Health & Fitness
Sleep Cool This Summer
Sheets and bedding aren't just about color and decorating. Comfort and energy use are the real decisions.
Here’s a tip for sleeping cooler in hot weather: use sheets with a thread count of no more than 500.
Confession: I am a sheet snob. They must be 100% cotton, and 300–1000 thread count. Not only that, but I iron my pillowcases and the top third of the top sheet, which I turn down when I make the bed. I know. I know. Obsessive.
If you, too, prefer fine sheets, you may wonder about my lower range of 300.
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500 TC is the finest/lightest fabric available; thread doesn’t come any smaller, and can’t be woven tighter.
800 TC is two 400TC threads woven together; 1000 TC is two 500s woven together, thus, while a fine quality, they are heavier, and better for cooler weather.
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Take your comforter or quilted spread off the bed and use a light, summer-weight blanket or an unlined blanket cover over those lighter-weight sheets.
Color effects our perception of temperature. Sleeping in red, orange, black or brown will feel hotter than blue, green, violet, or white.
And sticking one foot out from under the covers will cool you off right away. Body temperature falls during sleep, yet for most everyone, there is a point during the night when it rises briefly. Rather than crank the air conditioning down, simply uncover one or both feet to cool off, and pull the foot back in once you cool down again.
Setting the thermostat a mere three degrees higher during the summer can shave as much as 5% off the electric bill.
Rebecca Ewing Color & Design 404.285.9518
rebeccaewing@mac.com rebecca@HandsOnHues.com www.HandsOnHues.com