Have your best night's sleep

When it comes to beds and bedding, knowing what to buy and when to update it can make all the difference between waking up wonderfully refreshed or longing for more shut-eye. Each year we spend around 3,000 hours in bed, so it's important to choose the right mattress and pillows.

Your bed
How long it lasts - Seven to ten years.
How to care for it - Avoid sitting at the end of your bed and turn your mattress regularly - at least four times a year. Pull the covers back and air your bed each day for at least 20 minutes. You need to change it when your mattress dips where you sleep and turning it doesn't help, or you wake up feeling achy. To find your perfect bed is lie on your back on the bed. Slide the flat of your hand into the hollow of your back. If your hand slides in very easily or there's a gap, the bed's too firm. It's difficult to slide your hand in, the bed's too soft.

Your pillows
How long they last - Two to three years.
How to care for them - Use a special pillow protector under your pillowcase. Wash pillows every few months at a high temperature, or 24 hours in the freezer will work too. You need to change them when they're flat or lumpy, or if your neck tells you it just isn't getting the support it needs.

Which mattress is best for you?
Pocket sprung, the springs move independently to avoid your disturbing your partner if you twist and turn a lot.

Latex, great if you suffer from back pain because its natural elasticity keeps the body evenly supported. It's also a good choice for allergy sufferers as its anti-microbial properties act as a barrier against dust miters.

Memory foam, perfect if you suffer with back pain or are prone to stiff joints because the mattress slowly moulds to your body shape, so each time you move you receive maximum support. It comes in varying levels of firmness.

The lowdown on thread counts
People think a high thread count equals quality, but that's not always the case as threads can be fine and twisted together, known as twinfold. Buying a high thread is important, 180 is good quality, but see if the packaging says single yarn, which is better than twinfold. Go for Egyptian combed cotton, which has the finest and softest long fibres. And most importantly, feel the quality you'll easily be able to tell the difference between a 180 single yarn thread count and a 180 twinfold thread count.