Which Is The Best Anti-allergy Pillow On The UK Market?

If you often wake up with a stuffy nose and itchy eyes, your pillow is likely to blame.

Pillows are perfect homes for a wide range of allergens, with dust mites being the most common residents. Dust can also accumulate on the cover or the filling, causing frequent allergic flare-ups.

Even if the pillow feels comfortable, allergens can make it impossible to sleep well. You’ll wake up more frequently at night and never really get a chance to settle into deep restful sleep.

To improve your sleep, and health, we recommend changing your pillow. There are various types of pillows out there. Look specifically for anti-allergy or hypoallergenic pillows.

Anti-allergy pillows are treated to make the pillow inhospitable to dust mites. Others have a tightly woven case that doesn’t allow dust mites and other allergens through.

Hypoallergenic pillows make use of natural materials that are naturally hypoallergenic. Examples include natural latex, wool, silk and down.

What to Consider When Buying an Anti-allergy Pillow

a) Filling

The filling should be hypoallergenic or anti-allergy.

Look for pillows with a natural filling like wool or latex. These are naturally resistant to dust mites.

Wool for instance, is highly breathable. It absorbs moisture from your body and dissipates it into the air. This leaves the wool too dry for dust mites to survive.

If you are looking for a fibrefill pillow, make sure the fibre has anti-allergy treatment and a tightly woven casing.

Standard fibrefill/down-alternative pillows can actually harbour more dust mites than natural down pillows. So it’s important that you get one that has been designed specifically to keep away allergens.

b) Cover

The pillow cover should also be hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites and dust.

Look for cotton cover with a tight weave and a high thread count that blocks most allergens from passing through.

One advantage of cotton is that it’s very breathable and easily absorbs moisture. It feels cool against your skin.

Obviously, the cover should be removable and safe to wash by hand or in a washing machine.

c) Comfort and Support

Don’t just consider the anti-allergy properties of the pillow. It must also be comfortable and supportive or else all that anti-allergy protection will be for nothing.

There are three factors to consider when it comes to a pillow’s comfort.

  • Firmness: The feel of a pillow can range from plush and soft to firm. Side and back sleepers need a medium to firm pillow while stomach sleepers will find firmer pillows to be more comfortable.
  • Loft: Loft refers to the thickness of the pillow. It ranges from 3” for flat pillows to more than 6” for thick ones. The ideal loft depends on how wide your shoulders are and your sleeping position. If you sleep on your stomach, a low profile pillow (3” or less) is ideal. For side sleepers or people with wide shoulders, a higher pillow (4”-6”) will be better. For back sleepers, look for a medium loft pillow (3”-5”).
  • Design: If you have neck or shoulder pain, look for an orthopaedic cervical pillow. It has a contoured design that provides targeted support to your neck, shoulders and head.

d) Cleaning

If you suffer from dust mite allergy, get a pillow that you can wash.

Regularly washing the pillow with hot water greatly helps get rid of dust mites.

Most anti-allergy fibrefill pillows are safe to clean in a washing machine.

If the pillow is not washable, make sure that the cover is at least removable and washable.

Reviews of the Best Anti-allergy Pillows [UK Market]

1. HALL-MARK Anti-Allergy Pillows, Pack of 2

These pillows use two techniques to keep away dust mites and other allergens.

One, the hollow fibre filling has anti-allergy treatment that discourages dust mites from settling inside the pillow. The fibre also protects against bacteria and mould.

Two, the pillows have a high-thread count (240 thread count) cotton cover that keeps dust and dust mites out.

In terms of comfort, the HALL-MARK pillows don’t disappoint.

The hollow fibre filling is soft and flush but still feels supportive. It hugs your head and neck while also ensuring proper alignment with your spine.

Unlike most fibrefill pillows, the HALL-MARK pillows spring back in shape as soon as you lift your head. So you don’t need to plump the pillow every time you go to bed.

The cotton cover ensures you don’t get hot or stuffy at night.

It’s easy to keep the pillow clean.

You can remove the cover and wash it. You can also machine wash the entire pillow at 40C.

The set consists of two pillows, each measuring 74 by 48cm.

What we like about it:

  • Great value – two pillows at an affordable price.
  • Machine washable.
  • Comfortable for back and side sleepers.
  • Anti-allergy filling and cover.

2. Dunlopillo Anti Allergy Pillow, Twin Pack

This is another good option if you love the soft plush feel of microfiber pillows.

The anti-allergy filling reduces the amount of dust and dust mites in the pillow. The high thread count cotton cover also helps keep away allergens.

These are medium-loft pillows. They are ideal for side, back and combo sleepers. Some stomach sleepers will also find them comfortable enough.

The cotton cover keeps your face cool and sweat-free, no matter the season. You can remove it for washing.

The entire pillow is also machine washable, which helps keep allergen levels low. Just make sure you follow the cleaning instructions included with the pillows.

What we like about it:

  • Anti-allergy filling and cover.
  • Machine washable.
  • Sleeps cool.
  • Comfortable for most types of sleepers.

3. Utopia Bedding Gusseted Quilted Hypoallergenic Pillows

Get this pack if you are looking for budget hypoallergenic pillows. It’s a set of two pillows.

The pillows are filled with a special hypoallergenic microfiber blend that reduces allergic reactions. He high thread count cover block dust mites, dust, pollen and other allergens from settling inside the pillow.

As for comfort, the Utopia pillows are great for those who love the plush soft feel of microfiber pillows. The fibre filling hugs your neck and head but is still firm enough to keep your head elevated at just the right height.

To fully plump up the pillows, the manufacturer recommends leaving the pillows for 48-72 hours to allow them to expand.

You can also try leaving them for a few hours in the hot sun or put them in the dryer with two tennis balls. Tumble dry on low for an hour. The tennis balls will hit the pillows and fluff them up.

Every few weeks, fluff the pillows again to keep them from going flat.

The pillows have a medium-loft. They are ideal for back and side sleepers.

Though they are not as cool as latex pillows, the cotton cover helps a bit. But the pillow may feel stuffy on warm nights.

For cleaning, the manufacturer recommends machine washing on a gentle cycle with cold water and mild detergent.

Even better, hand wash the pillows to avoid any deterioration.

You can dry them in the dryer but air-drying is best. Make sure they are completely dry to prevent mould.

Each pillow measures 45 by 74cm.

What we like about it:

  • Soft and plush yet supportive.
  • Anti-allergy filling.
  • Machine washable.

4. MASVIS Hotel Quality Bed Hypoallergenic Pillow

MASVIS compares their hypoallergenic pillow to plush hotel pillows. The polyester filling certainly has the same soft and fluffy feel of microfiber hotel pillows.

It feels really comfortable and provides great support for your head and neck.

The polyester filling and cotton cover are both hypoallergenic. If your feather or down pillow has been worsening your asthma or causing allergy flare-ups, try the MASVIS pillow.

It is resistant to dust mites, dust, mould and mildew.

In terms of feel, the MASVIS pillow is medium firm. It’s perfect for side and back sleepers. Most combo sleepers will also find it comfortable as they shift between different sleeping positions.

The pillow sleeps fairly cool, though people with hot flashes or night sweats might find it a bit stuffy. The cotton cover helps dissipate some of the heat and sweat.

You can choose a single or double pack. The double pack has the best value.

Each pillow measures 74 by 48cm.

What we like about it:

  • Plush and comfortable.
  • Anti-allergy fill and cover.
  • Breathable cotton cover.

5. Original Sleep Company Pure Cotton Anti Allergy Pillow Pair

If you have asthma, eczema, acne or allergy, this is one of the best microfiber pillows. The spiral fibre filling is resistant to mould, mildew, dust mites, dust and other allergens.

In addition, the pillow comes with a pure cotton cover that ensures you don’t breathe in any allergens and your skin doesn’t come into contact with them.

The spiral filling feels more responsive than standard fibrefill. It regains its shape quickly after you wake up, meaning you don’t need to keep fluffing it.

The pillow is machine washable, which helps keep allergen levels low.

If you don’t want to wash the entire pillow, you can just clean the removable cotton cover.

The pillow comes in just one size – 48 by 74cm.

What we like about it:

  • Great for allergy sufferers and those with eczema or acne.
  • Spiral fill stays plump and fluffy.
  • Machine washable.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do anti allergy pillows work?

Anti allergy pillows help you to get a good night’s sleep by reducing the causes of night time allergies and snuffles, which are usually dust mites and fungal spores. They do this in one of two ways:

  • Repelling the allergens. If you have this type of anti allergy pillow, it will keep away the mites and spores that cause you difficulty at night. Materials like wool do this very well, because it provides a cool, dry environment rather than a warm, moist one, so the things that cause the allergies cannot survive.
  • Trapping the allergens. Other types of anti allergy pillows will actually contain the things that cause snuffles, itching and sneezing, and prevent them from being dispersed around your bed and causing your problems. This type of anti allergy pillow is usually made from synthetic fibres.

Whichever way they do it, anti allergy pillows will prevent the allergens from getting to you and causing the irritating reactions that can impair your sleeping. If you suffer with sneezing, itching, blocked nose or overheating at night, it is well worth looking into anti allergy pillows.

2. What does ‘anti allergy’ mean?

Generally, night time allergy reactions are related to dust mites – tiny little pests which are present in just about every area of your home where they can feast on their favourite food of dead skin cells.

Anti allergy, in terms of pillows, means removing the problem of these little mites, either by trapping them in the fibres so that they can’t run riot around your sleeping form, or by repelling them completely so that they don’t come anywhere near you.

Some anti allergy pillow contain bug repellents because of the way they are made, others make sure the bugs can’t get near you. You may have to shop around a little before you find the perfect anti allergy pillow for you.

3. Where to buy an anti allergy pillow?

Any bed supplying shop worth it’s salt should stock a range of anti allergy pillows, so you can go in and browse the bargains and choose your best anti allergy pillow. You can also talk to a representative and get advice about which is the best pillow for you.

These pillows are also available at several large department stores, making them a very accessible purchase. As with just about everything on the planet, these pillows are also available online, so you can just browse through internet listings until you have found the perfect anti allergy pillow for you.

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