Do thread counts really matter when buying bed sheets? Experts reveal the truth

Should you be counting threads instead of sheep?

When people start discovering how to elevate their sleep experience, they often look for comfortable mattresses, feather pillows and durable bedsheets.

While some products, such as pillows and mattresses, are easy to test out in stores, one of the few ways to determine a high-quality sheet is to check the thread count.

However, bedding experts claim you can find good quality sheets without relying on a high number.

Thread count “has little to do with the actual quality of your sheets, despite what the industry has conflated it to mean,” Ariel Kaye, the founder of home essentials brand Parachute, told USA Today.

Most bedsheets have a label with a thread count, which can be described as a measure of the number of threads woven into one square inch of fabric, explains Sleep Foundation.

The bedding number can range from 200 to 1,500, determining whether the material is breathable, soft and long-lasting.

“Sheets with a higher thread count are generally more expensive and are marketed as being higher quality,” the sleep site continued. “A higher thread count can be an indication of higher quality, but that’s not necessarily the case.”

Thread count measures the fineness of a fabric, and it’s “determined by adding the number of vertical warp threads and the number of horizontal weft threads,” Deborah First, a professor of fibers at the Savannah College of Art and Design, told USA Today.

First recommends getting bedsheets with a thread count between 300 to 600 and “a lower thread count” for linen sheets, “which are wonderful for their breathability.”

But people looking for a happy medium should aim for bedding in the 400s.

Aside from thread numbers, people can scout the best sheets for a dreamy slumber based on the fabric.

“When selecting sheets, it’s also important to “consider the impact of each material type on your style and preferences of sleeping,” Kaye added.

Analyzing the fabric’s substance will help buyers determine the quality.

Materials like cotton and linen are made from natural fibers, which offer more breathability compared to polyester, which is synthetic, according to household supply site Organic Cotton Market.

First added that cloths like Pima and Egyptian cotton will “have a smooth feel and be durable because of the length of the components that make up each thread.”

But at the end of the day, when it’s time to hit the hay, most people only worry about how much sleep they can get — not the thread count.