Sleep accounts for a third of your life

Not only does sleep account for a third of your life, but it is an integral part of your performance in the other two-thirds. We spend our sleep hours at rest while our body heals and recharges for the next day’s activities. With this high dependency on quality sleep, it would make a great argument to support investing in quality tools that benefit a perfect night’s sleep, right down to choosing the best bed sheets.

When we think of investing in a perfect night’s sleep – the first idea is a quality mattress, because it is likely the most expensive investment. To justify the cost, a good amount of research goes into the purchase with our quest for the perfect night’s sleep. You may seek a guarantee because of the amount of the investment, up to and over a thousand dollars. A fashionable bed is next to frame around the mattress, then the perfect puffy pillows to create Instagram perfection.

Few realize the importance your bedsheets are to a perfect night’s sleep! Many think the tossing and turning is just a way of life, but the sensation of hot/cold and cool/dry effects often reflect the fabric and quality of your bedsheets.  You could have the most beautiful made-up bed on the internet, but your sheets may be impeding the ability to enjoy the perfect night’s sleep.

If you’ve already tried aromatherapy and sleep apps with white noise, and even changed your diet to find yourself still tossing and turning, consider a thoughtful selection of your next bedsheets, instead.

Sleep science that is!

A massive distraction complaint from restless sleepers preventing a perfect night’s sleep comes from body temperature. You’re either too hot or too cold, and it changes throughout the night as you sleep. As we sleep and our systems slow down at rest, our body expels heat to decrease our body temperature. When this occurs, the slightest change disrupts everything.

A frequent contributor to this phenomenon is using synthetic fibers in our bedsheets. Polyester and other synthetic blended sheets were introduced and applauded for their durability and wrinkle-free softness long ago. What we learned is that these synthetic fabrics don’t breathe nearly as well as natural fibers. Our body heat becomes trapped and overrides our natural process of expelling heat. That trapped heat encapsulates us beneath the sheets and raises our body temperature. This is what causes sweat and discomfort as you toss and turn, missing out on that perfect night’s sleep.

Choosing the perfect fabric for your bedsheets

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend a single fabric that meets everybody’s needs for a perfect night’s sleep. What we can do instead is list the attributes of different fabric selections to assist you in making a selection based on your personal needs.

Again, avoid synthetics

No matter how perfect the pattern with a matching comforter and shams, you want to resist the urge for synthetic or blended fabric if you get hot at night. They usually aren’t on the list of luxury sheets and why would you want anything less? You will find synthetics in those complete bed sets. The softness of satin and other polyester blends is cool to the touch and tempting when you first feel it, but so is vinyl, and a few hours under these sheets will trap air and make you feel overheated in no time.

Natural fabrics make a better choice for bed sheets to keep you comfortable all night long for the perfect night’s sleep. Cotton is the original top-performing fabric, known for its durability. In addition to strength, cotton is breathable, soft, and absorbent. These qualities regulate your body temperature and wick away moisture. This allows air to pass through the fabric, keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, for a perfect night’s sleep all year long.

Thread Type

Threads are the material that is woven into your sheets. Each thread type has unique fiber qualities to enhance the perfect night’s sleep.

Cotton: 

Cotton sheet prices vary by the length of the fibers used to weave the fabric itself. Both varieties breathe well for regulating your body temperature. Regular cotton sheets cost less than the longer fiber varieties of Egyptian or Pima and not as durable, but softer to the touch. Organic cotton varieties are grown free from pesticide use.

Egyptian cotton: 

This thread is highly favored, so much that even a love song exists about them. The Egyptian cotton variety is one with long, supple fibers to create an incredibly soft and breathable fabric. It’s like sleeping on a cloud.

Pima or Peruvian cotton:

This cotton thread is long and similar to Egyptian cotton luxury sheets. The critical difference is the point of origin. This thread only comes from Peru.

Silk, modal, and bamboo: 

All of these natural fiber threads are renowned for absorbency and softness. A more economic variety is a blend of bamboo with another thread, such as cotton. These blended sheets are known for their strength and softness.

Weave Method

Another detail to consider for your perfect night’s sleep is how the fabric is woven. The weave method refers to the way that the threads come together to create the fabric itself. Your choice is one of personal preference.

Percale: 

If you prefer a fresh crisp feeling bed sheet, then you will love Percale sheets, especially on warm summer nights. A traditional over-under method is used in weaving these classics.

Sateen: 

Think smooth like satin but with natural breathability and absorbency of cotton. If you prefer soft over crisp, sateen sheets are luxuriously soft and smooth. With a sateen weave, more threads are over the top of the weave, creating that smoothness you are looking for.

Organic

Some report that anxiety might heighten from the toxic materials in bedsheet fabrics. These toxins come from the pesticides used on the plants that are used to make the fibers for your sheets. If you share those concerns, organic sheet fabrics are free of any pesticides.

Don’t put all of your faith in thread count claims

Yes, there has been much hype in recent years around thread count equaling higher luxury. In reality, higher thread count doesn’t guarantee better quality at all. Thread counts greater than 500 are likely a blend of threads woven together. Some of these higher thread counts use synthetic finishes that eventually dissipates. Think of lacquer on the thread that washes away. If you ever purchased a high thread count at a discount and noticed that it just doesn’t feel the same this year as it did when you bought it, now you know why.

So now you know – and it’s time to explore

Congratulations! You’ve now done some research into your investment, and you’re ready to find the perfect sheets to give you the perfect night’s sleep.