced bread and those bumpy things on the white line down the middle of the road.
> Pull the fitted bottom sheet elastic tightly and evenly over the mattress corners. Smooth from the centre, then tuck under the sides.
> Add the top sheet. Place the wide hem of the sheet at the top with the good side of the sheet facing down (that's important, as we'll see later). Spread it out evenly across the bed, allowing any extra length to fall at the bottom edge.
Tuck in the bottom edge and make hospital corners: pick up the side edge at the bottom corner and hold it out. Tuck in what is left hanging down at the corner, then let the edge fall and tuck it in as well. Repeat for the other bottom corner.
> Put your blanket (or blankets) over the sheets. Place the blankets right side up with the top of the blanket at the point where you turn down the top sheet - about 20cm from the top of the bed.
> Tuck in the bottom edge and make hospital corners there. Fold down the top sheet over the top edge of the blanket. Now the good side of the sheet is showing. Tuck in the entire side by the wall. If you wish to keep the covers tight, tuck in the other side also.
> Top with a duvet.
> Don't forget the pillows. Put pillowcases on, fluff out the pillows and place them at the top of the bed.
And there you have it. A perfectly made bed.
Source: www.wikihow.com/Make-up-a-Bed-Neatly
