The Debate Continues: Top Sheet Or No Top Sheet?

by | Updated: February 12, 2019

Ah, that age-old bedding question: To use a top sheet or no to use a top sheet?

For some, there’s nothing better than the simplicity of a duvet with no top sheet. For others, the prospect of going without that smooth top sheet is utterly unthinkable.

The Numbers Are In

A recent poll by USA Today has reignited this heated bedding debate. According to the poll, 70 percent of respondents prefer the feeling of a top sheet between them and their duvet or comforter. Twenty-seven percent of those polled say they sleep with no top sheet.

The numbers for the anti-top-sheeters are actually down if we look back at a similar Huffington Post poll from 2015. In this poll, 48 percent said they slept with a top sheet, while 52 percent replied: “duvet all the way.”

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It appears that the top sheet is making a comeback, but some bedding sellers are witnessing another trend. Anki Spets of Area Home in Greenwich Village told New York’s Fox 5 that many of her customers, namely millennials, are skipping the top sheet and opting for a smooth duvet.

Each Bedding Style Has Its Benefits

Now, there are upsides to both options. When you ditch the top sheet, making the bed is much easier, and it is harder to get tangled up in the multiple layers of bedding.

On the other hand, a top sheet is much easier to clean than a duvet and is useful during hotter nights when the duvet is too warm.


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There Is One Major Factor To Consider: Hygiene

It is good practice to wash sheets on a weekly basis, so dumping the top sheet may mean changing your washing schedule. Without the top sheet, your duvet will get dirty much faster.

Experts recommend applying the same cleaning routine to your duvet, should you choose to forego the top sheet.

The numbers may have changed, but one thing remains the same: there’s no right way to make a bed.

Featured Image: Akasha/Shutterstock

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Marten Carlson

Marten is a staff writer for Mattress Clarity News. He covers the mattress industry as well as sleep science news. He is specifically interested in the connection between sleep and overall health.Marten has written for media publications like Consequence of Sound and received a master’s degree in Film Studies from Emory University.He comes from Franklin, Indiana, and spends all the time he can writing, directing, and acting in films. He has directed genre short films and features. His newest film, Starlets, recently premiered at the River Town Film Festival in Clinton, NJ. He also stars in the upcoming thriller, Sour Bear. His next film, At The Hop, is a hot rod actioner with a horror twist.

1 thought on “The Debate Continues: Top Sheet Or No Top Sheet?”

  1. In my recent trip to Scotland, is when I first discovered that no one in Scotland uses a top sheet. I felt like they just threw me a sleeping bag and a pillow and it felt rude. I like the feeling of a neat, well made bed, top sheet tuvked in with blanket at the end of the bed, so the blanket doesn’t end up on the floor when you’re sleeping. I only came across the one airbnb that had a properly made bed and it was the best sleep I had.

    I still think just a blanket and a pillow thrown to you to sleep in is a sloppy, lazy uncomfortable way to sleep.

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