How comfortably you sleep will also depend on your duvet. The duvet keeps you at the right temperature while you sleep and it also needs to have good ventilating properties.

Filling

Most duvets have a down filling, although duvets are also available with wool or synthetic fibre fillings.

Down

• Retains heat and ventilates well thanks to the system of tiny air ducts.
• A mixture of down and feather is often used; the higher the proportion of down, the lighter and warmer the duvet.
• The coarser the feathers used, the larger the chance that you will feel them through the covers.

Wool

• Insulates and absorbs moisture.
• Less supple than down, and heavier.
• For thin, summer-weight versions, sometimes mixed with wild silk (natural silk).

Synthetic fibres

• Suitable for allergy sufferers.
• Slightly less ventilating, but also considerably cheaper than down or wool.
• Machine washable.

 
Compartments

In order to prevent the duvet filling from bunching up at one end, most duvets have stitched compartments. These are usually either box-shaped (square) or channels.

Ticking

The ticking used for the duvet needs to be fine enough that not even the smallest feathers can penetrate. High-quality cotton is the material of choice. This has good moisture-absorbing qualities and also easily allows moisture to evaporate into the surrounding air. The Nomite label from the EDFA (European Down and Feather Association) indicates whether duvets are suitable for dust-mite allergy sufferers.

All season duvets

In addition to duvets for warm and cool seasons, there are also all-season duvets which comprise two (or more) layers that can be combined.