I went on a sleep retreat with Dunelm and discovered how to get the perfect night's sleep – here's what I learned

Ever wonder what you could do to improve your sleep? Well, last month, I was invited to an overnight sleep retreat by the lovely folks at Dunelm. The trip's aim was to highlight the brand's vast range of the best mattresses and bedding, and to meet Dunelm's sleep experts. The day would end with everyone spending the night in their own personal treehouse cabin furnished top-to-toe in Dunelm products, along with a bed that has been completely tailored to each individual's needs, ensuring we had a perfect night's sleep.

Now, buying a mattress, duvet or pillow isn't a one-size-fits-all affair. Choosing the wrong product can completely ruin your chances of a good eight hours of shut-eye. So I was intrigued to find out how Dunelm plans to help inform its customers on how to find the right products to buy.

No surprises, then, that I found myself on a train last Thursday, bound for the beautiful Wildhive at Callow Hall in Derbyshire, where Dunelm was hosting its special Sleep Retreat. In advance of the stay, the brand's expert team sent me a questionnaire, asking detailed questions about how I sleep to find my ideal bed and bedding setup.

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After we arrived, and were shown the beautiful treehouses where we'd be spending the night (pretty much everything in the rooms apart from the painted cupboard in the corner was from Dunelm!) and then we headed off for a special sleep presentation.

Here, Dunelm's experts talked us through the brand's sleep ranges and the wealth of products that it offers. To say that it stocks a wide selection is an understatement - there really is something for everyone, covering all bases in quality, affordability and practicality.

Dunelm's sleep ranges are split into five brands

To understand the options available at Dunelm, you need to get your head around some names, as its bedroom collections are split among five in-house brands.

At the most affordable end of the scale, you have Dunelm's core collections, which feature basics at great prices, including rolled and lightweight mattresses, pillows, duvets and bedding protection.

Next, there's Dunelm's Comfort Zone range, which focuses on products that offer extra support - these will include lots of memory foam and gel fillings, as well as body and support pillows. Comfort, here, is key.

Right in the middle is Fogarty, a heritage brand that Dunelm has owned for over a decade. It specialises in technical bedding, including synthetic and natural materials, as well as anti-allergy and cooling ranges.

Next, Hotel is one of the brand's more luxurious collections, and as the name suggests, it aims to bring a boutique hotel vibe to your bedroom. It specialises in pocket-sprung and memory foam pillow-top mattresses, as well as cotton bedding with high thread counts.

Finally, there's Dorma - a heritage brand dating back to 1921 (almost as old as Ideal Home!), which has been owned by Dunelm for 18 years.

Naturally, this is the brand's top-end bedroom collection (it holds a royal warrant, after all) with luxe materials including silk, merino wool, cashmere, alpaca and high-thread-count cotton, alongside premium pocket sprung, split tension and hand-finished mattresses.

Admittedly, you won't find every single product at your local store - there are several warehouses' worth of product available on the Dunelm website. But even I was surprised at the sheer volume of products available, as well as the variety, that you can choose from.

The number of bedding options that Dunelm has to offer is pretty vast

Before I went on this trip with Dunelm, I knew the brand sold a selection of mattresses, duvets and pillows. But I really had no clue how large this offering was. As I type this, a quick search on its website shows that there are over 640 double mattresses to choose from, over 1,000 double duvets and more than 150 of the best pillows.

Thankfully, Dunelm acknowledges that there's a lot to choose from, so it's currently rolling out special questionnaires (rather like the one I filled in before the sleep retreat) to help point people in the right direction when shopping for the ideal mattress, duvet or pillow.

Unsure of what you might need? Try it out yourself - search for 'mattress' on the Dunelm website, and its Mattress Matchmaker quiz will pop up.

No matter how you sleep, they have you covered

When choosing a mattress, you need to look at the way you sleep, as this will inform the best option to guarantee a good night's sleep. Whether you sleep on your side, back, or front (or a combination of these), Dunelm has a variety of options for all.

Take Dunelm's Comfort Zone memory foam rolled mattress, £219, for instance. It's a great mattress for side sleepers as the memory foam provides a decent amount of pressure relief for shoulders and hips as you drift off. Team that with a high-profile pillow to give your neck and head ample support, like Dunelm's Dorma Full Forever Side Sleeper Pillows, £20 for two.

Meanwhile, front sleepers, like me, need a medium support mattress (the Dorma Natural 10000 Pocket Sprung Horsehair Mattress, £1,259 is a great option) and a squishy, low-profile pillow so we don't get neck strain, so the Dunelm team selected a range of products to help me sleep like a baby.

Personally, the Dorma luxurious goose down soft support pillow, £60, was a total dream to sleep upon, so much so, I pretty much begged the team to let me take it away with me when I left...

What's more, the brand also stocks a great selection of body pillows, perfect for pregnant women or those with back, neck, or hip issues. There are huggable V-shaped designs, foam-filled wedge backs and knee wedges.

They're really good on eco cred too

Something that Dunelm does really well, which it tends not to shout about enough, is its commitment to using sustainable products.

The brand has a wide range of products made from natural materials - 70% of the cotton in its own-brand bedding ranges is responsibly sourced.

And while it will still stock products made using synthetic materials - as they're ideal for those with allergies or on a low budget - 75% of the polyester used in its own-brand bedding products is recycled.

What's more, Dunelm mattresses are built to last, too, and the brand backs that up with guarantees on every mattress sold, from 5 to 20 years. And when you're ready to upgrade yours, ​Dunelm has partnered with the British Heart Foundation to collect and give your old mattress another home, ensuring it doesn't automatically end up in landfill.

And don't forget all the finishing touches...

I can't not mention all the other products that make up a bedroom, as it's pretty much all available at Dunelm, too. As previously mentioned, virtually everything in my sleep retreat cabin was by Dunelm, from the bedding to the headboard to the lighting. As a one-stop shop for a whole bedroom makeover, Dunelm is pretty hard to beat.

So if your sleep setup could do with an upgrade, from the bones of your bedding to the decor that surrounds it, I'd definitely suggest checking Dunelm out.