Everyone has experienced the sensation of rolling around in bed, futilely attempting to find a comfortable position conducive to sleep. Have you ever considered the possibility that the fabric of your bedding could be influencing your sleep? In our quest for a truly comfortable sleep, there’s no textile better to investigate than silk. It is one of the most luxurious, softest, and smoothest fabrics. And it is a temperature-regulating material that inherently wicks moisture away. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a comfortable bedroom is the key to a peaceful night of sleep.
This article looks into the ways you can achieve a better quality of nighttime sleep, courtesy of silk bedding. While silk bedding offers numerous advantages over cotton or percale, it might be the perfect choice for individuals who have trouble sleeping or wake up frequently. Sleep is the ultimate leveler. Deprivation of sleep leads to physical and mental suffering. You lose the ability to focus and concentrate. Once you’ve entered your sleep-drained state, you’re likely to become irritated by anything.
Lack of sleep can impact skills that require precise movements. The sleep-deprived person may be at a greater risk of making poor decisions, not just when choosing what to do, but also when performing tasks that require judgment. Sleep loss clearly affects whole-body movements, and it can even impair the simple act of pointing. In some studies, sleep-deprived participants have demonstrated a lack of coordination when aiming at a target, suggesting that loss of sleep affects the planning and execution of actions.
What makes silk sheets a beneficial choice?
Silk sheets confer many advantages when it comes to bedding. One would struggle to find any roughness in a silk sheet due to its exquisite softness. They are, in fact, so soft and smooth that some have likened them to sleeping on a cloud or a baby’s cheek.
But part of the aesthetic appeal of silk sheets is what they are not. Unlike so many other materials used for bedding, silk sheets do not look or feel gaudy or over the top. Silk sheets exude a sense of luxury that few other items can match, all while maintaining an understated elegance.
Why Allergy Sufferers Should Choose Silk Bed Sheets
More and more, people are acknowledging the health benefits of silk bed sheets, especially for allergy sufferers. The remarkable health-promoting properties of silk make it a unique and almost ideal choice for a bed covering. Silk sheets are luxurious and a unique, healthy alternative to mainstream materials. Whether for their looks or their many health advantages, silk sheets deserve a place in more bedrooms.
Allergies contribute greatly to insomnia, and about three-fourths of the allergens that cause this condition come from the bedroom. Therefore, it’s crucial to minimize allergens in that space. One option is silk sheets—not insignificant! The fabric is not only breathable and soft; it’s also, say some experts, an ideal “space” for clean, living silk proteins (which are not allergenic, by the way) and for maintaining a milieu that is inhospitable to dust mites.
Silk not only has hypoallergenic qualities but also, and perhaps more importantly, offers unmatched comfort. Silk sheets have a smoothness that lends itself to a luxurious sleeping experience. When it comes to bedding, nothing feels quite as luxurious as silk. In addition, silk offers health benefits for allergy sufferers. These two reasons—comfort and health—make a compelling case for silk when it comes to the quality of our nightly rest.
To sum up, silk sheets are a beneficial investment for anyone with allergies. Silk sheets naturally repel allergens and are incredibly comfortable, making places where you spend a lot of time, including your bed, healthier. Silk sheets make it more probable that you will get a wonderful night’s sleep. When you consider it, investing in silk sheets can significantly improve your health.
Unmatched Comfort from Silk Sheets
The expression “soft as silk” exists for a reason. When it comes to luxurious, super-soft fabrics, silk is in a class of its own. Not only is it smooth to the touch and visually stunning, but silk is also surprisingly tough. Make no mistake: these are not sheet sets that are bound to fall apart after a couple of washes. Quite the opposite; with proper care, your silk sheets will last.
Durable silk allows for the creation of lightweight, breathable sheets that help with moisture wicking. Whether you tend to run hot or get chilly easily, silk sheets will help you maintain an ideal temperature throughout the night, making them perfect for year-round use. They are also perfect for sleeping on in terms of surface texture.
If you aspire to have beautiful skin and shiny hair, you should sleep on silk. This luxurious fabric has many benefits, especially for your beauty. Its smooth surface allows your skin and hair to glide along without friction, which is essential for your body’s largest organs. Because no two people have the same body chemistry, silk’s benefits are most easily understood when viewed in the light of true individual experience.
Silk bedding is best for skin and hair.
Silk’s unparalleled smoothness and softness make it an excellent choice for close contact with skin and hair. Because there is so little friction, hair can move freely during sleep, which prevents tangling and breakage. Silk against the skin is cool, comfortable, and healthy. Silk’s moisture-retaining properties prevent skin dryness and wrinkles, unlike other fabrics. Silk actually slows down the aging process of skin and hair. Due to its smooth surface, silk is believed to prevent pimple formation from blocked pores more effectively than other materials.
An examination of 40 participants determined that using a silk pillowcase could significantly reduce the appearance of acne. Those who slept on cotton pillowcases experienced the opposite effect. Clinical situations requiring standard operating procedures for maintaining non-biased conditions have found uses for medical silk. Silk’s natural properties promote medical applications that benefit the end user.
Silk bedding may also be beneficial for skin conditions like eczema and atopic dermatitis. A study from 2019 found that when 30 people with those conditions wore pure silk, their dermatitis improved.
Buying silk sheets
We’ve talked about why silk sheets are great, but what do you need to think about when you’re actually selecting them? Here are some considerations to run through your mind.
1. Quality of the silk and momme weight
The most important factor when choosing silk is quality and durability. After all, you don’t want to buy sheets that shred in the washer after a few uses.
Higher numbers indicate a thicker, more substantial textile. Anything under 20 momme is pretty much guaranteed to be lightweight; anything over 28 momme is kind of heavy. With silk, as with most textiles, higher momme means better quality.
2. Count the Threads
When considering any kind of bedding, it’s paramount to account for the thread count. The thread count in sheets signifies the number of individual threads woven together to create a high-quality product. This is true whether the product in question is natural fiber or an engineered composition. Regarding the quality sheet, a value ranging from 300 to 900 is considered acceptable, with anything exceeding 900 truly qualifying as luxury goods.
One caveat: be careful not to fall for the labelling hype. If you see a 2-ply (or 3-ply, or any other number of plies) in front of the thread count, you’re not actually getting what the number suggests. A comfortable, breathable, and durable sheet may have a 2-ply, 300-thread count, but you’re also only getting the equivalent of 150 full, un-plied threads.
3. Instructions for care
When purchasing new bedding, always consider how much care and maintenance the ensemble will require. This will ensure you’re truly getting the most value possible from your sheets.
Of course, bedding can only be durable and long-lasting if it’s clean and well cared for. And while silk is a naturally strong fibber, its sheen and drape can be misleading; it’s often more delicate than many people think. And with that, check to see if the care instructions for your potential silk sheets can mesh with your lifestyle.
4. Brand reputation and customer reviews
In addition to assessing the quality of the materials used, the number of threads per square inch, and the type of care required for a bed covering, it is equally important to evaluate the various manufacturers’ reputations and customer ratings. You certainly do not want to invest in new bedding only to discover later that the company you purchased from is notorious for cheating customers.
Look for brands that have a favourable reputation among their customers, and read through the reviews carefully. Pay particular attention to the bedding’s comfort level, how well it has held up, and the overall happiness of the reviewers.
Long-term Savings
You probably believe that silk is one of the most expensive materials for bed linens, and you’re correct—silk is a premium product. However, considering the superior quality of silk, the prices are more than justified. In fact, when you consider that silk can last up to five times longer than any other type of bed linen, it makes perfect sense to opt for silk sheets over cotton or even sateen. These silk fabrics offer unique benefits to sleepers when compared to the durability of the sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers.
Communication about your silk sheets
We’ve said a little about how to care for silk, but now we want to give you the complete lowdown on how to maintain your silk bed sheets. Ell Redd, a silk expert who has consulted with us, asserts that you hold the key to success when it comes to extending the lifespan of your sheets. You can gracefully and effectively care for silk by following these three steps:
1. Wash the sheets
2. Dry and iron the sheets
3. Store the sheets
Caring for silk sheets
To clean your silk bedding, you should run it through a spin cycle that is both cool and gentle. Even better, hand washing your new sheets gives you more control and prevents fabric stress. If you must use a machine, at least be sure to use a net—silk is prone to snagging and tearing if it comes into too much contact with other fabrics.
You should also avoid strong detergents, which can damage the silk and make it break down over time. Don’t even think about bleach.
How to Dry Your Silk Sheets
When you’ve finished washing your silk bedding, the best option is to air dry them in a cool, shady spot. Avoid using the laundry line on a bright, breezy summer day, even though you can lay them flat or hang them up! If your sheets are extremely wet, you can reduce the load by gently squeezing out the excess water. Light squeezing is okay; just don’t twist or wring your delicate fabric.
The basic rule for ironing is to avoid it. If you do need to press your sheets, use a cool setting and place a cloth between the iron and your sheets to give the silk a little extra protection against heat.
Silk Sheets: How to Store Them
Storing your silk sheets is straightforward and important if you want to maintain their quality. First, make sure to hang or lay the sheets flat in a cool, dry location. Make certain the sheets are away from any sunlight that can fade or weaken the fabric. Don’t use plastic bags to store your sheets. Instead, opt for fabric bags that will keep the dust off without suffocating the silk and risking mildew.
Healthier Beddings
Commercial bedding is often made of low-quality, toxic materials. These bedding compounds often contain VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs pose a significant risk to your health. VOCs contain dangerous carcinogens, which put you at risk for various types of cancer.
Fortunately, silk does not have any of these health issues. Silk bedding has no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). That means when you go to sleep at night, you’re not inhaling a bunch of toxic and cancer-causing gases. Because of that, silk sheets and pillowcases are just plain better for your health. Silk sheets and pillowcases outperform cotton, polyester, and other toxic alternatives commonly marketed as “beddings.”
Improved Environmental Impact
Cotton has long faced criticism due to its high water requirements. But even worse, it’s one of the most environmentally destructive crops that exists. Growing it demands incredible amounts of not just water but also a cornucopia of chemicals. Cotton uses insecticides—more than any other crop (16% of the world’s insecticides and 6% of the pesticides). And guess what? Insecticides, pesticides, and indeed any kind of spray applied to cotton plants tend to miss their intended targets. These compounds seep into the environments around cotton farms—into the soil, the air, and the water. Once ingested, these compounds begin to negatively impact the health and well-being of the local population.
The environmental footprint of silk is much smaller. Though it’s not vegan, silk is using fewer resources in its production than many of our other go-to fabrics. So it’s a relatively eco-friendly choice. Age enhances the quality of silk, particularly when we purchase it from the sustainable eucalyptus plant. This plant possesses all the physical properties of traditional silk, but it doesn’t harm the poor little silk worms as much as it helps them. To top it all off, eucalyptus silk requires 95% less water and 30% less energy to produce than cotton, a plant that, in my opinion, has caused more ecological disasters than help (think of all those deforested cotton “fields” in the Sudan).
Make sure your room is cozy and gloomy.
To ensure the best conditions for sleep, it is critical to reduce as much light as possible from the outside. Heavy or blackout curtains are ideal for this, but if you don’t have those or a similar solution, an eye mask works just as well. Then there’s the noise. You may also live in a situation where you can’t avoid traffic or other background noise. Ambient noise can help here, but if you’re a person who requires quiet to sleep, consider earplugs. Then, of course, there’s room temperature, which is very much a personal preference. The National Sleep Foundation, however, recommends a range.
Assess the comfort of your mattress and bedding. If your mattress is starting to sag or if you notice lumps in it, you should consider that it’s time for a replacement. Bedding is essential. Top-quality bedding will function better and last longer than those of inferior quality. You must be wise about choosing materials and considering how much bedding you will really need.
Moreover, cozy bedding is a major contributor to getting a satisfying night’s sleep. Since we spend a favourable portion of our lives in bed, it only makes sense that the bedding itself should be of such quality that it allows for comfortable sleeping temperatures, as well as cozy and inviting conditions that are conducive to a somnolent state.
Lessening stress and anxiety.
It is a simple and common idea to say one needs to “relax” and “de-stress” for improved insomnia. But, as we’ve mentioned, sleep-deprived individuals are not always the easiest ones to calm down. And they are certainly not the easiest to calm down without some kind of relaxing wonder drug, safe passage as a prescription, or over the counter. Instead, let’s discuss some activities that can help reduce heart rates and foster a sense of contentment, where you can spend twenty minutes, thirty minutes, or even an hour away from work and life, truly experiencing life.
