Can’t stand sleeping on your back? You’re not alone. A detailed survey conducted by American home furnishings retailer Anna’s Linens found that 74% of people prefer to sleep on their sides, making side sleeping by far the most popular sleeping position.

Beyond side sleeping’s popularity, it’s also the sleeping position most commonly recommended by doctors that specialise in sleep health. One reason for this is its effects on the spine — when you sleep on your side, your pelvis, spine and shoulders are usually kept in alignment.

Add comfort, improved airway circulation and a potential link to a healthy cardiovascular system into the mix and sleeping on your side is a clear winner (sorry, back sleepers).

If you’re a side sleeper looking for a new mattress, you’ll usually get the best results by picking a mattress that’s tailored for someone with your sleep habits. Below, we’ve listed three features to look for in a mattress if you’re a side sleeper, as well as our recommendations for materials.

A moderate level of firmness

When you sleep on your side, it’s important that your mattress provides enough firmness and support to prevent your hips and back (where most of your body weight is concentrated) from sinking lower than the rest of your body.

On the other hand, it’s important to avoid overly firm mattresses, as these can put excessive amounts of pressure on your shoulders and hips, causing discomfort. For best results, pick a mattress that provides a moderate level of firmness and even, overall support for your body.

Contouring memory foam

While there’s no “best” mattress material for side sleepers, memory foam offers a variety of unique advantages over most other common mattress materials.

First, it’s comfortable and supportive, meaning it’s unlikely to cause you to develop soreness around your hips and shoulders. Second, it provides a contouring effect for your body, giving you an additional level of comfort when you sleep.

Finally, although memory foam has a tendency to retain heat, the small surface area that’s in contact with your mattress as a side sleeper makes this less of an issue.

A larger-than-normal width

Do you sleep on your left side, or on your right side? Or, do you switch from side to side over the course of the night? Most side sleepers toss and turn at least a little bit, making it useful to choose a mattress with enough width to tolerate you switching sides as you sleep.

From a comfort perspective, it’s normally best to choose a mattress size that’s one step larger than what you need. If you usually sleep by yourself, consider a double; if you sleep with your partner, consider the extra space that’s offered by a king.

So, which type of mattress is best?

As we mentioned above, there’s no “best” type of mattress for a side sleeper. However, the key features to look for as a side sleeper are usually found in mattresses with a memory foam, latex or hybrid design.

As a side sleeper, it’s usually best to avoid cheap mattresses, particularly low-cost innerspring mattresses. These mattresses often use a thin foam outer comfort layer, meaning they’re less supportive than other mattress types and more likely to cause pain in your pressure points.

Can’t decide which material is best for you? As specialists in custom mattresses, our team can help you learn more about the best options for you, from mattress sizing to materials that match your sleep preferences.

As a landlord, ensuring your tenants are safe and secure at all times is the number one priority. Your property should always be in top condition, but there still may be times where emergency issues need to be resolved. In these situations, there are certain phone numbers you’ll need quick access to, and these are four of the most important contacts to have during a crisis.

Trusted tradespeople available in an emergency

Perhaps the most common emergency you’ll face as a landlord is a breakage inside your property. You may need to call an electrician, plumber, or a general handyman, who can arrive at your property as quickly as possible and minimise any inconvenience for your tenants. However, the professional trader you contact must complete the work to a high standard without overcharging. Having a trusted number or business to call allows you to avoid being scammed by a trader, especially in an emergency.

There are plenty of ways to check you’re calling a legitimate trader rather than a rogue scammer, such as searching on local handymen directories from reliable companies like Checkatrade. While there are many available online, it’s worth putting as much effort into finding the right tradespeople for your specific needs. For example, property maintenance company Homyze was launched by property managers Adam Edgell-Bush and Andrew Jaques to help property managers. When making your final selection, working with an empathetic company who understand your concerns may well trump a company who don’t.

Experienced lettings agent

If you’re not managing your tenants yourself and are working with a lettings agent, you’ll need to be able to contact them quickly in the event of any emergencies. Agents can tailor their services to suit your needs, such as carrying out safety inspections, managing the deposit, collecting rent, and chasing arrears. Lettings agents can also bridge communication between you and your tenants, so if any issues arise, it’s a good idea to call your lettings agent first to discuss any legalities.

For example, you must follow a particular legal process in order to evict a tenant, and your lettings agent will be able to discuss this with you. Similarly, if a tenant suddenly leaves and you’re left with an empty property, you’ll need to work with your lettings agent in order to find a new tenant as quickly as possible. An experienced agent will be able to complete the process quickly and efficiently, and be thorough in their vetting of any potential new tenants, giving you peace of mind.

The neighbours of the property you let

It’s important to build a good relationship with the neighbours to your property, as they can help keep a watchful eye on the building and may even look after a spare key in the event of any emergencies. Despite more than half of Brits describing their neighbours as strangers, relying on your neighbours actually has a number of benefits. If anything was to happen to the home you let, a neighbour could be on hand to help resolve any conflicts and possibly act as a witness.

It’s always best to have your neighbour’s contact information close to hand as you never know when you’ll need it. If your tenants report a burglary, for example, you should contact the neighbours to inform them of the crime and find out whether or not they noticed anything that should be included in the police report.

A specialist solicitor

Having a property to let often involves a large amount of paperwork, whether it’s financial or legal. There are expenses you can claim as a landlord which are related to the running and maintaining of your property. However, these expenses depend on whether the rent being charged covers services like water and council tax. Having a solicitor on call provides the answers to any legal questions as quickly as possible, especially when moving tenants in and out of your property. Similarly, if you do run into any issues with a problematic tenant you want to evict, your solicitor can advise the best way to proceed.

As a landlord, your property is your investment so you want it to give you the best return possible. It’s important to have the most important contact numbers to hand so you can resolve any issues as quickly as possible, ensuring your tenants are happy, and encouraging them to stay within your property for as long as possible.

Selling your home or purchasing a new property throughout the festive season can be tricky, and there are pros and cons for buyers and sellers alike. Regardless of the season, there are certain measures that should be taken and research that should be conducted before entering into any financial or legal agreement. At Christmas however, there are a few additional factors that come into play that you should be fully aware of.

What to expect if you’re selling a property:

The property market is surprisingly kind to sellers around Christmas time, and this is because there are typically fewer properties available for purchase throughout the festive period. People tend to postpone listing their house until the New Year, and luckily for you sellers, that means that buyers have less choice and fewer properties to compare against.

People searching for property around Christmas time are likely to be serious about finding their dream home or investment, and therefore as a seller you’re less likely to come across timewasters. You can secure a quick sale throughout the festive period as buyers will be eager to move in before the New Year commences, and they will do their upmost to make the process as quick and smooth as possible.

Buyers often tend to have more flexibility when it comes to viewing times around Christmas as they don’t have to plan things around strict working hours, which means that you don’t have to spend late nights and weekends showing prospective buyers around your property.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for sellers around Christmas time however, as it can be a manic time that is only worsened by the stresses of selling your home. Estate agents, solicitors and the council all take time off for Christmas so you must communicate with them prior to their time away from the office and make sure all paperwork is signed and ready.

Prospective buyers may also take a break, and the number of enquiries about your property could decrease as a result. Buyers who are still active within the market could then use this to their advantage by trying to bag a Christmas bargain and negotiate at a lower price.

What to expect if you’re buying a property:

Good news for buyers at Christmas time as there is less competition on the market, and you’re less likely to have to battle with other prospective buyers to secure your dream home. With less activity amongst buyers, you will have more time to explore properties during your viewing, allowing you to get an authentic feel for the house.

If a property is still up for sale during the festive season, then the chances are that the seller hasn’t had a huge amount of interest in the months leading up to Christmas. In light of this, you may be able to negotiate a lower price and spend the money you’ve saved on extra special Christmas gifts for your loved ones.

If you’re a buy-to-let investor, then you can prepare for the busy rental demand in the New Year by purchasing property throughout the festive season and expanding your portfolio.

Don’t be fooled however, as buying property at Christmas is not without its complications. Typically there is a shorter supply of properties on the market throughout the winter months, and in areas where property is in high demand, competition is fierce and sellers can demand higher property prices.

Again, solicitors, surveyors and other industry related professionals will be taking some well deserved time off to relax and indulge in a few sweet treats – so make sure that your mortgage in principle is completed and your solicitor is aware of your current position, and as the festive break comes to a close you can smoothly and quickly secure your sale.

Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, it is important that you weigh up the pros and cons of being active on the market throughout the Christmas period. There are benefits to buying and selling around the festive period that cannot be taken advantage of throughout the rest of the year, making it an attractive option for both professional investors and homeowners.

Indlu are hybrid estate agents in Monton, Manchester, offering a no sale, no fee service from only £995 + VAT

Kerb appeal matters and it pays to freshen up the house exterior ready for resale. Find out the easiest ways to make the outside of your house look lovely for selling.

Even the most beautifully kept houses need a little tweaking in order to make sure they are as presentable as possible for sale. Whilst all of the decluttering, painting and touching up is occurring inside the house, the exterior of the property can often get overlooked. This can be quite the problem as kerb appeal is very important, and buyers driving past could write your property off as a potential purchase based on first impressions of the outside of the property alone.

To help you prepare the exterior of your property for sale, follow these tips to ensure you’re presenting kerb appeal to all of those important potential buyers:

Tame The Plants

Whether you have a tree on the front of your property, a lawn, or some well chosen shrubs, they should all be tamed and tidy. Overgrown plants not only obscure the features of the property, but they just scream ‘hard work’ to a potential buyer. If you have ivy growing up your property that is another story altogether. Ivy can actually damage brickwork and be a nightmare to control so, if you can, get rid of it or at least tame it right down.

Sort Out The Path

A path with broken tiles will make the entire front of the property look messy because we naturally look down when we walk. If your potential buyer trips, they will instantly register ‘death trap’ before they walk into your home. Get those tiles fixed if you can for a safer, better looking lead up to your home or consider replacing them with up-to-the-minute exterior porcelain tiles.

Brighten It Up

If you can get any wooden parts of the front of the house brightened up, do. It makes such a huge impact on kerb appeal, especially if the current colours are drab or faded.

Clean Those Windows

Windows which are covered in cobwebs and dirt do not present a house well. Instead they make a house look like it will be just as dusty and dirty inside. They can also make a house look creepy! Get all the front windows professionally cleaned, along with the frames, so that it gives the impression the whole house is shiny and well cared for.

Fix The Gate/ Wall/ Fences

If you have fences or a gate or a wall lining the front of your front garden, you’ll want to ensure those are in good condition. Paint them or, have any missing bricks or tiles fixed, and ensure the gate actually works.

Jetwash The Drive

Your drive might need repairing, but it is a lot to redo and probably isn’t the first place you would spend your money when doing up the house for resale. Instead, giving it a good clean should make it look ten times better, for very little money and time.

Clean The Garage Door

Having a garage is a real selling point, so you’ll want to highlight it. Get that garage door sparkling clean with a bucket of hot soapy water and a sponge. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes to the presentation of your house.

Remember, kerb appeal matters so it is worth your time and attention to get your house looking beautiful for selling season. With just a few tweaks you’ll be getting a lot more enquiries and you’ll have that house sold in no time!

Find out how you can lower your impact on the environment when you move house, with useful tips and tricks.

These days, most people care about being environmentally friendly as the effects of pollution and environmental damage become apparent in the media. There are lots of areas of life that can be more eco-friendly than they are now, including moving home. Moving home can take a real toll on the environment for all sorts of reasons like excessive vehicle use and packing materials. If you want to ensure your house move is as green as can be, the following tips will help provide you with plenty of planet-friendly inspiration:

Pick Recycled Packing Materials

Packing materials can be really heavy on landfill, but they don’t need to be. Instead of buying newly made boxes, you could ask local supermarkets for boxes. Banana boxes especially are very strong and often come with lids on. Just don’t forget to recycle them when you’re done with them! Bin bags you might use can be made from recycled materials if you don’t mind paying a bit more, and recycling bags you use for shopping bags make good moving containers.

Choose Eco-Friendly Cleaning And Decorating Materials

When you move you will do a big clean of your house and your new house, as well as decorating your new one and possibly touching your current one up for sale as well. Cleaning products and decorating materials like paint can be heavy on chemicals, which is not good for the environment. Leading supermarkets now offer cheap eco-friendly cleaning products that are effective and smell lovely. With decorating materials, there are lots of eco-friendly companies selling paint and other products, and some well-known home product shops also sell eco-friendly decorating items too.

Cut Down On Vehicle Use

Using larger vehicles for moving means more fuels and emissions. If you can, go back and forth with a smaller vehicle to move items, or perhaps only use the van to move items into a self storage unit local to your new home, then you can back and forth when you need to, moving items in slowly. Cutting down on large vehicle use is a really good idea regardless of how you do it.

Paper Usage

A lot of paper can get used in moving in the way of notepads, labels and paperwork. With companies you work with, try to ask if information can be emailed rather than mailed. You might also want to use apps instead of notepads, and look at purchasing recyclable or recycled labels to use on your boxes.

Throwing Things Away

Although it is easier to just throw away items you don’t intend to use any more, that you don’t want to take to your new house with you, sending items off to landfill is really bad for the environment. So much plastic especially is ending up in landfills and seeping into the sea. Declutter, yes, but do it mindfully. What can you donate, upcycle, recycle or sell on? What can you gift to friends?

The environment needs our protection and with a little consideration and thought, you can easily have an eco-friendly house move that benefits your family, and the planet.