Letters
Life with Wool: Counting Sheep
Greetings from Maine!
While some of you may be basking in the golden glow of daffodils, here above the 44th parallel we’re entering a time of year best described as a bit of a slog.
Gone are the dreamy, fluffy snows of February, the late mornings and early evenings by candlelight. Ours is a world of ice, mud, and snow drifts that are lumpy and brown from months of freezing and melting, sanding and plowing and shoveling. I remind myself that we’re gaining two to three minutes of sunlight every day, but we’re still far from the flip-flops of summer or the snow-toppled crocuses and snowdrops of April.
I wonder if humans were even meant to be out and about right now. Deep in the woods, the bears slumber. And we, too, lumber about in a state of semi-hibernation, upright and doing what must be done while giving our minds and bodies some rest before spring.
Instead of curling up in a hollowed-out tree or a cozy leaf-lined crevice, I prefer to seek refuge in the nightly comfort of my bed—a bed that, over the last decade, has been slowly evolving into one great big pile of wool.
It started innocently enough with a blanket. You already know how I feel about the powers of a good wool blanket. Then came a fluffy shearling mattress topper, a gift from my mother. After my first night’s sleep on it, I woke up thinking, “Well, this is quite nice.”
Then came a wool pillow, bought mostly out of curiosity from a British company called The Woolroom. (No affiliation, just a happy customer.)
I started to notice something—or, rather, the absence of something. I wasn’t waking up with sinus headaches nearly as often. Could there be more to this wool business than just aesthetics and tactile pleasure? I started to look for the facts behind what I was feeling.
The research is there. An increasing body of scientific evidence suggests that wearing wool improves the quality of our sleep. With its built-in temperature and moisture-regulating properties, wool can help our body reach and stay in the “thermal comfort zone” needed for a deep and regenerative sleep.
Two studies in particular (1, 2) determined that those subjects wearing wool sleepwear reached REM sleep faster and stayed in it longer than those wearing polyester or cotton, and with far fewer instances of wakefulness. They also found that adults wearing wool sleepwear—and this could be as simple as an oversized Merino jersey nightshirt—fell asleep almost twice as fast as those wearing polyester or cotton.
I promptly added wool to my sleep wardrobe.
But what about wool bedding? In a Leeds University study researchers monitored comforters filled with wool, polyester, and feather/down over an eight-hour period. They wanted to see how consistently each comforter transported body moisture—something that matters when a healthy human body releases upwards of six ounces of moisture each night (not to mention the menopausal drenchings many of us experience).
Should our bedding fail to transport this moisture away from our bodies, we gradually build up heat and sweat until we wake up to throw off the covers—usually between 2 and 5 a.m. when we’re supposed to be in our deepest and most regenerative sleep cycle.
Wool came out the winner, transporting moisture 43% more effectively than polyester and 67% more effectively than feather and down.
This also explains those sinus headaches. Dust mites and fungal spores need a warm, moist environment to thrive. Wool doesn’t let that happen.
That was more than enough motivation to replace my old down comforter with a wool comforter, which soon became two wool comforters, a thick one for winter and a thinner one for summer (still from The Woolroom).
Once you start turning your bed into a giant pile of wool, it’s very hard to stop. When my shearling mattress topper began complaining about its neighbor, the old synthetic mattress pad, out it went, replaced with a thick wool one. I was sealed between plush layers of wool like ham between two thick slices of bread, and I was sleeping better than ever.
The piece de resistance came when, after 23 years of service, our faithful mattress finally surrendered with a sagging sigh. To our local independent appliance and mattress shop I went. I’m in the wilds of Maine, I didn’t have many choices if I wanted help hauling the old mattress out and lugging in the new one.
On a lark, I asked if they stocked anything with wool. The man nodded and led me away from the heaps of rubber and foam and over to their wool mattress corner.
“People started asking for them,” he said.
What?!?
Just a few days later, a large truck pulled into our driveway and my quest to turn our bed into a giant pile of wool was finally complete.
My dream of sweet dreams has finally come true. And when thunder or worries wake me up in the night, I can always count sheep until I’m asleep again—the sheep who, one by one, contributed the wool that lines my wooly den.
PS—Several other companies make wool bedding and/or mattresses, including Shepherd’s Dream, Sonoma Wool Company, and, for futon fans, Small Wonders.
All the other fun stuff we’re up to is on the MDK home page here.
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As a severe allergy sufferer, I am definitely going to check out wool bedding and pillows! It would be worth a lot of money to me to not wake up with sinus headaches all the time. And my husband always complains he’s too cold at night, wool bedding would help with that too.
I have a wool comforter, pillows and mattress topper from Frankenmuth Woolen Mills. They are wonderful. I highly recommend.
Where did you get the comforter? Do you have any thoughts on washable wool bedding vs. non-washable? I know there are some concerns about the environmental impact of the processes to make wool washable. I also wonder if any of the health benefits are lessened by the superwash process. I assume there isn’t research on that yet though.
Fascinating. Thank you, Clara. Wool shopping, coming up!
The link to Millbrook beds is not correct. It looks like the URL is missing an “L”.
It should be in good shape now. Apologies — and thanks for the eagle eyes!
Hello
This is a wonderful article! Who knew wool items for our bed/sleeping needs would have such positive impact. Thanks for sharing.
Suzanne
I love The Woolroom! (Also no affiliation, just a satisfied customer). I now have a wool mattress pad, wool pillows (if they start to get thin you can buy more stuffing for them!), wool comforter, and wool blankets. The comforter is SO cozy to sleep under.
Unfortunately I just upgraded my mattress a few years ago, so the wool stuffed mattress will have to wait a bit.
As we transition to a new home starting later this week, I will be looking into the wool bedding. What perfect timing for this post!
Thank you for the great article. I too am a long time allergy sufferer. I am going to have to try some of these suggestions.
The secret’s out: I wear marino wool undershirts all winter, and sleep in an e-large 100% irish knit cardigan all winter long.
New England here, I sleep in a chilly house, and I love it. But yes, let’s dry up this muddy place!
What an interesting article! As a long time cross-country skier, I am a big believer of the wick away properties of wool. I will be looking into your recommendations! You are a marvelous and funny writer- keep writing! The Daily Respite is a great way to start the day!
I am definitely living the wool life.
I have the Woolroom all season comforter (one thick, one thin layer) that I alternate during the seasons, the thin is cool enough for all but the hottest days of summer and the thick warm enough for the coldest days of winter. The mattress pad I leave on year round and is so comfy. I also sleep in WoolX merino sleepwear, short sleeves for summer and long for winter which is magically both cozy when cold and cool when warm. Watch for sales if you are interested.
Cozy hand-knit sweaters are cozy on chilly days, but merino clothing is the absolute best for travel as it does not need washing as much and can be rinsed out in a sink with travel packets of SOAK; wool dries much more quickly than cotton or synthetics. Yes, there are even merino underpants (I like the ones from Woolly and Icebreaker) that dry super fast. Merino clothing is so comfortable, my everyday wear is now merino tops (countless suppliers for tees, 3/4, and long sleeved tops) and pants (WoolX for winter, Unbound Merino lightweight pants and Ibex culottes for summer) year-round. WoolX has a rewards program and frequent sales and many of the makers of merino clothing have intro discounts, it is an investment.
Love the idea of a merino nightshirt! Also a shearling mattress topper. Thank you for so an educational article!
As a founding flock member of the Wool Channel and devoted follower, baah, I’ve taken your advice over the years and so my partner and I happily sleep on wool pillows from the Woolroom. Its always enlightening to read your letters and watch your monthly shows, I always learn something about this fiber we all love and respect!