When you’re heavy-eyed and coffee-less trying to stretch the last corner of your fitted sheet over your mattress, you’re bound to spend a few sleepy seconds wondering why you bother making your bed every morning just to muss them up every night. As tedious a chore as it may seem, making your bed is a valuable routine to adopt, with benefits that go beyond your bedroom. As National Make Your Bed Day (September 11) is here, there’s no better time to take a deeper look at this healthy habit.
The Why
The most obvious benefit of making your bed every day is pretty simple: it looks nice. Like most bedrooms, yours is probably decorated around the bed, making the area where you sleep the focal point of the room. You’re not likely to focus any other room of your house around a messy, chaotic center, so why do so in the room that should be most relaxing? Making your bed neat and tidy makes your whole bedroom an aesthetically pleasing space.
The benefits of a tidy trundle aren’t all about looks, though. A clean, comfortable bedroom creates a welcoming sleep environment, and a 2012 National Sleep Foundation survey found that people who make their bed every day are 19 percent more likely to report getting restful sleep. A made bed prevents dirt and dander from settling under your sheets, so you can stop lying awake at night wondering what dusty horrors you might be sleeping on.
Getting in the habit of making your bed every morning also starts your day with a small sense of accomplishment and triggers you to adopt other healthy habits. Before you know it, your morning sheet-straightening routine could translate to, as The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg puts it, “better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget.” Plus, it means you won’t have to rush to throw a blanket over your naked mattress every time company comes over.
The How
Okay, so making your bed is a great idea. That doesn’t change the fact that it can be painfully tedious, or that fitted sheets are one of the most infuriating and mysterious items known to mankind. Luckily, companies like Crane & Canopy are creating bedding that not only looks and feels luxurious but is also cleverly designed to simplify the chore of making your bed. Combine some of the company’s smart products with a few of our tips and tricks, and you’ll be well on your way to an easy, breezy morning routine.
First, go ahead and give up on that top sheet and purchase a sheet set that doesn’t include one. The top sheet just ends up mashed at the foot of the bed every morning, and between tricky duvet covers and confusing fitted sheets, you’ve got enough on your plate.
Once that’s taken care of, it’s time to work out some of the kinks in those duvet covers. Sure, they seem simple enough in theory: unzip bottom, insert blanket, and voilà! A perfectly protected comforter. As anyone who has ever tried to put this theory into practice knows, however, the truth isn’t quite so simple. Trying to wrestle a comforter into a traditional duvet cover is, in many ways, like trying to give your cat a bath. Even if you manage to complete the task, you’re likely to give up a lot of pride and patience in the process. Quit making it so difficult on yourself and invest in a much more thoughtful duvet design. Not only does Crane & Canopy’s Hayes Nova duvet cover place the zipper in the center for easier stuffing, it has corner ties to keep your comforter snugly in place and a two-tone design that creates the look of a meticulously made bed without the hassle.
At last we come to the true Everest of bed-making: the fitted sheet. Listen, there’s not much we can do about the inherent silliness of fitted sheets. The corners are buckled and stretchy, and the elastic creates an amoeba-like blob that makes finding the right orientation of the sheet almost as frustrating as trying to shove those stupid corners down over your mattress. There is one small, comforting tip we can give you, though: When putting on a fitted sheet, find the tag and place it at the foot of the bed. For queen beds, the tag will be on the right side, and for king beds, it will be on the left. This ensures that you’re putting the sheet on the right way the first time, and you won’t have to wrestle the sheet around to find the correct placement.
The Wow Factor
Now that you’re armed with some tips to make this new habit simpler (and some facts that make it worthwhile), you’ll want to make sure that your now-clean bed looks as good as it feels. For silky-soft sheets, you don’t need the highest thread count. A 300-400 count will give you a delightfully soft feel, and single-ply cotton or a sateen weave will keep you cozy.
You can make playing host or doing laundry a little easier by owning multiple bedding sets, that way you won’t have bare mattresses when it’s time to change out your sheets. Be sure to consider the weather as well — a lightweight blanket is perfect for summer, but you’ll regret not having other options once the harsh chill of winter rolls around.
You may feel inclined to dress your crisply made bed in pure hotel whites but beware of making your bedroom look sterile and out of place in your home’s cozy interior. Instead, add pops of color and a variety of textures and patterns to make your bed more inviting. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the set too. Pair a bold duvet cover with patterned shams, then balance out the whole look with simple, solid sheets.
Pillows are a great way to add interest to your bedroom, and having a variety of smaller pillows to accessorize with makes it easy to change up your bed’s look. Remember the rule of odd numbers when it comes to pillows; eliminating perfect symmetry makes the whole room feel plush, luxurious, and cozy.
It’s time to stop shuffling into a messy bed every night and start embracing the benefits of making your bed. Stock up on clever bedding, keep these helpful tricks up your sleeve and give your mornings a boost with this new healthy habit.
Article originally published September 7, 2017. Last updated by Chase McPeak.
