As soon as you start to wake up with discomfort, it’s time to consider whether you need a new mattress. Even the best mattress needs to be replaced around the seven-year mark, so that’s why we’ve tested 45 – from major brands, including Simba, Emma and Dreams – to help you choose the right one.

“People often believe their mattress is adequate since they spent a lot of money on it,” says Dr. Lindsay Browning, founder of Trouble Sleeping . “But often it transpires that it’s at least 15 to 20 years old. In these cases, it’s unlikely that the mattress is providing the same level of support.”

According to Dr. Browning: “An ideal mattress should support your back and spine, allowing the spine to remain in a neutral position during the night”. Our guide to choosing a mattress runs through this in detail, but here’s what to consider:

Side sleepers need pressure relief to cushion their shoulders and hips. A hybrid mattress, with its combination of memory foam and springs, should offer the right balance.

Back sleepers need to prevent their torso from sinking too far into the mattress. Medium-to-firm pocket sprung mattresses are best, because each spring works individually, tailoring its cushioning to different body parts.

Front sleepers (or stomach sleepers) should opt for medium-firm or firm mattresses – whether that’s memory foam, pocket sprung or hybrid – to ensure even distribution of weight.

Below, you’ll find a comprehensive guide to mattresses, plus FAQs with advice from our sleep experts.

Telegraph readers have given us their verdict too, helping us to whittle down the 45 tested to our 10 best mattress recommendations.

The best mattress: At a glance

In a hurry? These are our top recommendations for each category:

It’s a Thursday night in November. A pub in Glasgow’s Merchant City. Four men, all about the age of 30, are squeezed around a small table, eating and talking about what the next few months might bring. Nobody recognises them.

That same pub three months later. Screens showing a Celtic game are changed so the patrons can watch the curling. Almost everyone is anxiously staring at the TVs, willing those same four men to reach a Winter Olympic final.

Chances are they will be doing the same on Saturday (18:05 GMT), when Team GB’s Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie take on Canada with a gold medal at stake.

“Our gold medal,” as Mouat referred to it after the epic semi-final win over Switzerland in northern Italy on Thursday – a contest which drew 3.4million viewers to the BBC at its peak.

And fulfilling what they believe to be their destiny – by upgrading their silver medal from Beijing four years ago – is what these four Scots have travelled to Cortina to do.

Since that 2022 near miss, Team Mouat have come to dominate men’s curling, winning two World Championships and adding another couple of European crowns, as well as a record 12 Grand Slam titles.

At times, they have been unbeatable.

That cloak of invincibility slipped during the round-robin stages here – leaving qualification out of their hands – but that fright has now been forgotten, replaced with the return of a clear-eyed focus on the task in hand.

But who are these four young men who have now caught the country’s attention? And what makes them more than the sum of their parts?

Seven UK police forces are investigating the files following allegations that victims were flown into Stansted Airport on Epstein’s plane

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The Met Police have issued a plea for ex-bodyguards of former Prince Andrew to come forward with any information they may have relating to the Epstein files.

It follows the release of millions of court documents by the United States Department of Justice from Epstein. The files are being assessed to see if there are any further details from law enforcement partners including authorities in America, reported the Mirror.

Seven UK police forces are now investigating the files following allegations that victims were flown into Stansted Airport on Epstein’s plane which was nicknamed the Lolita Express. It is estimated that as many as 90 flights arrived into the airport’s private terminal with 15 of these happening after Epstein was jailed over child sex offences in 2008.

The force said: “Following the further release of millions of court documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein by the United States Department of Justice, we are aware of the suggestion that London airports may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

“We are assessing this information and are actively seeking further detail from law enforcement partners, including those in the United States. Separately, the Met is identifying and contacting former and serving officers who may have worked closely, in a protection capacity, with Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor.

“They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us.

“While we are aware of the extensive media reporting and commentary about this matter, as of today, no new criminal allegations have been made to the Met regarding sexual offences said to have occurred within our jurisdiction.

“We continue to urge anyone with new or relevant information to come forward. All allegations will be taken seriously and, as with any matter, any information received will be assessed and investigated where appropriate.

“The action outlined above is independent of investigations or assessment work being carried out by other forces. We are working with the national coordination group which has been set up to bring together affected forces to ensure consistency of approach, including access to appropriate expertise and guidance.”

Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, said messages in the Epstein files linked Andrew, 65, to at least one victim flown into the airport on the “Lolita Express” before being sneaked into Buckingham Palace.

The investigation happened after at least six other forces began assessing evidence within the Epstein files. Forces include the Metropolitan Police, Essex, Thames Valley, Surrey, Norfolk and Bedfordshire.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said: “We continue to work collaboratively to assess the details being made public to allow us to understand any potential impact arising from the millions of documents that have been published. We continue to support our partners and contribute in any way we can to help secure justice for victims and survivors.”

Oaveed Rahman, 26, took almost £5,000 from his victims before leaving dozens of dogs and a cat with no food or water before they were found among carcasses of other animals

Dogs and cats were left to starve to death, with bodies ‘piled up like rubbish’, at a fake rehoming centre.

Oaveed Rahman, 26, claimed to be looking after the animals at a centre called Save A Paw in Crays Hill, Billericay, Essex, but actually left them to suffer. A vet who was called to the scene with police last May 13 said that as soon as she left her vehicle, which was parked about 40 metres away from Rahman’s property, she could smell rotting flesh.

Remains of dogs were found in bins and throughout the site, with some piled up “like rubbish”, the sentencing judge said. Basildon Crown Court heard that veterinary surgeon Amy Cooper saw masses of bodies riddled with maggots with rats around the kennels.

Some 21 dogs which were alive were kept in pens or confined to small spaces. Tom Godfrey, prosecuting, told the court that Ms Cooper said in a statement: “I can honestly say what I smelt and saw was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. It was clear just from a general initial inspection that these animals were all suffering.”

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Sentencing him to five years in prison, Judge Richard Conley said Rahman’s fraud was “an act of betrayal of epic proportions that has devastated many lives”. He said Rahman had convinced decent and well-meaning pet owners to entrust their beloved animals into his care.

“In fact many animals taken in by you… were subjected to prolonged barbaric mistreatment, cruelty and neglect,” Judge Conley said. “Some of them died directly as a result.”

Faeces was found inside the pens and cages, and many of the dogs were severely underweight but did not have access to food, the court heard. Ms Cooper said the dogs kept in pens would have faced “mental turmoil” as there were open bags of food in the property which they could not access.

Victims whose dogs were “rehomed” by Rahman and their supporters in the packed public gallery sobbed as Mr Godfrey told of the condition the animals were found in. Later, after Rahman was sentenced, a victim in the court shouted at him through the video link: “F****** b*****d, I hope you rot in there you dirty b*****d.”

Three of the 21 dogs were so unwell they had to be put down, and one poodle later went blind, the court heard. Rahman previously pleaded guilty to cruelty against 21 dogs and a cat, and 11 counts of fraud by false representation. Police found 37 dead dogs when they first searched the rehoming centre, where dogs were left to roam among the carcasses.

Four more dead dogs were found when a shed was demolished during a later visit. Emma Thompson said she feels “extremely traumatised” by what happened to her dog. She planned to rehome him after the dalmatian pointer cross had shown signs of aggression, and she was pregnant.

“I often think about how confused, scared and sad Lennon must’ve felt being taken from the family he loved, transported to Essex and taken to a stranger,” she said in a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Godfrey. “He would’ve smelt the death of other dogs at the property.”

Ms Thompson paid Rahman a £300 “surrender fee” and a further £200 as a charitable donation. Lennon was one of the dogs found dead during the first raid. Tina Davis, another of Rahman’s victims, took her dog Chad, a pocket bully, to Save A Paw to be rehomed after he had a fight with her other dog.

In her victim impact statement, read to the court, she said: “I was devastated at the prospect of giving up my dog but knew it was required for Chad to have the best possible life. I torture myself, wondering how much he suffered. He must’ve thought I didn’t love him to leave him at that wretched place… I question if I will ever forgive myself.”

Chad is still missing, the court heard. Some of Rahman’s victims contacted him on his Facebook page for Save A Paw, which had good reviews, the court heard. He was sometimes paid a “surrender fee” and also accepted “donations” to his organisation, which he told victims was a charity – but in fact an application for charitable status had been refused.

Rahman took around £4,800 from his 11 victims, telling them it would be used to rehome dogs, provide a new kennel block or train dogs to behave around children and other animals.

He promised to keep in touch with people about how their dogs were doing, the court heard, but often became difficult to contact and in some cases blocked the people who had taken their dogs to him.

“We’ll never truly know the extent of how far maybe offending or this behaviour has gone,” said Superintendent Leigh Norris of Essex Police.

He sentenced Rahman to five years’ imprisonment, with 38 months of that for animal cruelty. The animal cruelty sentence will run consecutively to the fraud counts, for which he was sentenced to 22 months for each count, to all run concurrently.

He was also sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, to run concurrently, for owning the banned XL bully, and was banned from owning dogs and cats for life.

Rahman can apply for the ban to be lifted after 15 years. He was also sentenced to a deprivation order, meaning the dogs found at his property can be taken. Costs will be dealt with at a later date.