The experts have spoken: Americans need to catch up on their sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 63 percent of American adults sleep less than the recommended eight hours needed for good health, alertness, and optimum performance. Further, sleep deprivation and disorders cost America's economy an estimated $100 billion annually in lost productivity and medical expenses.
Eight hours a night amounts to a full third of your life, so your choice of bedding should be more than an afterthought. The importance of a high-quality, comfortable mattress has been widely acknowledged, but much of the bed-buying public still scrimps and saves when it comes to bed linens. Perhaps it's too confusing; after all, who can keep track of warp, weft, and thread counts that soar into the thousands? Here's a quick tutorial: Warp (vertical threads) are woven with weft (horizontal threads) to make fabric. Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric, and can range from as low as 180 to as high as 1,000. Generally speaking, the higher the thread count, the softer the sheet. Another factor that affects the quality of sheets is ply. Two-ply fabric is made with two yarns that are twisted together and then woven, whereas single-ply fabric is just one yarn woven together. Two-ply fabrics essentially double the thread count per square inch.
A set of top-of-the-line luxury sheets can run into the thousands of dollars but, of course, bargains can be found online. Here, are handful of Web sites where fine linens sell for less.
Overstock.com
Overstock purchases excess products at reduced prices and then sells them from its Web site at discounts of 40 to 80 percent. The company has agreements with numerous brand-name companies. Sets of sheets that retail elsewhere for $200 sell routinely on this site in the neighborhood of $50. www.overstock.com
Bedsheet.com
True to its name, this site specializes in everything having to do with beds and sheets and sells its products at discounts of up to nearly 80 percent. Bedsheet even offers what it calls "Bedroom in a Bag," a set of matching sheets, pillows and pillowcases, comforter, duvet, bedskirt, and even window dressing for prices in the $200 range. www.bedsheet.com
SmartBargains.com
SmartBargains sells bedding (and other merchandise) at discounted prices. A recent visit found 100-percent cotton sheets with a 1,200 thread count offered for $199.99—77 percent off the retail price of $900. www.smartbargains.com