Sleep like a king

THE fact is we spend about a third of our lives asleep. That’s a lot of time — yet most people put hardly any thought into their sleeping arrangements.

It’s worth being a part of the minority on this one. A little education and a few smart investments can have you sleeping like a king, rather than a commoner.

It’s easier to talk a man into buying a $500 suit than it is to sell him $500-bedding. The value of a suit is obvious in its construction, its material, and in many cases simply the status it conveys. Sheets and covers, less so.

But don’t fall into the trap of ignoring your bedding — especially if you plan on enjoying your time between the sheets.

Your bed plays more of a role in your life than you may be giving it credit for, and not just in the quality of your sleep.

Good sheets mean better sleep. This one’s impossible to get away from. If you’ve ever been to a fancy hotel where slipping into the bed is a luxury experience on its own, you know the difference that quality linens can make.

Now imagine that as your nightly experience, instead of a travel luxury, and you’ve got a good sense of how soundly you could be sleeping.

Your bed isn’t just for you. Whether you have a wife, life partner, or just the occasional guest to share it with, your bed is probably going to see someone besides you at some point.

You don’t want their experience to be coarse sheets and a limp comforter. Have linens and quilts that can make a good impression even on a surprise visit with no time for tidying up.

Quality linens last longer. There comes a point where savings up front turn into long-term expense. The cheapest sheets out there are still half the price of a good set or more, and they last far less than half as long. You’ll be lucky to get two or three years before they’re ratty, while a well-made set can go for more than a decade. The problem with using poor grades of cotton is the individual fibers are shorter and they are more prone to fray or stick up in the yarn, this causes the coarseness.

Now does that mean you should run out and buy the $500 imported Italian sheets? Not necessarily (though it’s not a bad investment if you really get good quality and if you have that kind of discretionary cash lying around).

But you should approach linen shopping much the same way you approach clothing purchases: with an eye to value, not to price.

Take your time and build your bedroom collection slowly. It’s just as much an investment as your wardrobe — and you spend nearly as much time using it, too. Start with a couple of high-quality sets of sheets and go from there.

You’ll spend a little more. But you’ll get a lot out of your money. — realmenrealstyle.com