top sheet debate flat sheet

Just Hear Me Out: A Top Sheet Is A Non-Negotiable, You Absolute Savages

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Sheets are obviously extremely important and in the last few years have become increasingly trendy — repping brands like Bed Threads or Ettitude has become akin to wearing fashion-forward clothes. Sheets are truly having a moment which means that one of the most baffling debates has reared its ugly head again: is a top sheet (aka a flat sheet) necessary?

When I was recently browsing my favourite manchester website (I’m over 30, let me enjoy my life!), I came across a disturbing discovery. While fitted sheets and top sheets were being sold in sets or on their own, there was an alternative option: a fitted sheet and duvet cover set.

Sorry, what?

Any civilised and enlightened person would see this and wonder: where is the top sheet in this combo? A vital ingredient is missing. It would seem that top sheets are being fazed out to the point where the entire sheet industry has turned on them.

It’s not just top sheets being removed from sheet packs, the rising hate against top sheets is very real — especially online.

Are y’all OK??

This (terrible) view is backed up by recent studies, with bedding company Casper carrying out a survey in the US that found a significant generational divide over whether a top sheet is needed. A mere 26% of people surveyed between the ages of 18 to 34 make their bed with a top sheet, compared to 43% among those aged above 55.

Another study by bedding company Parachute presented similar findings, claiming 40% of Americans don’t use a top sheet. It’s worth noting that founder and CEO of Parachute, Ariel Kaye, is a staunch top sheet denier. “Making my bed every morning is a ritual of mine, and doing so with just my duvet and pillows keeps the process quick and easy,” she told Yahoo in 2020. “When it comes to comfort, I find that the top sheet often ends up tangled at the foot of my bed and feels like an unnecessary layer.”

This might be the case for some Americans, but I did my own (comparatively small) study of my Australian coworkers and found that every single person slept with a top sheet. And we all had A LOT of opinions regarding those who sleep without one.

Here are a few reasons why sleeping with a top sheet is a non-negotiable:

Who has time to wash their doona cover all the time?

Human bodies are disgusting swamplands, which means that sheets need to be washed regularly. The average human sweats up to 26 gallons a year, not to mention that bed sheets are a breeding ground for bacteria.

Most academics advise that sheets should be washed once a week, therefore if a top sheet wasn’t being used, your doona cover would still need to be washed. “Change and wash the doona cover weekly if you don’t use a top sheet, otherwise change it less often based on smells and visual cleanliness,” University of New South Wales researcher Mary-Louise McLaws told Huffington Post in 2016.

It’s common knowledge that changing a doona cover is an actual nightmare, so who has time to do that every seven days?? A top sheet is so much more convenient.

Top sheets are frugal!!!

When it comes to the material touching your body for 8+ hours of the night, you get what you pay for. Budget bedding tends to feel far less soft and is less breathable than brands that sell more luxe bedding made with high quality cotton, linen, or bamboo.

These sheets aren’t always super cheap, but they’re far more frugal than their duvet cover counterparts. I usually spend big on sheets while buying a more moderately priced quilt cover, as my doona does not come in contact with my body, so what’s the point of investing too much money in it?

Now top sheet haters will rebuff this argument by saying that by not buying a top sheet at all, this makes up the difference spent on buying an expensive duvet cover, but this takes me to my next point…

Do you want to be comfortable, or nah?

Top sheets give us choice. Do you get hot feet in the night, so like to remove the doona and just have a light sheet covering your toes? Does your top half overheat, so you need to sleep with a sheet covering down to your torso? Without a top sheet, you would have none of these options.

To only sleep with a doona strips yourself of reaching true comfort. You’re either hot or cold, completely covered or completely exposed to the elements. What torture!

The ever-changing Australian weather demands a top sheet.

A top sheet is far more adaptive to the Australian climate than a doona or blanket. You can’t live your life having to change doonas according to every different season. A doona might suffice in winter, but a doona during any Aussie summer just won’t work. As temperatures rise, the only alternative is to sleep with nothing at all — which is just straight-up wrong.

A light top sheet is necessary for every Australian summer. I ain’t sleeping raw.

It’s just nice, OK!

Why would you want to deprive yourself of not only a comfortable and adaptive sleeping experience, but the cute aesthetics a top sheet also provides? A top sheet looks nice on any bed, layered under a doona and sitting atop a fitted sheet. Maybe you want to pick three different contrasting colours to take your bed to the next level, or even change your colours depending on your mood. Go nuts!

The options are endless.

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Finally, for people who sleep without a top sheet, who hurt you? Love yourself and love your sleep with the comfort of a top sheet.