While not always easy, a good night's sleep is a necessity whether traveling or tucking in at home or suffering from allergies. Dr. James B. Maas, sleep educator and author, has partnered with United Feather & Down for additions to his namesake bedding collection.

"To be a peak performer, you need to be sharp, energetic, alert and in a good mood, and it's not possible without quality sleep on the right bedding," says Maas. "Drawing from my research, United Feather & Down and I have designed what I feel to be the most functional bedding on the market today — products that not only help you sleep better, but that can also increase your daytime performance."

Inspired by Maas' work in the field of sleep and performance, these bedding collections are constructed from fabric and filled with enhanced features and benefits to improve both the quality of nighttime sleep and daytime performance.

Each product is packaged with a free booklet, "How to Get Eight Hours of Sleep," containing sleep tips and research excerpted from his newly published book, "Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired To Ask."

The collections include:

— Sleep for Success!: This bedding collection features natural TENCEL lyocell fibers in the fabric and fills for moisture management and temperature regulation. Pillows feature unique constructions specially designed for side, back and stomach sleep positions to improve head, neck and spine alignment.

— Sleep for Success! Stress Ease: Therapeutic pillows for travel or the home feature Stress Ease Hot and Cold therapy pack and pillow protectors for maximum relief from stress, minor aches and pains. Styles offered include the Comfort Reader, an adjustable lower back support pillow, a travel pillow that converts to a quilted pillow protector to fit over hotel pillows, a neck support pillow and a body pillow.

— Allergy Relief: These bedding products feature United Feather & Down's proprietary SilverFill down-alternative fill made with pure silver fibers to provide natural, safe and chemical-free antibacterial protection and allergy relief from the inside out.

"We're pleased to expand our partnership with Dr. Maas, offering even more products that will help Americans get the quality of sleep they deserve," says Bob Hickman, vice president of sales and marketing for United Feather & Down. "We know that nearly half of Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. If we can help part of that group get a better night's sleep, we're thrilled."

Maas has been working on an informal basis with United Feather & Down for over 10 years. Several years ago, he looked to the company to develop a toddler pillow to accompany his children's sleep book, "Remmy and the Brain Train."

As professor of psychology at Cornell University, Maas teaches the nation's largest single lecture class to more than 1,300 students each year. He is also a sought-after corporate speaker to groups looking to improve performance through better sleep.

Founded in 1797, United Feather & Down is a family-owned manufacturer and marketer of innovative bedding products for the consumer and hospitality industries.

For more information on Sleep for Success!, call 607-255-6302 or visit www.sleepforsuccess.info. For more information on United Feather & Down, call 847-296-6500 or visit www.ufandd.com.

Getting a good night's sleep will help increase your daily productivity. Bedding, from sheets to pillows, is a great place to start. Photo courtesy of United Feather & Down/Dr. James B. Maas.

Maggie Reed may be reached at [email protected]. To find out more about Maggie Reed and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.