A bed is a sanctuary, a port in a storm after a long day in the chaos of life. It’s a place to relax, unwind and drift into a new world of dreams and glorious sleep.
Therefore, your bed should be as comfortable as you possibly can make it — from the mattress to the pillows, to the sheets and linens.
With so many options on the market, people often wonder what material they should be looking for in sheets.
The most common materials used in sheets are polyester and cotton. There is bedding made of other materials like silk, bamboo and flannel, but we’re going to focus on polyester and cotton today.
Like anything, fabrics have been improved or re-created by the use of technology. In fact, polyester fabrics didn’t really hit the scene until the middle of the twentieth century.
Polyester hit the market like wildfire when it did. I’m sure you can picture men and women in their polyester suits and dresses in the 1960s and 70s. It was the dawn of a new era!
A little background: polyester fibres are created by way of a chemical reaction that takes coal, petroleum by-products, alcohol and carboxyl acid. These components are processed at extremely high temperatures in a vacuum to produce long polymer strands. These strands are stretched into long strings that become the basis for fabric.
Polyester fabric is great for many things. It is durable, as well as water-resistant and it holds its colour for a long, long time. This makes it great for things like rain coats and swim wear and certain kinds of athletic gear. However the properties that make it good for these things make it not great for others, like bedding.
Because polyester isn’t breathable or naturally soft, it’s not a great choice for sheets and linens. It traps heat and moisture so it can be especially uncomfortable in the summer months. Polyester bedding also absorbs oil and grease, is prone to static and can be irritating to sensitive skin.
Cotton, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring fibre. Cotton is taken from nature in the form of “cotton bolls” and processed into threads that eventually become fabric.
This well-loved material has many great attributes. It’s soft, strong, and easy to care for. It’s breathable but absorbent, soft yet very durable. It’s also not a petroleum by-product, which is important to some people, and it rarely irritates sensitive skin.
Cotton sheets come in a range of quality. If you can, try getting the highest quality of natural cotton you can find. It’s really worth the investment to crawl into a bed that’s as soft and comfortable as one that’s covered in bedding made of high quality, natural cotton.
When shopping, make sure to read the labels and seek out bedding that is all-natural and 100% cotton. There are many knock-offs and cotton blends out there, but treat yourself if you can do something special.
Pure, high quality, cotton sheets can change the way you sleep and how good you feel when you wake up in the morning. They can really make or break your quality of sleep. And since you spend eight hours a day tucked into them, shouldn’t you splurge just a little on something really great?