I Never Knew What Bliss I Was Missing

October 18, 2014

“Sleep is such a luxury, which I can’t afford.” So says author Robin Sikarwar. Speak for yourself, Robin! I respond, “Quality sheets are a ‘luxury’ I can’t afford to sleep without.” Yet until I experienced using a set of really nice sheets, I missed out on a very special revelation.

Don’t know about you, but without a decent night’s sleep I’m non-functional. And no, it didn’t take my first child to realize that! We’ve been enjoying a wonderful mattress for the past year, but had less success with obtaining a wonderful night’s sleep.

You see, I’m a rather finicky sleeper. The temperature in the room must be just right, and I can’t tolerate any light when sleeping. My favorite time of year to sleep is summer, when the fan is running.

Yet I never gave my sheets much thought. Growing up, we used whichever sheets Mom pulled out of the closet for the week, and the only difference I noticed was in the pattern (I hated the Mickey Mouse sheets.) As an adult in my first home, I was happy enough with a set of light blue sheets—like many shoppers, I bought them because they were in my price range, not for any performance qualities. For the record, they were 100% cotton sateen from Bed Bath and Beyond. Again, when I married, we were given a set of cotton sheets in a pleasing yellow. Did I pay attention to the weave or the threadcount? Nope…I was simply happy they matched our new comforter.

When I tossed and turned and tugged at the rumpled blankets all winter, driving my husband to distraction, did I ever consider it was time for a change of sheets? Nah—I figured the heavy winter comforter was to blame.

Recently my whole outlook changed.

At the suggestion of The Sheets Sage Thomas Danaher, I agreed to ‘test drive’ a lightweight percale sheet, even though it was beyond my desired price range. This was my first experience using percale sheets at home, having always opted for inexpensive sateens. Thomas insisted that even with a weighty comforter, these sheets would feel remarkably different. So I made the bed and climbed in.

It was a moment of epiphany. This is what I had been missing!? The sheer, precise elegance of percale lightly and gently enfolding me as I slid under the covers. A sense that the sheets were barely there, yet offering a smooth veneer to my comforter, which suddenly didn’t seem so cumbersome after all. Who knew a set of bed sheets could make such a difference??

The result of one luxurious nights’ sleep with these amazing sheets? Well, a happier husband, since I wasn’t rumpling the covers all night. And a new outlook: it’s worth investing in a set of quality sheets that feel right to me, since that good nights’ sleep is beyond price.

What differences have your sheets made for you? I’d love to know.