A good night's sleep

I'm bound for Florida as I write this. Exhausted from a week spent working harder than usual so I can break away for six days with my son. As we lift off I am not dreaming of white sand beaches, pristine swimming pools, room service, spa treatments, and a trip down antique row - though these are things I love. I am dreaming about bedtime. The moment I surrender to freshly pressed sheets. The room is chilled but I am wrapped in downy bliss and I have not asked for a wakeup call; I am content to sleep until noon like my teenager.

While I am enjoying this fantasy my son has fallen asleep beside me, sitting straight up. I envy this, though I cannot imitate it. For me, and for many adults, a good night's sleep is a carefully orchestrated event. But it isn't the bed itself, so often the focus of bedroom decorating that's fundamental to creating the ideal sleeping environment. In fact, the most beautiful bed in the world is an unwelcoming thing without a great mattress and luxuriously comfortable sheets.

The Mattress

Because we spend a third of our lives in bed, it's hardly extravagant to choose a good quality mattress. Similar to upholstered furniture, mattresses have hidden value so it's critical to do your homework before buying. According to mattress maven Christine Magee of Sleep Country Canada the right fit not only accommodates a comfortable sleep, it can minimize pressure points, reduce tossing and turning, and add greatly to the quality of sleep.

Mattress Construction

Essentially there are four types of mattresses:

1. Pocket Coil - each spring moves independently allowing for private sleep space and excellent spinal alignment.
2. Open Coil - interlinking springs, generic in most manufacturers' opening lines.
3. Advanced Technologies - manufacturers' proprietary coil systems.
4. High quality foam - natural latex provides support and allows for air circulation.

Equally important are the comfort layers, consisting of various types of foams or felts and designed to make the mattress "feel" softer or firmer, though they do not affect the "support" the bed yields. Higher quality mattresses may be composed of natural fibre layers such as wool, silk, or cashmere, providing exquisite comfort and aiding the mattress in breathing and taking on room temperature. There is also a growing trend toward deeper, more luxurious mattresses.

The "ticking" or outer covering may be a poly product (most opening models) a cotton poly blend (most mattresses) or 100% cotton (very top models).

Sharing a Bed

What about the couple whose sleep profiles differ - she's a light sleeper and he's substantially heavier? Doug McKinnon of Toronto's City Mattress uses a computerized body profiler to solve these specific challenges. The 2-minute test aids consumers in finding the ideal mattress.

Regardless of construction, to maintain the integrity and comfort of a mattress rotate it every three months.

Featherbed

The featherbed is actually a thin layer of down, duck and/or goose feathers that is sandwiched between mattress and fitted sheet. The best versions have a pillow top of pure down, so the feathers don't jab. These days, all featherbeds and duvets are constructed with 'baffle-boxes'; stitching which prevents the feathers and down from clumping at the bottom or in corners.

The Ultimate Sheets

A proper mattress notwithstanding, sumptuous bedding can mean the difference between a deep sleep and restless night of discontent. Joanna Goodman of Au Lit Homestyle encourages consumers to consider several important factors when choosing sheets.

1. Type of material
2. Thread count
3. Where the cotton is from
4. Where the cotton is woven

Types of Material

Egyptian cotton is widely believed to be the world's best, most luxurious cotton. Its long fibers create the smoothest finished product.

Less popular though coveted by many, linen has a cool crispness that is ideal for summer sleeping. Though purists insist on pure 100% linen, many find the wrinkled appearance and intrinsic roughness takes getting used to. In that case, a blend of linen and cotton, which is less wrinkly and more soft, may be a better choice.

To avoid ironing while enjoying the luxury of pure cotton or linen sheets, Goodman suggests removing items after 10 minutes in the dryer. Fold and smooth sheets and pillowcases or drape them over a chair or shower rod to finish drying naturally. It's the last 20 minutes in the dryer that causes wrinkles.

Thread Count and Beyond

For truly luxurious sheets that wear beautifully over time, look for thread count between 200 and 600. However, don't be fooled, thread count alone cannot determine the fineness of sheets. A 600-thread count sheet made of inferior cotton and woven in India or China (as opposed to Italy or Switzerland) is poor quality. It's important to purchase bedding from an informed dealer who can answer questions about origins and content.

The ideal sheet is a matter of personal preference. Some favor the crispness of 250 percale (like a favourite GAP shirt), others swoon over 320 thread count cotton sateen sheets ('sateen' is pure cotton whose weave gives it a satiny sheen). In my opinion (and I sleep often) the ultimate splurge is a 600-thread count, Egyptian cotton, woven in Italy.

A Word about Menopause

For women of a certain age, menopause brings an entirely new dimension to getting a good night's sleep. If night sweats are a problem, here's what Goodman suggests, "First off, get rid of the polyester! Pure cotton breathes. Use a lightweight duvet that is very thin. The beauty of a down-filled duvet is that the down adapts to your body temperature, so one partner can keep warm while the other is comfortably cool. If the night sweats are REALLY bad, sleep on cotton sheets under a light cotton blanket."

Pillows

Most consider the best pillows to be made of pure down using hand-plucked Canadian goose down. Often, the down is cleaned so the pillow is hypoallergenic. Feather-down blends also provide excellent quality and give the pillow more firmness; allowing it to hold its shape longer.