Given how much of our lives we spend in bed, it's staggering how willing we are to put up with an uncomfortable sleeping situation. How many times have you slept on a pillow that's too flat or too tall or too soft or too hard?
With the rise in sleep technology and a myriad of new bedding and mattress companies launching on the market, there's never been a better time to take stock of how you sleep and what you sleep on.
Experts suggest that pillows should be changed every two years – but the average person keeps using them for 3.2 years. A flattened pillow from too much usage could put strain on your neck (and it doesn't bear thinking about how many dust mites and other nasties are crawling around in there).
This isn't frivolous stuff, either. According to new research, sleep has a stronger association with a person's wellbeing than almost anything else in their lives. The signs are that we're cottoning on. Recently, Matthew Walker's book Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams became a runaway bestseller.
I've worked my way through a constant rotation of new pillows to find the best of the bunch, sampling traditional favourites and hi-tech new products in my quest for the perfect night's sleep.