\title{And so to bed...}
\author{Ysanne Brooks}

\begin{abstract}
A good mattress will ensure you wake up with a spring in your step. Ysanne Brooks explores how to choose the right one.
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}
Do you wake up in the morning feeling rested and ready for the day ahead or do you rise with aches, pains and a fuzzy head from too little sleep? We spend up to a third of our lives in bed and, according to the Sleep Council—an independent organisation that raises awareness of sleep's impact on health and wellbeing—a comfortable and supportive bed is the foundation of a restorative night's slumber. Ensuring your mattress is doing its job is the first step to the best possible start to your day.

\subsection{What types of mattress are there?}
Lots, and quality varies depending on the price. A budget mattress will usually be made up of open coils or springs. This consists of a single length of wire knitted into a series of interwoven springs. The higher the spring count, the more comfortable it will be.

At the higher end sit pocket-sprung mattresses. These feature small metal springs, each sewn into their own pocket of fabric, making them individually responsive. More expensive designs will have up to 3,000 individual coils and include multiple layers of fillings including natural ingredients such as wool, cashmere, horsehair, silk or latex foam.

\subsection{What is memory foam?}
Originally developed in association with NASA, memory foam is made up of tightly knitted viscoelastic cells that respond to your temperature and weight, cushioning you and relieving pressure on joints. Called memory foam because of its ability to retain its original shape and structure after being moulded to the shape of your body, it is hypoallergenic too. Some mattresses combine several foam layers, or combine foam with springs, creating hybrid mattresses that offer some of the best of both worlds.

\subsection{What size do I need?}
Available in standard UK single (90cm x 190cm), double (135cm x 190cm), king (150cm x 200cm) and super-king (180cm x 200cm) sizes, mattress sizes may also be customised. Some manufacturers have also started to offer longer or wider options to suit different body shapes and sleeping styles.

\subsection{How firm should it be?}
How heavy you are, the position in which you generally sleep and whether you're a restless or quiet sleeper will all dictate the firmness of the mattress you choose. Most come in some variation of firm, medium-firm, medium-soft and soft, although the necessary firmness level is very subjective. As a general rule, light and side sleepers should choose something that's slightly softer while heavier back or front sleepers should go for medium-firm or firm options.

\subsection{Which type is best for back pain?}
What's right for one person might not necessarily work for another. Back sleepers need support for their lower spine to prevent too much pressure on this area, so a medium-firm mattress that has enough firmness to support the spine and a level of softness to cushion for added comfort is a good choice.

\subsection{What is a mattress topper?}
An additional layer of comfort for your mattress, removable toppers are available in a range of materials and depths, from latex, for a little extra support, to duck down for softness and warmth. Some memory foam mattress suppliers offer foam toppers to provide an additional layer.

\subsection{What is a mattress protector?}
Many modern mattresses don't require turning so it's a good idea to put them with a removable protective layer that can be popped into the wash when necessary. Thinner than a topper, it's not there to provide extra comfort, although some do; it's more to help preserve the life of a mattress and maintain freshness—particularly on children's beds, for instance.

\subsection{Mattress care}
The general consensus seems to be that a new mattress is advisable every eight to 10 years. There are ways to keep your mattress at its best for as long as possible, though. If your mattress requires flipping and rotating then make sure you do this fairly regularly to ensure springs don't get displaced or bunch in one position over time, or it doesn't wear unevenly. Flip the mattress once every three months and turn it so that the same side isn't permanently taking the pressure of your body weight. A regular vacuum will help to keep it dust-mite free. Adding a mattress protector is also a good preventative measure.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics{figure_1.pdf}
\caption{Testing a mattress.}
\label{figure_1}
\end{figure}

\subsection{How I found my fairy-tale mattress}
As a teenager, I slept on a sofa bed for three years and, as a student, a mattress on the floor. So to find myself, in my thirties, sleeping on a £900 add-to-bed with Princess-and-the-Pea-like layers of foam and mattress was a strange experience. Enough was enough. I spent too much time researching “internet mattresses” (the growing number of foam beds that come in a box, the majority of the ones I see on Instagram feeds showed two mattresses to every one post from a friend). I agonised, measured, contemplated depth and potential weaknesses. I laid and replayed reviews and comparisons and then headed certain brands didn't do the dizzy sizes I needed.

At an interiors event I went to for work, I was asked with delight how I slept. I said I had been researching mattresses for months. Later the brand delivered one to my home. When my Casper mattress arrived (£525 for a small double), it felt like Christmas. I unboxed it, unrolled it and set it on my bed. Like the little bear's porridge, it's not too hot nor too cold, but just right. My advice: see what a mattress that makes you feel like Sleeping Beauty might cost.

Rebecca Armstrong