What Are The Best Bed Sheets For Allergies?

Allergies are annoying to deal with, especially when you wake up from a fit of sneezing and itching. If you’re constantly waking up in the middle of the night to reach for the box of tissues on your bedside table, you may want to consider switching to hypoallergenic bed sheets.

The best bed sheets for allergies are hypoallergenic bed sheets. These sheets are made of natural materials and woven tightly to prevent dust mites and other allergens from collecting. There are certain materials that make good hypoallergenic sheets for working against allergies.

Keep reading for information on what to look for when considering allergies in your bed sheet purchase.

Bed Sheets For Allergies

What makes a bed sheet suitable for allergy sufferers? Firstly, high thread count bed sheets make it harder for dust mites to burrow into the material and make it their home. Light and airy materials also make your sheets breathable and less prone to dust mite buildup.

Keep an eye out for sheets made of organic materials that haven’t been processed too heavily with dyes and harsh chemicals. Organic cotton or bamboo sheets can be amazing for sleepers with sensitive skin, and can really help cut down on bedtime allergies.

What Are Hypoallergenic Sheets?

Hypoallergenic sheets are bed sheets that are resistant to indoor allergens like dust mites, mold spores, and other microbes. These kinds of bed sheets help mitigate allergy symptoms and sleep disturbances from allergies. 

While it’s usually the materials that make something hypoallergenic, the way bed sheets are made can also be a factor.

How To Choose Bed Sheets If You're Having An Allergy

If you’re wondering how to choose bed sheets for your allergies, you should pick a set of sheets that are made of hypoallergenic material and in your budget range. There are many options for hypoallergenic bedding, from budget sheets to luxury options that cool your sheets down while you sleep.

What Are The Best Sheet Types For Allergies?

Some of the most popular bed sheet materials for allergies are: silk, Egyptian cotton, Tencel, cotton, and bamboo. Keep in mind that not all sheets made with these materials are hypoallergenic. Look for any clear labels that they’re hypoallergenic, and don’t be afraid to ask if they are, just to be sure. 

Look for high thread count sheets that have fibers that are arranged in a tight but breathable weave. 

Here are five different types of bed sheets that we will cover benefits and differences for each.

Bamboo

Bamboo fibers are made using sustainable, eco-friendly processes and have natural antimicrobial properties that make it a challenge for dust mites, germs, and other microscopic organisms to cling to bamboo sheets. The natural fibers from the bamboo plant are very breathable and have great moisture-wicking capabilities, keeping you cool and dry all night.

Bamboo sheets are generally less expensive than other hypoallergenic sheets and can be found in a blend with other materials, creating a softer, more comfortable material. The production process for bamboo fibers is also relatively eco-friendly, though Tencel is still the most environmentally safe fabric out there.

Purple sheets are largely made of Rayon from bamboo viscose. Which is soft, light and stretchy. Designed to adapt to your body and mattress, unlike normal sheets. Allowing you to experience the full comfort of your mattress.  

Silk

Silk sheets are made from silk fibers secreted by silkworms and are some of the smoothest bed sheets you can own. Silkworms naturally imbue silk threads with a protein called fibroin that makes the fibers resistant to dust mites and germs. This makes silk beddings quite luxurious and smooth but also expensive.

Sheets made from silk are not particularly durable, so you need to take great care when cleaning them. When washing silk sheets, be careful to follow the washing instructions closely. Some sheets can be gently machine washed, while others require hand washing in cold water. 

Egyptian Cotton

Egyptian cotton sheets are made from the fibers of a specific species of cotton that can be found in Egypt, Peru, and South America. Egyptian cotton is usually hand-picked, which preserves the long and extra-long fibers and makes for particularly soft and durable sheets.

Egyptian cotton’s long fibers are more absorbent, breathable, and moisture-wicking than their regular cotton counterpart. The premium nature of Egyptian cotton also means that it’s a bit more expensive than most other cotton sheets.

Tencel

Tencel is a material made from Eucalyptus trees grown on sustainable farms. The wood cellulose from the trees is extracted and processed into fibers that are suitable for weaving into bed sheets. The entire process of making Tencel fabric is sustainable and leaves almost zero waste byproducts, passing most environmental standards.

Tencel bed sheets are absorbent and wick away moisture from your body easily, making it a difficult environment for dust mites, bacteria, and germs to thrive in. Tencel fabric also feels very smooth and plush, which is great for sleepers with sensitive skin.

Cotton

Like bamboo, cotton is one of the most common natural fabrics for hypoallergenic sheets because it’s soft, breathable, wicks moisture from your body, and has natural anti-microbial properties.

If you’re looking for hypoallergenic cotton sheets, make sure to buy a set made from 100% natural cotton. The quality of cotton sheets does vary from brand to brand and between different price points, so it may be a bit more expensive if you’re looking for 100% organic cotton sheets. That said, it’s widely available and very easy to find.

Allergies And Eczema

Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over whether we have seasonal allergies or conditions like eczema. However, we learn how to mitigate allergy symptoms and limit harsh episodes.

When allergies keep you up, your sleep quality suffers, and when you don’t get enough good quality sleep, your long-term health can suffer. You won’t just feel cranky in the mornings after a night of allergies waking you up – you also face increased risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and mental health disorders.

If you’re trying to keep your allergies or eczema under control, one of the factors that you can manage is your sleeping environment. For example, pollen, animal dander, and other airborne allergens can make their way into your bedroom and prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. If your windows are open, especially in the summer, consider using window screens to keep allergens from floating into your room from outside.

Dust mites are one of the leading causes of allergies worldwide and are unfortunately very common in the bedroom. They feed on your dead skin cells, which you shed en masse when you sleep. Your body temperature also provides an optimal temp for dust mites to breed. 

Preventing the spread of dust mites is the number one priority when adjusting your sleeping environment.

How To Tackle Bedroom Allergens

You can tackle bedroom allergens by keeping your sleeping environment clean and free from allergy-causing dust mites and germs. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to reduce the frequency and severity of allergic episodes. 

Other than switching your bed sheets to hypoallergenic ones, here are a few things you can try.

Try Using A Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers sap the moisture from the air in your room. Dust mites, germs, and other indoor allergens thrive in a moist environment, so depriving them of humidity will make it harder for them to multiply and spread. 

Lowering the relative humidity in your room to below 45% will make it harder for dust mites and germs to grow and reproduce.

Regularly Launder Your Sheets 

Whether or not you have hypoallergenic sheets, you should be washing your bed sheets in hot water at least once a week. High temperatures are very effective in killing off dust mites, germs, and other microscopic organisms you may be allergic to. Time in the hot dryer will do the trick as well.

For other bedding materials that are a bit harder to wash, leave them out in bright sunlight for an hour every week. The sun’s ultraviolet rays can disinfect your beddings while the heat itself can kill off other allergens.

Take A Bath Before Bedtime

One of the simplest ways to limit your nighttime allergies and increase your sleep quality is by taking a warm bath or shower before turning in for the night. Taking a bath cleans your body of all the potential allergens you’re carrying into bed, making it less likely for them to trigger allergies when you’re deep in sleep.

Keep Pets Off Your Bed

If you’re having a tough time sleeping when your furry friend is cuddling up next to you, it could mean that your pet’s shedding fur is triggering your allergies. To minimize allergic incidents, keep your furbaby off of the bed, even if they whine about it.

Sheets For Allergies FAQs

Are bamboo sheets better for allergies?

Bamboo sheets are excellent for allergies because it wicks moisture from your body, making it difficult for dust mites to find a good environment to live in. Plus, the process of making bamboo sheets doesn’t use harsh chemicals that could trigger allergies.

What is better for allergies, cotton or polyester?

Cotton has natural antimicrobial properties and is more breathable, even when tightly woven together. Polyester may be inexpensive and durable, but it’s a synthetic material and isn’t particularly breathable. 

Some people may have allergies to either cotton or polyester specifically, so pick bed sheets made of a material you know you aren’t allergic to.