What Is Bamboo Bedding?

What Is Bamboo Bedding?

According to Harvard Health Publishing, we spend approximately a third of our lives sleeping, which means that choosing top-tier bedding should be a no-brainer. 

Being comfortable in the bedroom can make the difference between tossing and turning and a good night’s sleep. If you’ve been researching quality materials to achieve the dream (pun intended), then you know that bamboo bedding enjoys great popularity nowadays.

So, why is that so? What is bamboo bedding and what makes it a desired part of your nocturnal adventures? 

Let’s dive straight into the answer.

What Is Bamboo Bedding?

Bamboo bedding, also known as bamboo bed linen, is the material we use to protect the pillows or mattress and create a soft surface to lie on, adding a decorative touch to your bedroom in the process. 

How Is Bamboo Bedding Made & What Materials Are Used in the Process?  

The most common bedding fabric that bamboo manufacturers use is bamboo viscose or bamboo rayon, and bamboo lyocell.

Manufacturers produce bamboo viscose material through the viscose process itself, which turns the bamboo fiber into natural textile materials. The first and foremost step towards creating these natural textiles is breaking down the cellulose from the raw bamboo pulp and dissolving it into a solution. Next, the manufacturers press this solution into fibers, spurning them into threads and weaving them into diverse fabrics.

The key difference between these materials is that viscose applies sodium hydroxide, an inorganic compound also known as caustic soda, to dissolve the bamboo plant while lyocell uses an organic solvent. As there aren’t alterations to the bamboo’s cellulose in the production of lyocell, the material retains numerous qualities from the original plant.

Is Bamboo Bedding Good?

The short answer is yes. 

Naturally breathable, environmentally friendly, incredibly soft - these are just a few characteristics that describe bamboo bedding.

Let us explore their benefits by answering some common questions about bamboo bedding in detail and comparing it to one of its most popular “competitors” - cotton bedding.

Does Bamboo Bedding Keep You Cool? 

The natural fibres of bamboo sheet sets allow your body to stay cool by allowing it to regulate its own temperature during hot summer nights. 

When water droplets are being released from the skin as a natural way for our bodies to cool down, bamboo fibres carry them away from your body. This happens because of the moisture-wicking properties of bamboo materials, allowing the moisture to evaporate instead of trapping it inside.

Is Bamboo Bedding Better Than Regular Cotton? 

Even though cotton has been a voguish material for many generations, bamboo fabrics are bringing a breath of fresh air to the current world of beddings. Let’s compare bamboo and cotton to see what’s behind the immense popularity of sustainable bamboo fabric.  

Sustainability 

Bamboo is more sustainable than cotton because it grows quite quickly after being harvested, usually from the original root. In contrast, the cotton plant is not self-regenerating as it requires yearly replanting.

Unlike cotton, the bamboo plant also grows without the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which means a lower carbon footprint, i.e. a lower environmental impact.  

Hypoallergenic Properties

Thanks to its antibacterial and naturally hypoallergenic properties, bamboo fabric reduces the chances of allergy flare-ups and potentially improves sleep for people with sensitive skin or allergy tendencies.

Organic cotton is also hypoallergenic, so the chances of the material causing any irritations are minimal.

Softness

Regular cotton is not as soft as bamboo fabric. What’s more, bamboo sheets not only arrive incredibly soft at your door, but they get even softer with each wash. 

Durability 

Cotton is an extremely durable material, but consumers sometimes complain about its shape retention. On the other hand, bamboo fabrics can keep their original shape for up to fifteen years - of course, with proper care. 

Another feature that makes bamboo fabrics more durable than their cotton counterparts is that they’re antimicrobial, which protects them from dust mites for a longer period of time.

Affordability

Bamboo tends to be a little bit more pricey than cotton, however, top-tier cotton material with an equal amount of threads may cost just as much as bamboo.

What About Bamboo vs Egyptian Cotton Sheets? 

In bygone days, a measure of quality was all about thread count, and a higher thread count signified better quality. 

That being said, Egyptian cotton is widely considered the highest quality material in the cotton family, with some brands claiming that their sheets have an incredibly high thread count of 1,000.  

On the other hand, bamboo bed sheets, which are currently taking the world by storm, usually come with a thread count that’s between 300 and 400. Even though lower than those of Egyptian cotton, the thread count doesn’t determine their unmatched quality.

So why doesn't this rule apply here? 

What gives the bamboo sheets a luxurious feel is neither the thread count itself nor the softness of the bamboo fibre, but the staple length of bamboo fibres which far surpasses those of cotton. The reason behind this is that longer fibers mean a smoother surface is created through the spinning or weaving process.

If this topic sounds interesting to you, there is a comprehensive article discussing the thread count of bamboo sheets for you to check on our blog. 

Conclusion

Protecting your mattress with the right materials makes a world of difference for your sleep hygiene. 

But you probably know this since you are trying to decide what perfect bedding means to you. 

We hope that we helped you to make up your mind by showing you the health benefits of an eco-friendly, naturally breathable material that boasts incredible softness that lasts for years - bamboo!

Sources

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

https://findanyanswer.com/how-long-do-bamboo-sheets-last

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https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/aug/how-sweat-works-why-we-sweat-when-we-are-hot-as-well-as-when-we-are-not/

http://www.greenpalstore.com/article-68-Why+Bamboo+is+Eco-Friendly+Is+bamboo+really+an+Eco-friendly+material.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128183984000098

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233402755_The_origin_of_the_antibacterial_property_of_bamboo

https://sciencetrends.com/what-is-viscose-fabric-material/

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128183984000098

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Sodium-hydroxide