Comparing Feather Vs. Down Alternatives For Your Pillows

Nov 12, 2010 by Valerie Bagget

A night of uninterrupted, peaceful sleep is facilitated by a quality pillow. In the absence of a pillow, the head and neck regions must support their own weight, which sometimes leads to soreness in the muscles. If a pillow is overly soft, this support may also be absent. Conversely, if the pillow is too hard, the head can’t comfortable rest against the surface.

Perhaps more important than the comfort is an unseen feature of the pillow: the fill. The wrong kind of fill can cause sleep-disrupting allergies such as a congested or runny nose, along with inflamed, red teary eyes.

The reason down fill can cause allergies is partly due to dust mites, a microscopic household creature not even visible to the naked eye. Dust mites take up residence in the natural clusters of down fiber. The dust mites produce an allergen which is incorrectly recognized by the immune system of some people as an infectious invader. The body starts off an immune response which leads to allergy attacks.

Many people suffering from down allergies will turn toward down alternatives for their pillows. Such pillows may be effective at reducing allergies depending on the exact kinds of sensitivities. There are three major kinds of down alternatives. The first type is constructed of natural material, in most cases silk. The second type is polyester-derived fibers that mimic down. The third is high tech foam which contours to the body but retains its original shape.

The down alternatives that come from natural sources such as silk are prized by many people. Silk especially is a very light but heat-preserving material that is widely used and sought after in Japan and China. The only problem for consumers here in the U.S. is that silk can be somewhat expensive.

Gel fiber synthetic pillows are likely to be the second most used fill after down. Recent improvements in the technology of polyester fibers means that they can be made almost like down, i.e. very warm but also very light and fluffy. In fact, ski clothes and sleeping bags are often stuffed with gel fiber synthetics. The consumer should be aware that the polyester fills which are best are also the most expensive. The most expensive being usually manufactured by a specialist company and licensed to various secondary industries.

Pillows are generally two component objects made of fabric and fill. A modern type of pillow is a single component object shaped from a single piece of dense memory foam. Memory foam was invented by NASA Ames for seating material in flight craft. In recent years, it has become cheap enough to incorporate into household bedding. Its comfort lies in its property of conforming to the curves of your head and neck. However, pillows made from memory foam have been reported to emit a unsettling chemical odor.

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