I sheet you not
As do many people around this age, I suffer from bouts of insomnia, some more severe than others but none of them the slightest bit welcome.
I was changing the linens yesterday — none of which are actually linen, but work with me here — and I wondered: “Do the sheets make any difference?” I have a few oddball sheets here and there, but mostly I have three rotating sets, wildly disparate in appearance and composition. The ones coming off to be washed were 100-percent cotton in a sort of coral color; the fresh ones are some nondescript cotton-polyester hybrid in off-white. (Remaining in the drawer for the moment: a set of JCPenney SmoothTough® percale florals, fergoshsakes.)
I’d like to test out this premise, but there are so many variables at work here that I wouldn’t know how to isolate just the one. I am hesitant to attribute too much to thread counts, which vary from somewhere around 180 (in use now) to an alleged 300 (the coral cotton). I don’t know about the Penneys sheets, which are the oldest ones I have, but it’s my understanding that you need at least 200 to qualify as percale. And for all I know, my sheet-changing cycle might correspond to some sort of emotional cycle: I am not one to place much faith in biorhythms, which to me sounds like phrenology with a printer driver, but I don’t know anyone whose temperament is perfectly even.
fillyjonk »
26 October 2009 · 8:20 am
I have one set of very high thread count, “sateen weave” sheets (a gift from a well-meaning relative). I cannot use them a good 9 months out of the year because they are too warm for me. (they are dense and do not “breathe”)
I remain unconvinced of the value of high thread count.
My favorite set is a set of “clothesline crisp” sheets from Vermont Country Store (yes, they are gasp-at expensive – at least for me). I seem to sleep better on them than on other sheets. They are not particularly high thread count, but they are “crisp” and a bit thicker than many other sheets. But they still “breathe” well.
I think for me it’s a body temperature thing. If I overheat, I don’t sleep well. (I am looking forward to what most women term The Change with considerable apprehension.)
Flannel sheets, as much as some people may love them, are not something I can tolerate.
Jan »
26 October 2009 · 10:06 am
I think sheets DO make a difference, but not everyone likes the same sheets. I like an all cotton sheet with a high thread count. I sleep best on the nights they are fresh from the dryer, especially if I’ve used a little bit of bleach and a fair amount of fabric softener. If it is hot, I sleep better with a towel over my pillow, nubby side out.
Meghan »
26 October 2009 · 10:51 am
I don’t think it matters. I have high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and even when I wash them and lay on them when they first come out of the dryer. I get that oh so fresh feeling, but I still suffer from insomnia.
Dick Stanley »
26 October 2009 · 9:55 pm
Best bet would be to avoid caffeine, say, six hours before bedtime. A little exercise now and then would also help. Or just read in bed until your eyes close.