Studies show that our choice of bedding directly affects the quality of our sleep, our mood, and in some cases our health.  Luckily, our choices today are endless when it comes to dressing our beds, but it has not always been so.  The employment of high style textile design for the home has converted what was formerly a luxury feature into a commodity.  And the recent advent of the master suite as a coveted private retreat has prodded this evolution of textile design, bringing us limitless choices in color and patterns for bedding.

When we check into a hotel room, the number one benchmark by which we gauge the room is the bed, and wise hoteliers know this.  Beds signify comfort and relaxation.  Our lives today are such that we work hard, we play hard, and we want to rest gently and in comfort.  And though not everyone can afford an expensive place of respite with expensive furnishings, we all can certainly create places where we can enjoy the serenity of sleep in a chic and imaginative environment that makes us feel good.  And stylish new linens can help achieve that with very little cost and effort.

Thread Count

In addition to extensive color and design choices for bed linens, there is a wide variety of materials, weaves and finishes from which to choose.  While everyone has heard of thread count, a common myth states the higher the thread count, the higher quality the sheet.  However, there are many factors that contribute to a sheet’s quality and thread count is but one.  Thread count is merely the count of threads in a 1” x 1” fabric square.  Today some factories twist multiple strands of very short threads together to amplify the thread count.  This twisting technique really doesn’t harm the quality of the sheet, but it does present an inaccurate picture of thread count.  So don’t get caught up in thread count when selecting your sheets.

Choices of Material

Cotton, bamboo, silk and synthetics are the sheeting materials most commonly obtainable today.  Cotton remains a perennial favorite for sheets in most hotels and homes.   Everyone loves cotton for its soft feel and the fact that cotton sheets breathe, providing a better sleeping experience.   If there is a downside to cotton, it’s the fact that it takes excessive amounts of water to grow and process, and it is often subjected to pesticides.

Silk sheets are the most expensive, require the most care, and don’t last as long as other sheets, but they are said to minimize wrinkles and benefit your skin via essential amino acids found organically in the silk.  If silk sheets are not an option financially, buying a set of silk pillowcases is a great way to actually experience the benefits associated with silk.

Meanwhile, bamboo products of all types have recently stormed the marketplace, and bamboo sheets are a part of that movement.   Their benefits are that they are soft, anti-microbial, odor resistant and durable.  And actually, bamboo sheets are biodegradable and eco-friendly, and thus, very popular with environmentally savvy university students, who often put them on their college essentials lists for mothers to fulfill.

But, the most popular sheets are made from synthetics and blends.  They are inexpensive and for many, that seems to be their chief redeeming quality.  They do hold color longer, but because they’re man made, they don’t breathe, making it difficult to maintain a steady body temperature.  Satin sheets are a popular synthetic option and are known for their slippery, sensuous feel.  And as is common with synthetics, they do tend to be cold when you get under them and hot after you’ve settled in.

Choose Wisely and Sleep Warm

The need for comfort touches us all and everyone can agree that a good night’s rest is important.  Comfortable, beautifully designed bed linens are a necessary component by which to make that happen.  So change your sheets.  Change your décor.  Change your environment.  And maybe even change your health in the process.  And once you do, you will never again think the same way about how your bedroom is styled and adorned.

 

Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 27 April, 2012

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