We often hear stories of people who are allergic to feathers or down, when that’s not entirely true.

The British Medical Journal conducted a research study into what really causes people to have allergic reactions or even astmathic attacks when in bed. They compared the amount of reactions and attacks that occurred in patients who slept under polyester bedding and patients that slept under bedding composed of down and feathers. The differences were substantial and the cause of those is not entirely subscribable to the chosen bedding materials, but rather to a much smaller culprit: dust-mites. 

The insect is at home in warm, between 17 and 32 degrees celsius, and humid environments, up to 80 percent humidity. Those two factors come together in one place, the bed. That’s why dust-mites are more commonly found in summer than in winter in many European and North-American countries, whereas they are unheard of in Middle-Eastern countries where the air is far too dry and the climate far too hot.

It’s not so much the insect itself that people are allergic to, but rather the allergens that it carries. That’s why it’s important for those of us that suffer from allergies to choose bedding that dust-mites are not fans of. The study conducted by the British Medical Journal showed that dust-mites feel at home more so in polyester than in down or feathers, the latter of which they are absolutely no fans of. The participants that slept under bedding made of real down and feathers were visibly less troubled by allergic reactions or even astmathic attacks.

Ultimately only 1 in one million people are actually allergic to down or feathers pre treatment, meaning the materials have not yet been thoroughly cleaned, which they always are when used in pillows or duvets. ​ 

Dit ontkracht niet alleen de mythe dat mensen allergisch zijn aan veren of dons, maar legt eveneens de echte oorzaak van sommige allergieën bloot.