The right bedding - pillows, sheets, blankets and comforters - is essential since you’ll spend about a third of your life asleep in your bed. Cotton bedding offers the best balance of comfort and softness. The thread counts of cotton bedding sets tell you how densely the yarns are woven into the finished fabric. A higher thread count in your sheets, pillowcases and other bedding means a finer weave and more durability. The insulative fill of your comforters and pillows is also an important choice, with many hypoallergenic bedding alternatives to traditional goose down that approach the luxury of down. Silk is another popular bedding fabric choice, especially for bed-toppers like blankets, comforters, pillows and pillow shams. Many bedding sets even include window dressings like valances and curtains that, along with matching duvet, sheets and pillow shams, turn your bedroom into a beautifully coordinated retreat from the cares of the world.