Ah, the top sheet. Once a staple piece of the bedmaking process, the top sheet debate has become one of controversy in recent years. Do you or don’t you? Should you or shouldn’t you? Let’s look into the reasons for and against using top sheets and you can decide for yourself!
What is a Top Sheet?
Given that top sheets are seemingly a dying trend, our younger readers, in particular, might not actually know what one is. Allow us to bring you all up to speed. A top sheet (or flat sheet) is a piece of linen, much like the fitted sheet (bottom sheet), but it lies between yourself and your blanket or duvet cover. The main aim of the top sheet is to keep your blanket or duvet cover cleaner for longer. Simple enough, right? So why’s there such a heated debate over whether to use one or not?
Why You Should Use a Top Sheet
There are two main reasons people have for justifying the need for top sheets, with the first being hygiene. Remember that, during the night, we shed dead skin cells and enough bacteria to create our own micro-universe. A top sheet provides us with an extra layer between us and our blanket or duvet, meaning we don’t need to wash our duvet as often. Hurrah! We all know that it can be a fiddly task that can aggravate even the calmest of minds.
The second is that it helps with temperature regulation. During the colder months, a duvet may still leave us with chills that won’t stop multiplying. Instead of losing control, a top sheet can provide us with just the right amount of warmth we’re looking for. They’re also useful during the Summer months when a duvet is just too much. Clean and versatile, why wouldn’t anyone choose to use a top sheet? Glad you asked!
Why You Can Ditch the Top Sheet
Truth be told, top sheets can be quite an inconvenience in our hectic, modern lives. Sure, they may keep our duvets clean and add warmth during the colder months, but top sheets add even more time to the chore that is making our bed. Even worse, they have a tendency to end up scrunched up at the bottom of our beds come sunrise - that’s one extra sheet to wash that isn’t even helping to keep our duvet clean!
Chances are if you’re reading this from a European country, you don’t use a top sheet anyway; favouring only a fitted bottom sheet and a duvet. Our transatlantic cousins in America, however, are still more accustomed to their extra bed linen. Likewise, younger people are even less likely to use top sheetseven less likely to use top sheets. If the benefits are being outweighed by the inconvenience for the newer generations, maybe it’s time for us to admit defeat and join the movement. But could you get by with just a fitted sheet and a duvet?
Do Top Sheets Affect the Benefits of a Memory Foam Mattress?
Regardless of where your loyalty lies with the infamous bed linen, there’s no right or wrong answer where mattresses are concerned. Memory foam mattresses, however, retain more body heat than other mattresses, so an extra top sheet could prove to be too hot to handle! Or maybe it’s your duvet which is potentially sacrificed?
No matter which camp you’re in, never underestimate the importance of a good mattress. If you and your partner can’t agree on the great top sheet debate or if you’re simply looking for a more comfortable snooze, why not try one of our king size memory foam mattresses? With enough space for you to sleep soundly with your top sheet whilst your partner dozes off without one, it could finally be the answer you’ve been looking for!
