How to Layer a Bed So It Is Actually Comfortable
Most people own one duvet and use it all year, adding or removing themselves from under it as the seasons change. It works, roughly, and it is why so many people sleep too hot in summer and reach for a blanket in January anyway.
A layered bed solves this, and it is not complicated.
The order, from the mattress up
- Mattress protector. Unglamorous and the most useful thing on this list. It takes the wear that would otherwise reach the mattress, and it washes.
- Fitted sheet. Deep enough for your mattress. Measure the depth, including any topper, before buying. This is the single most common sizing mistake.
- Flat sheet, optional. Common in North America, less so elsewhere. It gives you a washable layer between you and the duvet, which means the duvet cover needs washing less often.
- Duvet or quilt. The main insulating layer.
- Blanket or throw at the foot. This is the adjustable layer, and the one most beds are missing.
- Pillows. Sleeping pillows first, decorative ones in front if you want them.
Why the throw matters
Body temperature is not constant through the night, and it is rarely the same for two people sharing a bed. A folded blanket across the foot of the bed lets whoever needs it pull it up without changing anything else.
It costs less than a second duvet and solves most of the same problem.
Choosing a duvet
Warmth is usually rated by fill power or tog. Higher numbers are warmer. Rather than memorising scales, think in terms of your room:
- A cold bedroom, or someone who sleeps cold: a warmer, higher rated duvet.
- A warm bedroom, or someone who sleeps hot: a lighter one, plus a blanket for cold snaps.
- Sharing with someone whose temperature differs from yours: a lighter duvet plus separate throws beats compromising on one heavy one.
Natural fills breathe better and last longer. Synthetic fills wash more easily and suit anyone who wants to launder the whole thing regularly.
Pillows
Pillow height should keep your neck in line with your spine, and that depends entirely on how you sleep.
- Side sleepers need the most loft, to fill the gap between shoulder and ear.
- Back sleepers need medium, supporting the neck curve without pushing the head forward.
- Front sleepers need the least, sometimes almost none.
If you wake with a stiff neck most mornings, the pillow height is the first thing to change, not the mattress.
Measure before you order
Bed naming varies between countries, and a King in one place is not a King in another. Measure your actual mattress, write the centimetres down, and check them against the listed dimensions rather than trusting the name on the label. Also measure the mattress depth, which is where fitted sheets most often fail.
Browse our bath and bedroom range for bedding, pillows and throws.