The Natural Choice: 6 Amazing Benefits of Wool Mattresses and Toppers

We’re not sure if you’ve noticed yet, but we love wool!

Ever since the beginning of our company, when we knew there had to be a better solution to a comfortable sleep surface than synthetic materials and toxic chemicals, wool has been our go-to fiber, for so many reasons:

• Wool is natural. It’s as close to nature as we can get, cleaned with organic soap. Nothing else is added, nothing else is needed.
• Wool is sustainable. We’re all about those circular economy ethics! Wool comes from the Earth and returns safely back to it, unlike the 50,000 synthetic mattresses entering our landfills daily.
• Wool is healthy. No chemicals, no toxins, nothing shady. Creates a beneficial sleep environment for everyone, including those with allergies, asthma and sensitivities. 

 

Over the years, we’ve covered nearly every angle there is to the wool story. There’s a reason it’s the superhero of our products, and we love to share how amazing it is! Let’s revisit six of our most popular posts about the wonders of wool.

Helps You Keep Your Cool

“Won’t a wool mattress make me hot?”

This is a common question we get about our wool mattresses and wool mattress toppers— and we’ve got some good news for you! Wool is actually the perfect material for anyone who sleeps hot or needs bedding that can handle hotter climates. 

Wool is breathable, meaning it allows for airflow. Wool wicks moisture, meaning it takes any sweat away from the surface of the fiber and brings it into its core. Meaning, you sleep cool and dry, no matter how hot you get. 

This is in contrast to synthetic fabrics and materials. Memory foam mattresses are notorious for a lack of breathability, which can lead to uncomfortably hot and clammy sleep conditions. And if your mattress is wrapped in synthetic fabric, it can help heat build up and cause more moisture loss overnight. With all the focus on proper hydration these days, who needs that?!

A wool mattress, wool mattress topper, and wool bedding can be just what your body needs to rest easy. Learn more about wool’s temperature regulating properties here and here.

The Magic of Wool Toppers

It can seem a bit extra to add a wool topper to a mattress, but there are so many great reasons to do so.

Our wool mattress is stuffed full with EcoWool® batting to account for natural compression that will occur over time. So for those desiring a softer feel next to their body, our wool toppers create that cloud-like experience. It’s also a wonderfully affordable way to get familiar with wool’s benefits before committing to the full set-up—our wool toppers top any mattress. 

We’ve got three options:

• Snuggle Mate Wool Topper. Three inches of EcoWool cushions your body and lulls you into dreamland every night. 
• Ashland Organic Wool Topper. Certified organic luxury. 
• Travel Mate Wool Topper. A wool topper to take with you on the road!  

Learn more about our wool mattress topper and its benefits here. 

Chemicals? Not Here.

Shepherd’s Dream was founded as a response to federal regulations requiring flame resistant mattresses and bedding. Most companies decided to go the chemical route to prevent their synthetic materials from incinerating and melting, but we knew a secret—wool is naturally flame resistant without the help of any chemicals. 

These chemicals are shown to cause health problems for humans, wildlife, and our planet. They pollute land and water. 

Then once they’re in your bedroom, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) offgas into your breathing space, aggravating asthma, allergies, and sensitivities. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor VOC levels can be up to 10 times higher than outside. 

Given that VOCs and flame resistant chemicals have both been shown to be involved in health issues such as neurological damage, hormone disruption, and cancers, we feel it’s just not worth the risk. Our wool mattress isn’t just comfortable, high-quality, and beautiful, but it’s also the safest mattress money can buy. 

Learn more here. 

Mattress Pad Versus Topper: Which One?

What’s the difference between a wool mattress topper and a wool mattress pad? Not much, as it turns out.

Wool toppers and wool mattress pads are the same product. We use the term “topper” for our mattress products because we feel it’s more descriptive of the soft and fluffy character of the wool encased within the organic cotton sateen fabric. We use “pad” for our Stargazer Travel Pad (also found in our Polaris Travel Set) because it’s like a mini mattress topper that travels with you and can go on the floor, on a mattress, on a sofa, or in a tent. 

Either way you describe it, we hope that everyone can still find exactly what they’re looking for. Let us know if we can help! And in the meantime, learn more here. 

You Can Take It With You!

Many wool bedding lovers get so attached to their all-natural, luxuriously cozy bedrooms, that it can be hard to leave and sleep anywhere else! This is especially true if you have some aches and pains that need special care, and if you notice allergies or sensitivities from synthetic bedding. 

While we don’t recommend trying to bring your wool mattress with you, we do make several other products to accompany you on your journeys, including a travel version of our wool topper! Check out this post on our Stargazer Travel Pad, and this post for more products of ours that travel well. 

Common Wool Myths Dispelled

A few common refrains we hear as a wool mattress company: “What if I have a wool allergy?” and “Isn’t wool itchy?”

Luckily, we have good news for both, and we covered it here. 

What most people associate as being a possible wool allergy is that they had a wool sweater at one time that made their skin itchy. But this is due to the nature of wool fibers and how they can irritate sensitive skin, not an allergy. Any actual allergies are to the fatty lanolin on the fibers, and researchers have found this to be incredibly rare.

And as far as wool being itchy, the wool within our products won’t come next to your skin, and any that are made to do so are super soft. Check out our organic cotton sheets and wool blankets.

So the good news is there aren’t any worries about itchiness or allergies with our wool mattress or wool toppers!

Thanks for reading! We’ve got more on Instagram and Pinterest, where we share our love of  wool, sustainability, and an all-natural lifestyle. Until next time, sweet dreams!