Winter Bedding Essentials to Keep You Warm
You’ve had a long, hard day, and to top it off, it’s freezing outside. All you can think about is getting home, relaxing, and then slipping in between your nice, new, extra-comfy sheets. Except your sheets are not new and comfy. They are old, have more pills than a pharmacy, and feel like sandpaper against your skin. But don’t give up on your dreams! Ashley can help you choose brand-new, super-soft bedding that will keep you not only comfy but nice and warm too.
Best Bedding for Winter
Winter bedding comes with lots of choices. Thread count, material, and getting just the right colors and pieces for your decor are all key to staying comfortable and getting a good night’s sleep.
Getting good quality sleep is essential to your health and well-being. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep, important things happen while you sleep that are necessary for good health. Blood pressure and stress hormone levels dip during the night, and blood sugar levels regulate. Plus, your brain uses sleep as a chance to organize information and memories from the day. So, you can even get smarter while you snooze.
Studies also show that the time you’re in bed is important — seven to nine hours a night for adults — but the quality of sleep also ranks very high. To get the best quality sleep, comfort is extremely important. That includes whether you’re a warm or cold sleeper. Most people sleep better when the temperature is between 65 and 72, so some comfortable, snuggly bedding can help you get a solid night’s sleep.
Before you get into bed:
- Take a warm bath or shower. This warms you up and makes you sleepy.
- Have a warm drink after your bath. Increasing core body temperature helps keep you warm longer.
- Wear night clothes like pajamas that are made of natural fibers rather than synthetic. Thermal or flannel are both good choices.
- Wear loose-fitting socks. Like that warm drink and bath, this increases core temperature and helps keep you warm longer.
- Keep hands and feet under the covers.
Ashley’s offers a variety of winter bedding sets to help keep you comfortable all night long. Comforter sets from Ashley come in a wide range of colors and patterns, as well as pricing that’s affordable for any budget.
With a set, you can pick the fabric and design that suits you best, like this London Fog Popcorn Plaid set that includes a comforter and pillow shams and is made of sculpted sherpa fabric to keep cold sleepers nice and warm on a cold winter’s night. Or, if you’re looking for a complete solution, this Carlyle Bed-in-a-Bag can bring sweet dreams your way. It’s machine washable and reversible, and the set comes with a comforter, shams, two sets of deep-pocket sheets, two solid pillowcases, two printed pillowcases, and a decorative pillow.
How to Keep Your Bed Warm in Winter
Keeping your bed warm in the winter can be a full-time job. Especially if you’re a cold sleeper or have a drafty bedroom. Warm bedding for winter is a great place to start, along with a warm pair of flannel pajamas and eliminating any drafts. Ashley offers beautiful duvet covers and inserts with just the right amount of fluff to keep you warm and comfortable for that wonderful night’s sleep you’re craving.
Ashley can fill that order with beautiful duvet covers in a range of colors and patterns, many reversible and machine washable. Then, add one of Ashley’s down alternative duvet inserts from J New York to make it a cocoon of warmth all winter long.
Remember to layer bedding for extra warmth. Layering traps the warm air to help keep you warm. Quilts and coverlets can add just the right amount of snuggly goodness on a cold night.
Because of its dense nature, a memory form mattress accumulates the most heat and can provide a bit of extra warmth. If you’re a warm sleeper, try natural fiber bedding with a slatted foundation and a warm topper, like the duvet or comforter sets mentioned above, to help regulate body heat during the night.
Warm Bedding Materials to Shop For
The bedding material is pivotal in how it provides warmth, cooling, and level of comfort. Here are the best materials to look for if your goal is to keep warm.
Materials for Winter Bed Sheets
Sateen – Made from 100% cotton, sateen is smooth and silky and has a lustrous appearance. Besides being luxurious in looks, it’s woven with thick cotton yarns, allowing it to trap heat more efficiently than other bedding fabrics. In addition, it’s breathable, lightweight, and naturally wrinkle-free.
Flannel – While cotton sheets are always cotton, flannel sheets aren’t always made with cotton fibers. Wool or synthetic fibers like polyester are sometimes used. Whichever fibers are used, flannel is famous for being a perfect winter fabric. The technique, called “napping,” that gives flannel its fuzzy look is also what gives it the softness and warmth it’s known for.
Brushed cotton – It feels just like a super soft T-shirt, familiar and cozy, with the added plus of being super warm. Brushed cotton is just like regular cotton fabric, but it’s brushed with an end result that looks and behaves much more like flannel. Brushed cotton has insulating qualities that won’t make you sweat or overheat.
Wool – By far the first and best choice for winter bedding, wool is durable, antifungal, antibacterial, and has superior insulating qualities. Wool has gotten a bad rap because it can sometimes cause itchy skin. However, Merino wool is great for winter bed sheets since it’s smooth and breathable without the unwanted itch. Cashmere, alpaca, and mohair are ideal for throws and blankets. Wool is pricey and more complicated to wash and dry than cotton or sateen, but it is extra warm.
Ashley offers sheet sets for winter in a variety of fabrics, colors, patterns, and price ranges. This premium flannel sheet set is perfect for everything from the dorm room to the master bedroom and is made of 100% ultra-soft cotton. The set includes a deep-pocket fitted sheet, a flat sheet and pillow case(s).
You might prefer this ultra-soft sateen set that comes with a flat and fitted sheet and pillow cases and is available in 13 different colors. Machine-washable sets are hypoallergenic and antimicrobial for allergy sufferers and sensitive skin.
Whatever your preference, you’re sure to find what you’ve dreamed of online or at your local Ashley store.
