Should you use a top sheet?
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Do you use a top sheet? Do you even know what that is? The answer might depend on where you live. Hi there, everyone. It's Jeff and this is Plain English, the podcast that helps you upgrade your English with stories about the world. The great thing about Plain English is that we talk about anything and everything.

And so you might only listen to podcasts about health and nutrition, or you might only listen to podcasts about the news or about politics or about business. But if you listen here, you'll hear lots of English words about lots of topics. And boy, today is no different.

Do you use a top sheet? That is the topic. Some cultures, like for example where I grew up, we use a top sheet. I bet every bed in every house in my hometown had a top sheet on it. But in many parts of Europe and Asia, there is no top sheet. Some of you don't even know what I mean by top sheet.

So that is today's topic. This is episode number 765, so you can find the full episode resources at plainenglish.com slash 765. That includes the transcript.

built-in translations, quiz, skills exercises, discussion area, and more. plainenglish.com slash 765. Now listen, I forgot to announce the theme for the month of April. The theme is at home. So last week, I told you about my adventures in co-living and

Today, we continue the theme of at home with this discussion of top sheets. So remember plainenglish.com slash 765 for the full resources of this episode. Before we start today's story, I'd just like to remind you that the podcast is just one part of how we can help you upgrade your English skills.

At plainenglish.com, you can make faster progress with active learning strategies. You can take quizzes, do activities, listen to the fast version of the audio, watch video workshops, practice what you learn, and even join a live call with JR and me. It's all about helping you build your skills to become a better, more confident English speaker.

Sound good? Go to plainenglish.com to start your free 14-day trial today. Now, let's jump into today's story. Travel enough and you'll discover many cultural differences around the world. Language, food, mannerisms, entertainment, and to that, add bedding, specifically top sheets.

The top sheet is the flat sheet that goes directly on top of the sleeper. Some cultures use it and some don't. I grew up in the United States and to me a top sheet is an essential part of a bed.

A bed without a top sheet is, in my opinion and experience, incomplete. But I recognize that many of you listening don't know what a top sheet is or why we use it. In fact, there isn't even a word for top sheet in German. So let me explain what I mean.

In many parts of the world, a complete bed includes two sheets: the fitted sheet and the flat sheet.

The fitted sheet has elastic on the bottom and fits snugly around all four corners of a mattress. This is the sheet you sleep on, and the elastic helps it to stay firmly in place all night long. The top sheet is flat.

This is the sheet you sleep under. Some people prefer to tuck the flat sheet under the mattress. Others prefer to let it lay loosely on top of them. But however you do it, the layering is the same. First the fitted sheet, then you, then the flat top sheet.

You can put some combination of blankets and a comforter on top of the top sheet. A comforter is a thick blanket, usually stuffed with feathers or synthetic material. A comforter keeps you nice and warm on chilly nights.

Top sheets have several advantages. The most commonly cited reason to use a top sheet is that it protects the sleeper from the other layers on the bed and vice versa. Sturdier blankets and comforters are harder to wash. Many comforters are dry clean only, so you might only wash those once or twice a year.

Blankets can usually go into a washing machine, but you would typically wash those less often than you do your sheets. The top sheet is an elegant solution. It protects you from dust or debris on the blanket, and it protects the blanket from sweat and skin cells that we naturally shed while sleeping.

It's easy to strip off the top sheet and wash it every week. If you do that, you can wash your blankets and comforter much less frequently. Top sheets also help sleepers regulate their temperature.

On a hot, humid night, it's comfortable to sleep with just the top sheet and nothing else. It gives you that covered feeling without trapping heat, and it lets air circulate. But on colder nights, the top sheet is a good additional layer, helping the blankets and comforters to trap heat.

Many people just like the feeling of being under a top sheet. Some people like to tuck them in tightly to the edges of the mattress, which gives them a nice, orderly, tucked-in feel. Others say that makes them feel restricted. They want to swish and fluff the top sheet as they sleep, so they just let the flat sheet lay loosely on top of them.

Hard as it is to believe, not every culture uses a top sheet. In fact, much of Europe has ditched the top sheet in favor of a slimmed-down bed. Most beds in continental Europe have a fitted sheet on the bottom topped only with a duvet.

The duvet is a thicker blanket, like a comforter, but the difference is the duvet has a removable cover. The duvet cover is like a giant pillowcase for the thicker blanket. And because you can wash the duvet cover frequently, you don't need a top sheet. There's something to be said for simplicity, too.

When you wake up, there's no need to arrange multiple layers. Just smooth the duvet over, fluff the pillows, and you're done. Those who just use a duvet say that top sheets don't even do their job well.

Many people who use a top sheet kick the sheet to the bottom of the bed in the middle of the night anyway, eliminating all the hygienic advantages and creating more work for themselves the next morning. It's better to just eliminate the top sheet and sleep under a washable duvet cover. Where do people use top sheets?

A top sheet is common in the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal, and parts of Latin America. Sleepers in most of continental Europe, the UK, and Asia slip directly under a duvet, no additional layer needed.

This is an approach that works in areas with cooler nights for at least part of the year. Sleepers in tropical climates with hot, humid nights tend to have lighter covers, like just a top sheet or a very light, washable blanket. In the U.S., the flat sheet is seen as essential, at least by older generations.

YouGov, a polling firm, recently conducted a survey about who uses top sheets. Here's what they found. Among residents age 55 and older, 80% say they use a top sheet often or always. But only about half of people under age 34 say the same thing.

Unbelievably, the firm also asked about how people tuck their top sheets in. Top sheet sleepers are evenly divided among three methods, tucking them into all sides, tucking them into the foot of the bed only, and leaving it completely untucked. Who knew?

A lamentable part of modern life is that people tend to couple up with others just like them. Society is segregating. We tend to live close to and then marry people like us. Similar race, education level, income level, things like that.

Anyway, YouGov, and I don't know where or how they think of these questions, YouGov asked people if they've ever had to share a bed with someone who tucked their top sheet in in a different way. So let's say you like to rigidly tuck your top sheet in so that you feel nice and tucked

What if you meet the love of your life, but he or she likes a loosely fitting top sheet? Do you have a future? Can you make this work? 55% of survey respondents said they have never had to share a bed with someone with different preferences on the top sheet.

Only 31% said they had to share a bed with someone who tucked the top sheet in differently. I'll say I'm team top sheet. In the winter, I like to sleep in a cool room, but I like to be warm in bed with a lot of layers. A top sheet is essential.

In the summer, I try not to use the air conditioning too much. I just prefer the breeze coming in the windows and a fan on in the room. But if the weather is warm, a duvet, even a light one, is too heavy. So I just like to use a top sheet and nothing else when the weather is warm. I don't know what you're supposed to do on a hot night if you only have a duvet.

All right, that's the end of our second episode from this month's theme, At Home. The first episode was last week when I told you about my adventures in co-living. We'll do another one or two on the theme in this month of April. This was episode number 765 for Thursday, April 10th, 2025.

JR has kindly uploaded the full episode to plainenglish.com/765 and if you go to the transcript, you'll see links to the YouGov polls and surveys that I cited in the episode.

Now, don't also forget about the Dig Deeper section. That's where I post real-world English articles about the main topic so you can read more. Something tells me this will be a popular topic and I did include a couple of good and one funny link to an article about top sheets.

So all that is for you at plainenglish.com slash 765, plainenglish.com slash 765. We'll be back on Monday with a new story. See you then. Congratulations. You just learned a new English expression. But do you feel ready to use it in the real world? Just how confident are you? What if you could take a quiz to confirm your understanding?

And what if you could write your own sentence using the expression you just learned and get human feedback from an expert English speaker? Believe it or not, we offer exactly that at plainenglish.com. Every time you learn an expression with plain English, you can write your own example using that expression.

And then, an expert English speaker, that's me, an expert English speaker will read your example and give you personal feedback on how to improve. In other words, you can make all your mistakes with us in a friendly, supportive environment. And then you'll be an expert when you use the expression out in the real world.

If that sounds good to you, then go to plainenglish.com and start your free 14-day trial. Practice as many English expressions as you like, and you'll get feedback on every sentence. Go to plainenglish.com to start your free 14-day trial today.