“Give me a mattress over a man any day,” were the words I declared as I bounced onto my first Dreams mattress, inside the company’s showroom.

I had been invited as part of a Mumsnet Influencers group to ‘make our own mattress, made by mums for mums.’ But until I did the bounce test (the only way I knew how to test a mattress and the most fun) on a number of mattresses, I hadn’t realised how much a mattress can vary in terms of properties, thickness, firmness, breathability and eco-friendliness (and for me knowing that a mattress can be made out of natural ingredients is important too, as this year I am trying to go au natural with my household, diet and cosmetics).  To be honest, I had just thought we would be making a mattress look pretty and maybe adding some designs to a mattress like ‘pimp my car,’ but mattress, after all, I had assumed mattresses were just made up of springs, foam and some material wrapped around.

Oh my days never knew what fun could be had at a #mattress factory ❤️❤️❤️ Me & @bridiebythesea testing out some of @dreams_beds #mattresses because sleeping is sooooo important for #mentalhealth and #wellness ??? I swear when I have breakdowns (like this week) it’s contributed by #sleepdeprivation (although thank god i co sleep which helps when I’m #breastfeeding) ??? Didn’t realise how big an impact your mattress has tho?! Wow! ??? Now my mattress at home is going to feel even more uncomfortable after trying some luxury ones ??? Thanks so much @mumsnet for hosting such a fab day #sp #sleeping #sleep #mumsdreamsleep #mumsnet #dreams #dreamsbeds #bedtime #mumlife #vloggerlife #bloggerlife #influencerlife

A post shared by Sophie Mei Lan (@mamameiblog) on Jan 25, 2018 at 9:08am PST

So before that focus group day at Dreams HQ, if you’d asked me for advice on getting a good night’s sleep, I wouldn’t have included anything about a mattress. Whereas now that is a front-runner in terms of what tips I will offer to get a good night’s sleep.

Whilst I am no sleep expert, I think it’s pretty impressive that I get at least 8 hours of sleep most nights considering I am still breastfeeding, co-sleeping and have an active brain. I have learnt to prioritise sleep because if I don’t get enough of it, it really does negatively impact on my mental health and wellbeing. In the early days of motherhood, I was a mess and constantly declaring: “I can see why sleep deprivation is a form of torture.”

So after lots of trial and error here’s how I get a good night’s sleep:

1)     Mattress (Yes, I have been converted into a mattress evangelist!): Making sure your mattress is right for you and your needs. So at the Mumsnet day at Dreams we created two mattresses – one called Kindred and the other called Spirit. Kindred is higher end and very firm with cooling properties where as Spirit is softer and cheaper. I would definitely go into a showroom to try out a mattress before purchasing one. So many people (like I used to) just buy mattresses online without testing them and honestly, if you get your perfect mattress like I have found in Kindred, it will really help your sleep.

Dreams Kindred Mattress, created by Mumsnet (and me amongst others)

2)     Creating a tranquil environment: Now this is hard with kids, I know, but we can only do our best. So, whilst I can’t have my scented candles burning, I do love a lavender diffuser, amazingly plush bedding and photos of happy memories to be hung up on the wall.

3)     Switching off devices before bed or setting a dim light: People moan on about this, but I hate to say it, they’re right. Electronic screen devices keep our brain active and we don’t realise we’re sleepy as we’re so absorbed into the bright light and scrolling through endless social media posts (I personally struggle with the concept of ‘news feeds’ for fun as I am a journalist and this is what we have to use day-to-day in the newsroom with multiple screens… but yes it’s addictive.).

A happy medium I choose is to set my devices to go dimmer at night automatically, so whilst I am indeed glued to my phone, it is a little less harsh. One of my personal goals is to read more books rather than news on screens… but hey life is a journey! We have to be realistic.

4)     A family bed: I have found it easier to co-sleep and breastfeed in a shared bed. I am not having to get up in the night to feed or soothe my kids, they are right there beside me and I simply just wriggle and roll into position (plus breastfeeding helps you produce hormones which make you drowsy).

5)     Regular exercise and varying your fitness routine: Whilst we all know that regular exercise is good for your mind and body, it helps my sleep too especially when I’ve done weight training or a new workout. My body feels fatigued which helps me to sleep (especially now I have a good firm mattress).

6)     Self-care: For me I love a bath and it means good quality time with the kids or on my own with essential oils!  Bliss! I also love writing and when I have bathed or written I feel calmer and readier to sleep. But another barrier is I find is worrying too much and whilst I can’t stop my worries, what I like to do is have dump pads and pens around the house such as on my bedside cabinets (yes on both sides). It just means if I am thinking about something or forgotten to do something I can just jot it down and get it out of my brain.

7)     A sleep /wake up routine: Are you a morning bird or night owl? For me I love getting up early to do my work before the children wake up. If I go to bed late, I am a mess the next day and I hate ‘sleeping in’ because I feel I’ve wasted the day. But my husband is the opposite, he has tried to get up early for a power hour of work and meditation before the day begins but it just doesn’t suit him or his chef lifestyle. When I am ready to go to bed, he is ready to do his work. So as much as you can find your style and stick to it.

As this post is kindly sponsored by Dreams and Mumsnet as part of their #MumsDreamSleep campaign I want to end on the subject of my amazing new mattress.

I am proud to have been part of the “making” of two new mattresses – one called “Kindred” (the firmer, more expensive one) and the other “Spirit” (the softer and cheaper one).

After much debate, I opted for the Kindred mattress as I’d never been on a mattress that felt so luxurious. I still love Spirit and would more than happily purchase that one too. Both are available nationwide at Dreams (and I recommend you go and try them both and do a bounce test!).

My Kindred mattress arrived 10 days ago and I love it, it has my children’s approval too. Especially as I have lots of aches and pains from the gym, carrying kids and playing sport, so the firmness feels great on my body as well as the heat regulation properties for these warm summery nights.

So my husband needn’t worry as I now have the mattress of my dreams (no pun intended) and he still lives with me… for now.

To read what other mums and influencers think of the Kindred Spirit mattresses, go to this mumsnet thread.

To purchase your own mattress, or to have a good bounce, go to:

https://www.dreams.co.uk/

https://www.dreams.co.uk/storelocator

DISCLAIMER: This is a paid for post by Dreams through the Mumsnet Influencer network. I received the mattress as part of this review. All views expressed on my own.