AND WHAT ABOUT THE PERFECT PILLOW?

I HAVE a confession to make: I’ve used the same pillow, bought from John Lewis in London’s Oxford Street, for 20 years.

I wash it every few months, but I still wouldn’t want to expose it to a scientist’s microscope.

What’s so special about it? It’s made from memory foam and shaped like a wedge. I sleep with the thick end at my shoulder, so my neck gets a good stretch.

So having found some great duvets, I went in search of the perfect new pillow:

FOR SIDE SLEEPERS:

AT LAST, I’ve found the ideal

replacement for my beloved wedge pillow. On sale from January, it’s moon-shaped and made from springy visco elastic polymer, the material used in orthopaedic insoles. The shape leaves space for the shoulders, while the bounce-back material gives full support to my neck and head. Ideal for side sleepers, there is also a butterfly-shaped version for those who sleep on their front. £60, rested.com 10/10 MADE from memory foam infused with cooling gel, this provides a perfect mix of support and give — it feels like the closest thing there is to sleeping on a marshmallow. What’s more, the gel is designed to keep you cool throughout the night, making it the perfect solution for women of a certain age battling with night sweats. £69.99, sussexbed centre.co.uk 9/10 THIS had an unpleasant odour after unpacking, so I aired it for a couple of days before using it. Designed so you can customise it to your particular tastes, whether soft, medium or firm, there are small, removable memory foam tubes inside. There’s also a layer of soft down, while the cover contains material to help regulate body temperature. I liked it at its firmest. £95, simbasleep.com 8.5/10 AN unusually shaped, dense, memory foam pillow which is a standard shape on one side and has a special ridge on the other, for those, like me, who want extra neck support. The attractive, washable cover can be removed and, for anyone who prefers to sleep a little flatter, sections of the filling can be extracted to create the perfect depth. Infused with green tea, too, to lull you to sleep, though I wasn’t terribly conscious of that. £49.99, dormeo.co.uk 9/10 THIS luxurious pillow is firmer on one side than the other, due to the different ratios of goose down to feather in each. The soft side was very comfortable when sitting up in bed reading, then I flipped it over to sleep. It’s very dense with plenty of give for moulding to your preferred shape, so good for those who like more than one pillow. It’s hypoallergenic and machine washable too. £129, andsotobed.co.uk 9.5/10