Clean, crisp bedding brings comfort like nothing else. Research shows fresh sheets improve sleep (and even our romantic lives).

This article does not, of course, actually give a direct citation to the supposed research it references. In reality, the work it refers to appears to be a 2012 market research telephone poll, the 2012 Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation. The National Sleep Foundation is a controversial, industry-funded non-profit that has over the years been criticized for using sleeping pill manufacturer funding to push an "insomnia awareness day" and promotion of insomnia as an epidemic, endorsing bedding product companies, and at one point actually selling MyPillow pillows on its website.

Even they, however, do not claim what the author of this article is claiming. The two most related questions in the survey appear to be on the perceived importance for (a) "getting a good night's sleep" and (b) "creating a romantic environment" of (a) a "clean bedroom", and (b) "comfortable feel of sheets and bedding" (emphasis mine). While the PDF I found frustratingly does not seem to have searchable text, the 73% number appears to be the response for "creating a romantic environment" and "comfortable feel of sheets and bedding".

This is not at all the same as "sleep better on fresh sheets". And, of course, it is completely inappropriate to claim that a market research survey on bedding products and sleep habits was a study that produced concrete findings on sleep quality.

As an academic, my writing an article centred around intentionally misrepresenting results like this one would be potentially career ending. It is extremely frustrating to see them published with no consequence by journalists, and it is articles like these that make me somewhat disappointed there is no way to downvote or report posts on Tildes, even if I generally like the absence of downvotes, including for posts.