Gary Westfield enjoys working on his house on his water-front property in Long Island, New York.
He enjoys writing in his spare time, and has written several columns for major publications.
I have bouts of insomnia so a good night's sleep is very important to me. I found that using a good mattress topper is a great way to make a bed more comfortable. A comfortable bed helps me get off to sleep much easier. A mattress topper has other benefits besides added comfort and they are usually priced very reasonably. The mattress covers can be bought online or at any number of retail stores across the country.
I discovered the values of a mattress cover a couple of years ago, but it took me awhile to find the right one. I originally bought a down mattress topper, but I found that the ones in my price range had much to be desired. The mattress topper made the bed feel so soft and comfortable that I just thought it was the most magnificent thing on earth. I slept soundly and peacefully for the first few months.
I know that down is a feathery filling for pillows that can be used for mattress toppers. However, I never really realized that down is actually feathers. The cheaper mattress covers are filled with down feathers that have little quills. After a person sleeps on the mattress topper for a few months, those little quills start breaking through the topper. They do this because they are sharp. This means that the person sleeping on said topper winds up being poked with small, sharp quills during the night. This is not comfortable.
The other problem I had with my down mattress topper was that I couldn't wash it. It was dry clean only and I didn't have the ambition to run to the drycleaners frequently enough to feel that the mattress topper was clean. Some may argue that we don't wash our mattresses, but one of the benefits of a mattress cover is that it protects the mattress from dirt and soil and that dirt and soil wind up in the topper. A washable topper is ideal.
I found a down alternative mattress topper that I fell in love with. It is every bit as comfortable as the new down mattress cover, and it doesn't threaten to poke at me throughout the night. It is easy to wash and it dries as quickly as a fluffy comforter. My down alternative comforter was less expensive than the one filled with actual down feathers and that makes me very happy. I can sleep well knowing that I have an affordable, comfortable and washable cover that will lessen the wear and tear on my mattress.
