Start with your sleep temperature. Hot sleepers should prioritize percale cotton, linen, bamboo viscose, or TENCEL lyocell. Cold sleepers usually prefer sateen cotton or jersey knit, which trap more body heat and feel warmer on first contact.
Match pocket depth to your mattress. Standard fitted sheets fit mattresses up to 12 inches. Most modern hybrids and all-foam beds are 12–15 inches, and a topper can push you past 17. Look for deep-pocket (15 inch) or extra-deep (18 inch) labels, and prefer all-around elastic.
Ignore thread-count marketing above 400. Manufacturers inflate counts by counting multi-ply yarns. Fiber quality and weave matter far more. A 270-thread-count long-staple cotton percale outperforms a 1,000-thread-count multi-ply sheet on durability, breathability, and hand feel.
Buy from brands with real trial periods. Sheet feel changes after a few washes. A 30- to 100-night trial lets you sleep on the set before committing. Costco, Brooklinen, and Quince lead on return windows.