Sleeping long: sheets, duvets and mattresses

A bed that’s too short is something you notice every night: feet off the end, a cold draft where the duvet doesn’t reach, a footboard against your toes. The fix starts with knowing which sizes are actually longer, because most of them aren’t.

Which mattresses are longer

Sources: NCOA, Amerisleep.

What this means: a king is wider than a queen but not longer. Among standard sizes, only the California king adds length, about 4 inches. A common rule of thumb is a mattress at least 6 inches longer than you (NCOA).

The oversized options

If a California king still isn’t long enough, the Texas king is the long one at 98 inches. Wyoming and Alaskan kings are mostly about width. The trade-off is real: standard sheets won’t fit any of these sizes, so all bedding, including sheets, duvets and covers, has to be custom-made (Amerisleep). Check the bedroom too: a 98-inch bed needs a room, and a door, it can fit through.

Set up the bed you have

A longer mattress isn’t always possible. These fixes help on any bed:

• Lose the footboard. A frame with no footboard, or a platform bed, lets your feet hang past the mattress without hitting anything.
• Size up the duvet. A king duvet on a queen bed hangs lower at the sides and gives you more to pull down over your feet.
• Tuck less at the foot. Fitted sheet tight, top sheet and duvet loose at the bottom, so they move with you.
• Move the pillows. Sleeping a few inches lower on the bed, with the headboard gap filled by an extra pillow, can buy you the inches you need.
• Sleep diagonally on a king. It’s the same length as a queen, but the diagonal is longer.