Drift Off to Dreamland: The Lowdown on Bed Sheets and Mattress Toppers
Just as diet and exercise, sleep also plays a crucial part in your overall wellbeing. After all, it allows your body to relax and repair, which is essential for living a healthy lifestyle. Sleep also enhances your cognition and reduces your risk of being overweight and developing chronic disease. Unfortunately, research has shown that only 40% of the population actually gets proper sleep.
When it comes to improving sleep, mattress quality and pre-bedtime activities are commonly discussed aspects. But it turns out that bedsheets and pillowcases are equally as important for feeling revitalised and well-rested when you get up in the morning. Also, if a bad mattress is the main reason you can’t get any shuteye, there’s a less expensive fix than buying a brand new one – a mattress topper. That said, let’s discuss in detail these important bedroom elements – sheets and bed toppers.
What Type of Sheets Is Best for Sleeping?
Flat vs Fitted Sheets
Flat sheets, as the name implies, are rectangular pieces of fabric that lie totally flat on any surface. A fitted sheet, on the other hand, has elasticated corners and is used to guarantee a snug, secure fit over a mattress. When looking for a fitted bed sheet, keep in mind that some stores refer to them as bottom sheets. These are the sheets that you lay immediately on top of.
Flat sheets, often known as top sheets, are typically used over fitted sheets. Bamboo Harbor’s sheets not only make the bed look more inviting, but they also help to keep your duvet covers and blankets clean.
Flat and fitted sheets should be combined to make the perfect bedspread. Despite this, some people just use a fitted bed sheet, ignoring the flat sheet entirely. That’s because, while flat sheets give a layer of comfort and protection, they also need more upkeep and effort when it comes to making the bed.
Material
If you tend to experience periods of overheating while you sleep, disrupting your sleep cycle and making it difficult to get comfortable and fall back asleep, your bedding is likely to blame. That is because certain bedding fabrics don’t allow for proper airflow, which means that any extra heat and perspiration from your body cannot circulate through your bedding. Instead, it stays trapped within your sheets, causing you to overheat.
Breathable materials, on the other hand, allow extra heat to circulate thoroughly, keeping you at a comfortable temperature all night long. Bedding that irritates your skin also won’t allow you to sleep well. Whether you enjoy soft cozy bedding or prefer cool-to-the-touch sheets, there is a bedsheet fabric just for you.
Different Types of Cotton
The most common bedsheet material is cotton since it’s breathable, easy to care for, and keeps you cool. Cotton sheets get softer and smoother over time and with washing without sacrificing their durability. However, not all cotton varieties are equal; some outperform others.
Egyptian
Egyptian cotton has a smooth finish and is incredibly durable. In fact, it is the highest quality cotton you can find. Made with an extra-long staple (the longest cotton fibre available), you’ll have to pay a great deal of money for an Egyptian cotton sheet.
Pima
Similar to Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton is also made with long-staple, is high quality, durable and luxuriously soft. The only difference is that it isn’t as expensive as Egyptian cotton.
Upland
This is the most widely available type of cotton and is made of short-staple fibres. Cotton labels that say 100% cotton are usually upland. Upland is not as soft as the other varieties, despite its durability.
Flannel
This type of cotton is shredded and the individual yarns are shaved to liberate fibres, leading to a thicker, fuzzier feel. Due to their plain or twill wave, flannel cotton sheets are also soft and pliable, making them more suitable for cold weather.
Jersey
This sort of cotton fibre is soft and ready to use, making sheets that are simple to clean. Jersey cotton, on the other hand, tends to pill with age and isn’t really luxurious. It’s less durable than other cotton sheets, and it readily stretches out due to its malleable nature.
Linen
If you sleep hot or have allergies, linen can help because it is a naturally cooling and hypoallergenic material. The rigidity of linen, on the other hand, is a drawback for some, but it does soften with washing and time. Even so, linen will never match the suppleness of cotton.
Silk
Silk is a natural material made by silkworms a production process that requires delicate care. This fact makes silk sheets a pricer option. Cool and luxurious, silk sheets also tend to be challenging to care for and maintain.
Satin
Made from synthetic fibres, satin has a seductive appearance, making them ideal for adding some romance to the room. When shopping for a satin sheet, check if it’s woven or knit. That’s because woven satin is smoother than knit satin.
Sheet Weaves
The materials used in your sheets decide how their surface feels on the skin, but the manner they are weaved in can affect how stiff, soft, or thick they are.
Percale
Made from cotton, percale sheets have a plain weave – one yarn over, one yarn down. This type of weave gives the sheet a matte, crisp finish. Percale sheets are ideal for hot sleepers and warm weather. With each wash, these sheets become softer. However, because they are not wrinkle-resistant, it is best to remove them from the dryer as soon as the cycle is through.
Sateen
Despite their similar appearances, sateen and satin sheets should not be mixed up. Sateen sheets are called so because of their sateen weave structure (one under, three over), however, instead of filament fibres like in sateen, yarn is used (as a side note, if you are looking into possibly making your own sateen sheets you may buy acrylic yarn online here). Sateen sheets are just as gorgeous and silky smooth as satin sheets, despite the texture variances. They’re not as long-lasting as percale sheets, but they’re better for cold sleepers in cooler weather.
Thread Count
Thread count refers to the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square cm of material. So, you may wonder, what is the best thread count for sheets? The greater the number, the smoother and more durable the sheet will be, as a rule of thumb. Thread count used to be a major consideration when purchasing sheets, but nowadays, the overall quality is more important.
When searching for sheets, keep in mind that certain fabrics have fewer threads than others yet are still fairly durable. Linen bedding is an excellent example. Linen sheets frequently have a low thread count, with a thread count of 120 for a high-quality linen sheet. A thread count of at least 500 is required for a high-quality cotton sheet.
Consider Investing in a Bed Topper
Does your mattress provide you excellent back support, but you still miss that sinking feeling? Bed toppers are used as an additional layer on top of the bed, allowing you to sink into it while getting firm support from your mattress. Their function is to ensure that you get enhanced comfort while offering some protection to your mattress. With a mattress topper, any spills and signs of wear and tear won’t make their way to the mattress. Choose a washable model to make maintaining it a lot easier. But their benefits don’t stop here.
If you tend to get hot while you sleep, a mattress topper with heat reduction technology can help address this problem. These mattress toppers have the ability to regulate your body temperature, allowing you to sleep comfortably all night long.
If you suffer from allergies, a mattress topper can help you with that too. Mattresses are known for accumulating allergens like dust, mites, etc, all of which can flare up your allergy. Considering the fact that mattresses are often bulk and hard to move and clean, a mattress topper offers a solution to this issue by being lighter and easy to wash. Plus, you can also opt for hypoallergenic materials when shopping for bed toppers. That way, any allergies will be actively repelled by the mattress topper, and you won’t have to wake up coughing.
If you tend to feel every movement made by your companion as he/she sleeps, you probably aren’t getting much rest. A mattress topper can help you with that too. It will cushion the impact of your partner’s movements, allowing you to get some much-needed zzzs.