Before you buy your mattress

• Mattresses - the essential guide
• Before you buy your mattress
• Open-sprung mattresses
• Pocket-sprung mattresses
• Memory foam mattresses
• Latex mattresses
• Sprung memory foam mattresses

• A bed should be 10cm longer than the tallest person who will be sleeping in it, so a king-size is the minimum for someone 6ft or more, and wide enough to allow both partners to lie side by side, hands behind heads, without elbows touching.

• To check if a mattress is supporting you properly, lie down and slide a hand beneath the small of your back. If your hand fits easily, it's too soft; not at all, and it's too firm.

• The base will affect how the mattress feels. A sprung divan will make a mattress seem softer than a solid divan or slatted base.

• Sprung and pocket mattresses are padded with fillings including cotton, lambswool and mohair. Luxurious options, such as cashmere and silk, will mean the finished product is more expensive.

• ‘Orthopaedic' is a term that describes mattresses with a firmer spring. While some swear by them, it's more important to choose a mattress that gives proper support as opposed to just being very hard.

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