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The quality of woven bed sheets is often conveyed by the thread count i.e. the number of threads per square inch of the fabric. However, bed linens need to encompass three essential characteristics such as high breathability, moisture absorbency and soft feel to ensure quality sleep. Sleep quality is significantly influenced by thermal regulation characteristics such as thermal conductivity, air permeability and moisture vapor permeability of the sheeting cloth. Hand of sheeting material is also considered as one of the most important attributes of a high quality bed linen as it comes in direct contact with human body for a substantial duration. In this research, an effort has been made to develop an objective method to measure the performance behavior of the bed linen fabric. Performance index is a calculation of how well a material works to meet its defined goals. The subjective assessment of bed linen performance indicators was conducted by expert opinion to decide the properties affecting the bed linen performance index (BLPI) along with their weightage. Discriminant analysis and coefficient of concordance was determined to find the agreement among the judges. The eight shortlisted properties were determined objectively and the results were normalized to shrink the data in the scale 1 to 5. The weightage and normalized data was used to determine the BLPI by using the developed equation. A high correlation of 0.84 was found between the subjective and objective BLPI. This study concludes that the BLPI could be estimated well using the developed equation.

Bed linen is the material laid above the mattress of a bed that serves various purposes – hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress – and also has a decorative effect in the room. According to several studies, the type of bed linen used for our sleep has a direct effect on our health; in other words, sleep quality is the ultimate performance indicator of bed linen cloth. In this research work, a relationship between bed linen properties and sleep quality was established. Bed linens serve as a basic requirement for sleep, and assessing the right kind of sheet is an important aspect to look into. Analyzing the basic properties of bed linen is an important exercise to perform in order to provide the user with the best-quality sleep. This research focuses on deriving an equation that can be applied to calculate the objective measurement of sleep quality with respect to bed linen properties by developing a bed linen sleep quality index. Questionnaires were designed and subjective evaluation method was followed. A panel of experts was considered for a subjective rating of bed linen properties, their weightage, ranking and bed linen fabrics assessment. Coefficient of concordance was calculated to determine the agreement among the judges and a discriminant analysis was also carried out to determine the variation of the individual rating for a particular property. The results showed a high correlation between the subjective index and the objective index for the bed linen fabric samples. Thus, the objective sleep quality index could be estimated well.