A FLAT SHEET, also called a top sheet, was in the beginning placed in between the sleeping people and their blanket. Since a lot of us make use of duvet covers, these flat sheets are typically utilized to make your bed linen feel more inviting. Consider it as an additional layer of softness and warmth as you sleep. It additionally provides protection to the comforter or the blanket from becoming dirty. On hotter nights a flat sheet could be used on its own in place of a blanket. A bed-linen flat sheet will certainly serve to keep you cool during summertime as it lets your body to breathe, while in the winter season it will keep you comfy and cozy.

What is a flat/top sheet?

The top sheet is used to protect the mattress, duvet, and comforter and it doesn’t let these covers get dirty. You can use the top sheet instead of a duvet or comforter on a hot night.

While 60% of Americans use a flat sheet along with a fitted sheet, about 41% of older Americans won't sleep without a top sheet. However, most Europeans use duvet covers instead of top sheets.

Now, while many people relate to the top sheet as unnecessary, others simply cannot go to sleep without it. At some point in history all sheets were just flat sheets, created with no pockets or even elastic that were wrapped around the bed mattress. That was until 1959, when a design for fitted sheets using elastic pockets that tucked all around the corners of the bed mattress was patented by Bertha Berman. Berman's design set off and can certainly now be found on beds worldwide.

How to use a top sheet?

Simply put, it is an additional layer of softness and warmth as you sleep. Additionally, the top sheet protects the comforter or the blanket from becoming dirty. On hotter nights a flat sheet could be used on its own in place of a blanket. A bed-linen flat sheet will certainly serve to keep you cool during summer as it lets your body breathe, while in the winter season it will keep you comfy and cozy.

You can also make use of a flat sheet over the bed mattress if you do not care having to tuck the 4 corners in. It's well worth making sure your flat sheet is actually the best size to give space for tucking underneath your bed mattress, so it remains in place much better.

According to conventional European-style bed linen, a fitted bottom sheet and a duvet is everything a well-made bed requires, while at the same time American-style bed linen includes a flat/top sheet in between.

What are the pros of using a top sheet?

It keeps you from having to wash your comforter frequently We shed skin and with-it millions of bacteria, making it necessary to change our sheets and even the comforter every two weeks. While washing the dirty sheets itself is annoying, the thought of washing the comforter can be worse! So, if you don’t use a top sheet and you don’t use a protective cover for your comforter, you will surely be spending more time and effort in weekly laundry sessions.

According to experts you need to wash a duvet cover monthly if you use a top sheet while comforters need to be washed only a couple of times a year.

It's a convenient alternative to a heavy blanket during warmer days You can ditch your comforter altogether and use a top sheet instead during warmer weather. When your body gets too hot, it becomes difficult to get a restful night’s sleep. So, a top sheet made from breathable cotton will help you sleep cooler.

It is comfortable sleeping with a top is comfortable and cozy. Think about the feeling you get when you are firmly tucked under a sheet in the hotels you've stayed. Top sheets give you a similar kind of feeling. Pure bliss!

What happens when you don’t use a top sheet?

On the flip side, here’s what happens when you don’t use a top sheet.

Making your bed becomes easy

Without the top sheet, you will have one less layer to worry about smoothing out making the process a little easy. Also, according to the National Sleep Foundation, for a good night’s sleep, you must make your bed in the morning.

Gives you more mobility

Not everyone likes the idea of being tucked under too many layers. So, by ditching the top sheet,you get more freedom to move around! Your feet and legs can move freely as you sleep and will not get sweaty and trapped. Also, the sheet will not pile up under your blanket at the foot of your bed because your feet spent all night trying to free themselves.

They don’t add value to your bed

Most people argue that the top sheet is not needed at all. There is no point in having an extra sheet on the bed when you can easily tuck yourself under a comforter.While a flat sheet looks nice, it is an unnecessary layer that makes you sleep hot.

Note: The size varies in different countries. For example, the single size bed sheet in Australia may measure different from the one available in the U.S. So, before buying a flat sheet, make sure to measure your mattress or check the label.

You do not really need to find out the exact measurements of a flat sheet when you are buying them given that they are actually used independently and could be let fall around the sides of the bed. Only make sure they are definitely large enough for your bed.

Science Believes You Really Should Probably Use A Flat/Top Sheet

Definitely, top sheets look like a lot of extra work and also, they add in an additional layer of fabric which practically smothers you in your sleep.

“The important thing is, not using a top/flat sheet is actually disgusting. Pathologist and microbiologist at the New York University School of Medicine Ingrid Johnson explained once to Tech Insider that top/flat sheet or no, your bed is actually a literal hotbed ripe for the development of microscopic life. Johnson rattled off an inventory of repugnant reasons why washing up your bed sheets is definitely vital: "You get spores of fungi, germs, animal dander, soil, lint, pollen, finishing agents of whatever these sheets are actually made of, coloring material, all kind of excrement from the body including sputum, sweat, anal, and vaginal excretions, skin cells , urine milieu ...".

Regardless of how clean your body actually is-- or just how clean you believe it is-- these kinds of things accumulate gradually. Take into consideration that research studies have actually revealed that the typical individual sweats 23 gallons of wetness (barf!) annually, developing "perfect fungal culture conditions." If left uncontrolled, these germs get pulled out by gravity right into your pillows or your mattress. That is definitely why you must wash your bed linen approximately once a week. Whenever you roll over in bed, all these nasty fumes are actually just blowing up directly into your body and face.

In case you do not make use of a top/flat sheet, then you are actually kind of required to use a bed linen instead. The bed linen is certainly much heavier and is not as flexible or soft as the top/flat sheet, and it is definitely not designed to be washed as often.

To put it clearly: Not making use of a top sheet is certainly the lazy man's fast lane to bacterial contamination. It deserves keeping in mind that in Europe, the bed linen norm is a duvet cover with no top sheet, which is pretty much like placing your comforter in a huge pillowcase, one that should get frequently washed along with the rest of your bed linen.

Some Things To Keep In Mind About Top/Flat Sheets:

• Generally, flat sheets are simply intended to help keep your comforter as well as the heavy covers from becoming dirty considering that those items are actually larger and might be more expensive or harder to clean. In case you make use of a comforter or quilt with no cover, it makes good sense to use a top/flat sheet to include an easy-to-launder shield in between the heavy blanket and your skin.
• Now, in case you use a duvet cover, it may not make good sense to use a flat sheet. This is simply due to the fact that duvet covers are fairly simple to throw into the washing machine as a sheet. You will definitely want to wash the duvet cover around once every month in case it does not come in contact with your skin, so given that you're certainly washing it, you may also save on washing a flat sheet, too. (Experts suggest washing the duvet covers once every week if they come in contact with your body.) Additionally, using only a duvet cover makes things much simpler when making the bed in the morning because it requires just pulling up only one layer rather than 2.
• It can be good to use the sheet under light blankets in summertime, so you can conveniently adapt to your preferred temperature level without having to hop out of bed.
• In case that you enjoy being huddled up with something heavy, duvet covers may be your best choice rather than a top sheet because it's buttoned or snapped to the duvet, therefore preventing the possibility of it getting twisted or bunched up during the night.

Takeaway

Whether to use or not use a flat sheet is completely a personal preference. However, if you want to give up the top sheet but feel the need to use a light layer during summer days, you can consider opting for a duvet cover.