Apparently I should be more careful about "who" I bring to bed with me. I found out that every time you climb under the covers of the average bed, you’re getting in with millions of dust mytes, dead skin particles and hair that have shed naturally from your body - and that of your pets - nights prior; if you’re unlucky enough, perhaps you even have bedbugs lurking about. Worse, when you wrap yourself in your sheets or bury your face in your pillow (for whatever reason), you’re breathing all of this stuff in!

In my household we have 3 cats that curl up with us every night, and we’re pretty furry creatures ourselves. So perhaps it’s no wonder that I have often woken up feeling congested, or with my eyes and sinuses irritated – like summertime allergies in the dead of winter.

Several months ago we received a set of bed sheets from SmartSilk to try for ourselves. SmartSilk boasts many benefits to their products, especially for asthmatics who are particularly sensitive – both to the allergens normally found in beds, and even the material that some bedding is made out of.

How does it protect you from the aforementioned under-cover nasties?

SmartSilk outlines that their sheets act as a barrier against dust mites and pet dander, as well as repelling bedbugs. Other mentioned benefits of the special material include: mold and mildew resistance, moisture wicking properties that potentially reduce night sweats, odour resistance, and fire retardance to boot. And for such a unique material, you might be surprised to know that it is machine washable and dryable.

We tried it out for ourselves. The SmartSilk mattress pad, pillow protectors, and duvet went under our own fitted sheet, pillow cases, and duvet cover. The SmartSilk duvet is pretty thin for our cold Canadian winters, so we needed to put a few more blankets on top – however the duvet remained between us and the rest of the non-SmartSilk blankets.

My first night sleeping with these sheets wasn’t as satisfactory as I had hoped. The weight and flexibility of the duvet took some getting used to, and I found that the pillow protectors cause something of a rustling noise whenever I rolled over.

Nevertheless, I quickly got used to this and for the past two months I have been waking up in the morning without the irritated eyes or the stuffy nose. In fact, I honestly plan to continue using the SmartSilk bedding, even after this review is done and published.

The only drawback for others who want to get their hands on this product, may be that the price is a little steep for some. For our Queen sized bed, the mattress pad would go for $275, the pillow protectors for $40, and the duvet for $350. The full bedding set (including pillows) goes for just under $650.

So SmartSilk provides a quality product that solves or reduces a number of health problems that can exist with conventional bedding. If you have the money to spend, and are concerned or affected by some of these health issues, then I’m certain these sheets are well worth the investment.