Does it really matter if you get enough sleep? Absolutely! Not only does the quantity of your sleep matter, but the quality of your sleep is important as well. People whose sleep is interrupted a lot or is cut short might not get enough of certain stages of sleep. In other words, how well rested you are and how well you function the next day depend on your total sleep time and how much of the various stages of sleep you get each night. So when considering what new mattress to buy consider how important a good night's sleep is and why buying the cheapest option isn't always the best.

Performance: We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly, and create memories. Inf act, the pathways in the brain that help us learn and remember are very active when we sleep. Studies show that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good night's sleep. Other research suggests that sleep is needed for creative problem solving.

Skimping on sleep has a price. Cutting back by even 1 hour can make it tough to focus the next day and can slow your response time. Studies also find that when you lack sleep, you are more likely to make bad decisions and take more risks. This can result in lower performance on the job or in school and a greater risk for a car crash.

Mood: Sleep also affects mood. Insufficient sleep can make you irritable and is linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens. People who chronically lack sleep are also more likely to become depressed.

Health: Sleep is also important for good health. Studies show that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, and other medical conditions.

In addition, during sleep, your body produces valuable hormones. Deep sleep triggers more release of growth hormone, which fuels growth in children, and helps build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues in children and adults. Another type of hormone that increases during sleep works to fight various infections. This might explain why a good night's sleep helps keep you from getting sick-and helps you recover when you do get sick.

Hormones released during sleep also affect how the body uses energy. Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese, to develop diabetes, and to prefer eating foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates.

Almost every home in the UK has unwanted lodgers - the common dust mite. You can't see them because they're so small, but left long enough, you will definitely start to notice their presence. And lots of people are allergic to them, with 20% of the population suffering from the little blighter's.

The mites are often to blame for causing conditions like asthma and eczema, because their droppings cause an allergic reaction in some people. But there are ways to reduce the amount of mites in your home.

Simple measures like airing your bed, hovering your mattress and carpets daily, and opening your windows when you're cooking and cleaning can all help. Dust mites don't like being too cold, too hot or too dry, they love humid conditions like a snug bed or a cosy carpet.

To prevent the fiends getting too comfy, you can replace feather pillows and duvets with synthetic ones. You can also use cotton sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers to combat the crawlies. Vinyl flooring or floorboards will also put them off because they won't be able to nest in it the way they do in carpets. All of our memory foam mattresses come with removable covers meaning you are able to wash the covers to remove any dust mites that are seeking refuge.

Mites thrive on eating our dead skin cells, which we shed around 50 million of every day. So it's very important to hoover regularly and keep your house as dust free as possible. Once the summer arrives, you'll be able to get rid of even more of them because they don't like sunlight and they'll get blown away on the breeze if you leave your windows open.

If you think you may have an allergy to dust mites, you might be experiencing feelings of a tight chest, wheezing when you breathe, itchy, red skin or watery eyes. If you are, you should see your GP as soon as possible and try ridding the mites from your house by following the advice above.

We all have too much to do, so take time out and recharge yourself by getting a good night's sleep. The quality and quantity of your sleep can make all the difference in how productive you'll be the next day. Getting a good night's sleep is not just down to your memory foam mattress, here are ten tips to help you get the sleep you need and deserve.

1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule, including weekends.
2. Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath or hot tub and then reading a book or listening to soothing music.
3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
4. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
5. Your bedroom is for relaxing in, it is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment.
6. Finish eating at least two to three hours before your regular bedtime.
7. Exercise regularly. It is best to complete your workout at least a few hours before bedtime.
8. Avoid nicotine (e.g., cigarettes, tobacco products). Used close to bedtime, it can lead to poor sleep.
9. Avoid caffeine (e.g., coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate) close to bedtime. It can keep you awake.
10. Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. It can lead to disrupted sleep later in the night.

Have you just purchased a new mattress but now find that it's too hard for you and not quite as comfortable as you thought it would be?

Are you looking for something to make your comfortable bed an even bigger pleasure to sleep in?

Although memory foam mattresses are the ultimate in providing the help to sleep you are looking for, they can be quite expensive. You might want to take a look at other products that are available that can make your life more comfortable without having to spend a lot of money. If the alternatives make a big difference then you can decide whether to invest in a new mattress at a later date.

The most common alternative products to try are memory foam pillows and memory foam mattress toppers. If you have a hard mattress then you can put a memory foam topper on top of your existing mattress to make your bed softer. However, don't try this if your mattress is too soft for you in the first place because a memory foam topper or memory foam pad will only make it softer. It must be just right for you, not too hard and not too soft.

The same high-density Visco-elastic foam that is used in the construction of mattresses is used in mattress toppers. You can get toppers in different thickness but typically they tend to be about 4cm to 6cm thick. This is approximately the same thickness as you might find in a mattress construction with the memory foam layer bonded to a firmer core.