Hospital Bed Sheets

Don't you just hate those antiseptic, cheerless, harsh white hospital bed sheets? How are you supposed to get well if you dislike the sheets you are sleeping on? Life is made up of many little pieces. A good life finds little pleasures in many of those pieces. Great bed sheets, especially if you are in a hospital bed, are a needed little pleasure.

Our hospital bed sheets come complete with a fitted bottom sheet, a separate. top sheet and one full/queen size pillowcase. Most hospital bed sheets come as a harsh white bottom sheet only. Our hospital sheet sets are far superior!

In fact, our hospital bed sheets are superior in 8 ways!

1. Not a bottom sheet only but a complete set of top sheet, bottom sheet and one full/queen pillowcase.
2. Our hospital bed sheets are not just white (but we have white if you wish) but come in many cheerful colors.
3. Our hospital bed sheets are not rough muslin but comfortable 200 thread count percale.
4. Luxury 300 thread count 100% cotton hospital bed sheet sets are also available.
5. Unlike most others, a comfortable matching comforter is also available custom made to the hospital bed size.
6. A quilted mattress pad custom made to fit your hospital mattress is also available, although it is not liquid proof.
7. There are five different hospital mattress sizes and our hospital bed sheets can be ordered in every one of these sizes.
8. Every one of our hospital bed sheet sets are carefully custom made in the United States!

Sales of specialty bed sheets are growing. One expanding category is hospital bed sheet sets. Hospital bed sheet sets truly are a specialty type of bed linen and several factors play into the growth in popularity. The increased use of home hospital beds has played a big part in increased sales.

Most of us have a memory of what hospital bed sheets are like. We remember a crisp white top and bottom sheet with a matching pillow case. Long before the days of fitted bottom and top sheets, hospital bed sheets were tucked under the mattress. The hospital housekeeping staff would come in and without moving the patient from the bed, replace the sheets and pillowcases and remake the bed. The task was done with efficiency and was accomplished using what came to be known as hospital corners.

Hospital corners referred to a method of folding the corners of the flat bottom sheet in a way that was crisp and sharply pleated. Hospital corners helped the bottom sheet to stay in place. No matter how sharp the pleats a hospital bed was, a flat bottom sheet was more likely to slip out of place. For most of us, a loose bed sheet can be nothing more than a nuisance. For the bed ridden patient, a loose bed sheet is more than just a nuisance and can be detrimental to patient health.

A loose hospital bed sheet will bunch up under the patient. For those patients confined to bed for long periods of time, a lumpy sheet could cause pressure points. These pressure points could cause or aggravate sore spots, resulting in patient pain and discomfort. Left unresolved, bed sores were likely to become infected putting the patient at tremendous risk.

The advent of the fitted hospital bed sheet set was an important development in hospital care. A properly made fitted hospital bed sheet hugs the mattress and is more likely to stay in place. Fitted hospital bed sheet sets often include a fitted or pocketed top sheet. Like a properly fitting bottom sheet, a pocketed top sheet provides more foot room and is far likely to slip out of place than a traditional flat sheet. A tight fit and less bunching means greater comfort for the patient and a reduced chance for the development of painful and potentially dangerous bedsores.

Hospital bed sheet sets have moved along with the times. The days of plain, bleached white hospital bed sheets have given way to more variety.

The use of adjustable hospital beds have roots in the medical discoveries made by two world renowned physicians including Trendelenburg and Fowler. Once referred to as a semi-Fowler or Fowler bed, hospital beds were only found in hospitals or other medical facilities. Fowler or semi-Fowler beds featured hand cranked mechanisms that allowed the height of the head and feet to be adjusted higher or lower. Being able to position the head and feet at various angles added not only to patient comfort but are calculated to aid in both medical treatment and patient recovery.

Despite the fact that electric motor technology would eventually lead to an electric adjustable Fowler bed, hand crank operated hospital beds were used well into the middle of the 1900’s. Both hand operated and motor driven hospital beds are still in wide use throughout the world.

Advancements in technology and design have taken the adjustable bed out of the hospital and into our homes. For a cost comparable to that of a traditional flat bed, many people have chosen to have a hospital at home. Medical professionals have known for some time that maintaining a bedridden patient in the right position can expedite the patient’s aid in the patient’s care. Benefits to patient well being have been well documented and cover a wide variety of medical conditions.

People who suffer from chronic medical problems like acid reflux disease, back aches and circulatory problems, may find that a hospital bed to be the prescription. Circulatory deficiencies often affect the legs and patients are advised to sleep with the legs elevated above the heart. Folks who suffer with acid reflux disease are advised to sleep with the head and shoulders in a slightly elevated position. Patients recovering from certain surgical procedures and illness are prescribed the use of a home hospital bed.

Many people are opting for long term home care as an alternative to a traditional nursing home. With hospital beds becoming more common, so is the need for quality hospital bed sheet sets. With unique mattress sizes hospital beds are unlike standard beds and require special bed sheet sets. Given the challenges of home health care, hospital bed sheets must be easy to care for. Still, there is no need to sacrifice style for utility when it comes to hospital bed sheets. Once available only in white, quality hospital bed sheet sets are now available in a variety of colors.

As with standard bed sheets sets, cotton and cotton blends are the most popular fabric for hospital bed sheet sets. Cotton is an extremely durable fabric and when blended with fabrics like polyester holds that crisp feel and good fit.

Less expensive hospital bed sheets sets will have a thread count lower than 200 threads per square inch of fabric. Thread count or TC is a measurement of the number of threads per square inch of fabric. Generally speaking, the higher the thread count, the softer the fabric.

Bed linens with a thread of 100 will feel flimsy, somewhat coarse and are more likely to pill. Thin fabric hospital bed sheets are more likely to bunch up, causing discomfort for those patients who are confined to bed for long periods of time. Bed sheets and linens with thread counts of 200 or higher will feel much more substantial and softer. Fabrics with higher thread counts are more durable. Durability means that the quality hospital bed sheets will last longer and cost less money over time then cheaper sheet sets.

This article is for informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified medical professional.