How to make your bed the most comfortable place on Earth

6. Get great sheets

You want anything that comes into contact with your skin to be as soft and decadent as possible, which makes picking great fitted sheets, top sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers super-important. Egyptian cotton sheets — particularly those made in Italy — are considered by many to be the gold standard. In second place is Pima cotton. A sateen (that’s not satin) or percale finish on the sheets tends to make them very soft on skin, and combing adds to softness.

7. Do thread counts really count?

Usually when you think sheet softness, you think thread count — which is true to a degree, but sheet comfort also depends a whole lot on personal preference.

And — surprise, surprise — a high thread count doesn’t always mean sheets will be to your personal liking. In fact, having 800 to 1,200 threads per square inch of your sheets means a very dense and likely stiff sheet, and each of those threads are very thin. Quality sheets with a thread count of 400 to 600 per inch are pretty much the sweet spot when it comes to softness.

For durability, seek out two-ply and/or “long staple” threads used in the sheet fabric.

8. Go deep

Remember all that layering we talked about before that makes your bed a little slice of pillowy heaven? Yeah, you’re gonna need to buy super-deep fitted sheets to accommodate all the extra bed toppers — look for sheets about 18 inches deep. If needed, get sheet grippers to keep your fitted sheet in place.

9. Warm it up

To reach a whole new level of toastiness, a good, old-fashioned electric blanket is the way to go. Or if you like the combination of a cozy comforter and slipping into a pre-warmed bed, look into an electric warming mattress pad, which is placed on top of the mattress. It’s kind of like a seat warmer you’d find in a car — only better because, well, you’re lying in bed and not driving through traffic.

10. Pillow talk

Finding the perfect head cradle is imperative to creating the perfect bed.

If you’re constantly looking for the cool side of the pillow, it might be time to get a ventilated version. Is your pillow not supportive enough? Try a contoured foam pillow. Therapeutic pillows (like leg spacer/positioner pillows, leg wedge pillows, lumbar roll pillows and the multi-purpose body pillow) help address all kinds of hip or back problems.

More: These inexpensive decor tricks will give you a magazine-worthy bedroom

What are some of your favorite tips for creating the best bed in the world?