Slipping between comfy bedsheets at the end of a long day is one of life’s little luxuries. Shopping for said bedsheets? Far from dreamy. With a staggering number of options and factors to consider, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Cotton, linen, Tencel…Thread count, weave, wash instructions…And we haven’t even touched on the great top sheet debate.
But finding a sheet set that feels just right for you is well worth it: Creating a cozy sleep environment can lead to high-quality Z’s, which is important for your overall health. “You’re literally going to spend a third of your life in bed,” Saana Baker, a textile designer and consultant with 25 years of experience based in San Francisco, tells SELF. “So the right sheets do make a difference.”
To streamline the amount of time (and stress!) between scrolling and snoozing, we’ve put together this sheet buying guide that breaks down all the key considerations and lingo you’ll come across when perusing your choices.
Your personal preferences and sleep tendencies will lead you to the right type of sheet for you, and here are a few quick questions to think about before you type anything into your search bar. Angela Holliday-Bell, MD, a pediatrician and primary care physician at UChicago Medicine who specializes in healthy sleep habits, encourages you to consider how breathable the fabric is—will that help you stay cool at night? And do you have allergies that some fabrics could trigger (either because you’re allergic to the material itself or because it tends to trap dust)? Last but not least: “Is it something that you personally find comfortable?” Dr. Holliday-Bell tells SELF.
Cotton
Highlights of cotton
Did someone say fabric all-star? Cotton is “probably the most important fiber in sheeting and the biggest seller,” Baker says; it accounts for up to 35% of the textile market, according to some estimates. That’s in no small part thanks to its long list of perks—cotton sheets are soft, breathable, high quality, and biodegradable. The material can also be treated in different ways to change its look and feel.
Take, for example, the different weave structures cotton can have (a.k.a. the way the yarn is interlaced). Two of the most popular weaves are sateen and percale, and they result in very different-feeling sheets. Percale is a plain weave, meaning one thread goes under, one goes over. It creates sheets that feel crispy and a little more tailored with a matte finish. Sateen sheets, on the other hand, have a weave with fewer interlacings, and they tend to be drapey and shiny. “They’re not made of silk, but they have a silky quality,” Baker says.
You’ll also want to pay attention to the staple—or the length of the little fibers that come together to create the yarn—when shopping for cotton sheets. Long-staple cotton is smoother and lasts longer, Baker explains, and high-quality cottons (think Egyptian cotton) feature these longer fibers. Cheaper cotton sheets tend to have short-staple cottons, which means they’re more likely to wear out quickly.
Drawbacks of cotton
Cotton can shrink (you’re probably familiar with this if you’ve ever accidentally put a favorite T-shirt in the dryer), but the shrinking usually stops after the first wash or two, Baker says. And while cotton is a renewable resource and biodegradable when untreated, its farming and manufacturing processes use lots of water and high levels of energy and chemicals. So, it gets a mixed bag from a sustainability POV. To choose more sustainable cotton sheets, look for options that don’t use dyes or are made from recycled materials.
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