Just as spring emerges from its long, soggy lie-in, we’re going back to bed.

It may not seem the most obvious time of year for World Sleep Day (which was 13 March), but light evenings, early sunrises and the last cries of the fox mating season mean some of us need all the sleep help we can get.

After a year and a half of testing products for the Filter (I make that 4,000 hours of snoozing on the job), it’s not the most-hyped sleep aids that had the biggest impact on my sleep. In fact, only one of them – an eye mask that cost less than £10 – had as much impact on my slumbers as the best mattresses and duvets.

Bedding that balances cushioning, support, warmth and breathability proved transformative for me; good value and a sustainable production process helped me sleep better, too. Here’s a quick reminder of the best of the best.

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How to create the perfect bed

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Our favourite mattress (and yours)

Otty Original Hybrid

Double, £599.99 at Otty

I try to avoid recommending products that are actually lethal, but that “I was blissfully dead to the world” from the first night of testing was just one of the reasons I gave the full five stars in my Otty Original Hybrid review. Otty’s flagship product was also my top pick in our best mattresses guide because of its “outstanding balance of support, cushioning and breathability”. You loved it, too – and bought more of it than any other item we recommended in 2025.

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The duvet I liked so much I bought it

Panda the Cloud

Double, £129.95 at Panda

Panda’s down-like duvet has cost me money (because I ended up buying it) and some lovely winter sunrises (because I’d rather cuddle it than get out of bed), but its only real downside is that its 10.5 togs will probably be too warm in summer. That said, the pillowy bamboo filling proved so breathable that “a slight shift … during the night felt like flipping a pillow over to the cool side,” as I wrote in our guide to the best duvets.

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The most (surprisingly) comfortable pillow

Otty Deluxe Pure

£69.99 at Otty

It’s another victory for Otty in our best pillows guide, where the memory foam Deluxe Pure beat all-comers despite looking about as comfy as a doorstep. “Its boxy design might not look especially appealing,” admitted writer Edward Munn, “but allow it to conform to your head and neck, and it offers a superb balance of comfort and support.”

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The weighted blanket I’d marry

Emma Hug

£99.95 at Mattress Online £104 at Emma

“Being enveloped in heavy silken bamboo is, with apologies to my husband, the closest I’ve come to heaven while falling asleep,” I wrote when naming the Emma Hug best overall in our best weighted blankets guide. Fate seems to have punished me for that, because the silky bamboo cover is sadly (and bafflingly) no longer available. The blanket itself remains a winner, with a cotton casing that stayed cool and a 7.3kg weight that soothed and warmed me without being so heavy that I had to fight my way out.

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The most luxurious duvet and mattress

Woolroom Deluxe Washable 3-in-1 duvet

Double, £311.99 at Woolroom

Woolroom Standen Wool mattress

Double, £1,687.20 at Woolroom

These two weren’t overall winners, but I had to give them a shout here because they are bedding perfection. Woolroom’s sustainable, durable and deliciously comfortable products are the finest sleep-enhancers I’ve ever tested, albeit among the priciest. The percale-encased duvet is toasty or cooling depending on how much of it you use, and I wrote that the mattress is “a masterpiece” that proved “instantly comfortable and never disappoint[ed] me over three months of golden slumbers”.

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The bedding adored by interior designers

Piglet in Bed 100% linen Dusk Blue bedding

Duvet cover, from £119 at Piglet in Bed Pillowcase pair, £44 at Piglet in Bed

Numerous designers mentioned the UK company Piglet in Bed when we compiled our guide to the best bedding brands. “My son has allergies, so I go for linen bedding in my kids’ rooms,” said interior textile designer Eva Sonaike. Having received Piglet in Bed’s cotton robe for Christmas, I can attest to the gloriously soft and breathable feel of the brand’s natural textiles against your skin. The products are also made from responsibly sourced fibres and come in a gorgeous range of colours and patterns.

For more on sleeping in style and comfort from the Filter:
• The best mattresses for back pain
• The best duvets for every season and sleeper
• The best pillows – tested
• Tried-and-tested tips for better sleep