Feather & Down Sweet Dreams Self Heating Slumber

 

I suffer from chronic rhinitis, going through spells where its really bad with my nose being either blocked or running like a tap. I never had allergies until I moved to England and it seems to have become worse after menopause. I do find being near or on the coast improves it immensely and when I go home to New Brunswick for a visit I'm almost symptom-free, so I've come to the conclusion that environmental factors are the cause and unfortunately, moving isn't an option. 

Unless I'm having a very bad bout, I try to limit the use of nasal sprays and decongestants to avoid rebound symptoms. Hence I have been looking for alternatives. I spotted Feather & Down on Instagram, an acquaintance has been using the masks for some relief when he has headaches, so I decided to try this set. I thought the warmth around the eye and nose area where the sinuses are, might be helpful.

It comes with a 50 ml pillow spray and three, single-use eye masks. I'll start with the pillow spray.

Feather & Down Sweet Dreams Pillow Spray

The instructions say to liberally spray your pillow then settle down with the mask on. The spray claims to contain essential oils of lavender and chamomile. Looking at the ingredient listing, the oils are almost at the bottom. The first two ingredients are water and parfum (fragrancing) and its the parfum that ruins the pillow spray for me. The scent is very unpleasant and decidedly artificial. I'm just grateful I tried it on something washable other than my bedding!

Verdict: hard pass

The Self Heating Eye Masks

The eye masks come in a sturdy, lightweight package. They are made of a very soft, cotton feeling fabric with a pretty print on the front and soft loops to go over the ears. I'm not a fan of masks that are designed to be strapped around the head as I find they tend to slip around. The loops on this mask are very comfortable and there is less movement when its on your eyes. The reverse is soft cotton and thankfully, they don't seem to be scented.  There are tiny silica-like beads in the padded area and these are the source of the warmth. The pads start to heat up as soon as you open the package and get not hot, but comfortably warm.  I found the heat lasted a good thirty minutes. 

 

I'm not sure it had an appreciable effect on my sinuses, but I wasn't having a bad bout last night. It will be interesting to try the mask when my symptoms are in high gear. 

Having said that, I found the experience very relaxing and soothing. I would suggest lying down in a quiet room with low light and minimal noise, ensuring you are comfortable and warm enough. Perhaps put on soft music or nature sounds like falling rain. I just about fell asleep except I had a snoring Labrador on the bed with me.  The masks are easily stored in your bedside table and would be great to have on hand while travelling. 

Verdict: definite re-purchase!