Got a bed that's too hard to let you get a good night's sleep?

Here's a quick, easy, economical, and very old-school solution that most people tend to overlook: the featherbed!

A featherbed is basically a big cloth envelope the same size as your mattress, filled with a thick layer of feathers, down, or both.  It's placed on top of the mattress, and underneath your regular bottom sheet. Sleeping on one is sort of like laying on a gigantic pillow -- soooo cushy! In addition, a featherbed will help keep air circulating beneath your body - a huge benefit in itself in promoting more restful sleep!  So if your mattress has you tossing and turning at 2:00 am, wondering if you will ever find comfort, a featherbed may be just the fix. Best of all, trying one out is likely to cost you only a fraction of what you'd have to lay out to experiment with (yet another) new mattress.

Like mattresses themselves, featherbeds are available in every standard size and with quite a wide range of features and quality levels. Here are some suggestions for narrowing the choices:

• Down is divine, but feathers are fine. Featherbeds have traditionally been filled with either feathers, or a mix of down and feathers. Adding at least 50% down in the main chambers can indeed help make the bed softer and can reduce 'quill poke'. However, putting that much good-quality eiderdown inside a large piece of bedding is a costly proposition, and that tends to make for some rather hefty retail price-tags. Don't feel you're settling for something substandard by purchasing a feather-only product . . . because frankly, the added cost of a down product is often way out of proportion to the amount of extra comfort it provides.
• Don't bother with a down top. Many manufacturers now offer featherbeds with a separate, down-filled 'topper' layer sewn-on over the main feather chamber. This is primarily a marketing gimmick, designed to create the perception of a premium product (with a premium profit margin) by associating the word down. Unfortunately the skimpy layer of down provided on most such featherbeds is too thin to provide any meaningful amount of extra cushioning.
  
• Synthetics are for the birds. An alternative to the featherbed is a look-alike product known as a fiberbed. Manufacturers have created some very good alternative fills over the past few decades, but they still just can't match the lasting resilience of mother nature's own materials. Even the best synthetic cushioning fibers will break down relatively quickly when compacted under your body weight for several hours every night. Some will argue in favor of synthetics because they are less prone to mildewing than natural feathers; however there's little value to having something that remains mildew-free if it doesn't also keep its loft. Moreover, featherbeds are generally treated for mildew resistance at the factory, and simply airing out your featherbed regularly will also go a long way toward controlling biological degradation. Unless allergies limit your choices, stick to a true featherbed.
  

Some things to look for when purchasing

From most important to least important:

1. End-to-end baffling is essential to keep the feathers evenly distributed throughout the entire featherbed and prevent hard spots and clumping.
2. Choose a product with at least 4" of uncompressed loft (height) in the centre of a section. Anything less is too skimpy. Don't gauge thickness by what you see along the edges -- it may not be at all representative of the amount of feathers you'll actually be sleeping on.
3. Buy a machine-washable or dry-cleanable product. Steer clear of any featherbed that can only be dabbed with a damp sponge.
4. Look for a heavy, featherproof casing fabric -- to prevent feather leakage and reduce quill poke.
   
5. A reversible featherbed is finished identically on both sides, so you can simply flip it over when you change the sheets to even out wear and keep it comfortably fluffed with the least amount of effort.
6. Box, or gusseted, edges are generally preferable to knife-edges, as the latter will tend to make your bed look and feel mounded up in the center.
7. Elastic mattress stays or skirting may help keep the featherbed from slipping around on the mattress

How much should you pay for a featherbed?

The best suggestions I can offer here are, shop aggressively, and don't assume that that a $400 featherbed will be four times better than one that cost $100. If you work with the list above as your guide -- focusing on the attributes nearest the top -- you'll find that there are some remarkable bargains to be had on some very decent featherbeds -- particularly during White Sale season. I've paid as much as $370 for a featherbed yet  snagged my current one for an amazing $35 (it was reg $119) on a clearance blowout -- and there's been surprisingly little difference in comfort or durability. 

Is a featherbed good for your body?

I'm no doctor, so measure my comments in this section with your own discretion. And of course, bear in mind that different people have differing needs and sensitivities.

Like many of you I've long been inculcated in the belief that your bed must provide 'firm support'. But the simple fact is that after 13 years, now, of sleeping on what is essentially a giant marshmallow, I don't seem to be suffering any ill effects. Common sense suggests to me that as long as one has a solid sleeping foundation (by which I mean a well-made mattress in excellent condition, on top of either a sturdy box-spring or platform bed) then adding a few inches of very soft cushioning on top shouldn't pose a substantial risk to one's bones and joints. Using a featherbed has made such an improvement in my overall quality of life by letting me enjoy consistently great sleep, that I have a very tough time believing it could be 'bad' for me.  Moreover, since becoming a convert myself I've steered many friends and relatives toward Featherbedism;  and while many have (eventually) ended up thanking me for persistent evangelizing, not one has complained of any health problems which could be attributed to their cushy new sleeping gear.

Other considerations & tips

• If you use a fitted bottom sheet on your mattress it may need to be replaced to accommodate the added thickness of the featherbed.
  
• To maximize your featherbed's lifespan and make it much more comfortable and convenient to use, cover it with mid-grade mattress pad with a quilted top at least 1cm (3/8inch) thick and a strong, full-elastic skirt. This will help to 1) prevent staining, 2) prevent the feather quills from poking your skin, 3) support good air circulation, and 4) keep the featherbed from sliding around on your mattress. I do not recommend most of the special-purpose featherbed protectors, as they tend to be overpriced, will not provide any anchoring or protective padding, and may impede free air circulation through the featherbed.When selecting a topper, remember you need one with skirting deep enough to handle the thickness of your existing mattress PLUS the thickness of your new featherbed.
  
• Air out your featherbed frequently either for several hours outdoors if temperatures and humidity permit, or for a good half-hour in your laundry dryer on the no-heat setting. This is essential to help prevent mildewing of the fill.
  
• If the featherbed slides around a lot on your mattress even with a skirted topper over it, try adding an anti-slip carpet gripper between the featherbed and the mattress. This is an off-white, mesh-like rubbery material that's sold in various sizes in the rug section at Wal-Mart and many other discount, hardware, and home accessory stores. The 4' x 6' size is ample for most beds.
  
• Every time you change the bedsheets, lift the featherbed off the mattress and give it a few good shakes to re-loft the feathers. When you place it back on the mattress, rotate it 180 degrees (swapping the head and foot positions) and flip it over if it's reversible.
• Enjoy your featherbed year-round. People tend to assume that featherbeds will only make the bed warmer and therefore aren't needed (or wanted) in the summer. In fact, the improved air circulation beneath your body will actually help keep you cooler as you sleep in hot weather.

Happy sleeping!