So I started to sleep in the rear of the van and because of the appalling nights sleep, I purchased a mattress topper. Sleep was no better the next night and I then folded it in half and had another go. Still no better.

Given the beds were such an issue which resulted me in selling my previous van, I almost gave up and put the Troll on the market.

I've recently stopped sleeping in the back and now have the bed made up permanently in the front and have recently purchased some memory foam. So now I have the memory foam, followed by mattress topper and it's fair to say it is more comfortable but only slightly and last night, I only mamagned to get a few hours sleep, none of which was that good.

So my questions is, I am the only one to experience sleep issues or does anybody have any suggestions on what I can do?

You don't explain what issues or issues were a problem. Was it that the beds were too hard, too soft, lumpy, too narrow, too short, etc. It's likely that in a 540 you'd be sleeping on cost option metal sprung beds in the lounge and foam rubber in the front dinette, though the lounge might be standard foam as well if the option wasn't selected.

Also it's a well known phenomena that generally humans sleep badly in a bed the first time they use it and/or the first use in a new setting. Is it the bed that's the problem or the fact that it's not in a bricks and mortar building?

Temperature can also affect how well we sleep, with decent hot weather being bad and if you're cold it's just as bad at the opposite end of the scale.

Have a large glass of wine before you go to bed.

What type of mattress do you sleep on at home? Do you have any medical issues which might cause this problem? It is fair to say that caravan beds in general are unlikely to be just like home. Same in hotels. Do you have problems in their beds? Are you generally a light sleeper? Memory foam on its own has no support. It has to be used in conjunction with other foams or springs of some sort.

I sleep better across the van in my Triton 430 than in my expensive bed at home!

Just have a 50mm memory foam topper on top of the cushions.

I guess it's a combination of being away on holiday and relaxed after a bit of wine

I'm generally a very good sleeper but it is the comfort (or lack of) which keeps me from having a decent nights sleep. It seems to me that the seats are just too hard and that is with the memory foam on top.

Hi Lusk
It must be a killer not sleeping. I am never great the first night on any different bed but after that sleep like a log.

We have a 540 with the multi-functional bed and sleep across the van in what becomes a massive double. In some respects we try to recreate our bed at home except we have two single Duvalay Gold toppers that go down first on the bed. We then have a fitted sheet on top pf these, and then a sheet for us to lie under, with two single quilts on top, one for each of us.

Kath and I like different temperatures to sleep, so she has a better quality quilt and sleeps against the back window. Whereas I have a lighter tog quilt and sleep directly under the pop top air vent so I get plenty of fresh air. We always take the pillows off our bed at home. This setup works for us, but I guess that we are all different in our sleeping habits.

The only thing that sometimes wakes us up is things landing on the pop top roof. Last week we were at the newly refurbishes C & CC site in Kendal (very nicely done) and inadvertently pitched under a Beech tree and the wind picked up in the night and dropped a bucket load of beech nuts onto our van. Now that was loud.

Good luck in finding a solution. MikeT

Unless you opt for a fixed bed, caravan and motorhome beds have to double up as seats.

To be comfortable as seats they generally have to have some shaping and as the load of a body sitting on a seat presents more weight per area of contact, they are generally firmer than beds, where the body weight is spread over most of its length. So generally speaking upholstery that doubles as seating will be firmer than an average bed, though many folk prefer a firm bed.

I suspect that if the upholstery in caravans was made less firm there'd be many complaints about misshapen seat cushions and areas where bottoms touched base boards etc.

All upholstery will 'relax' with usage so maybe an older van might help the OP.

Thanks and that makes complete sense so it is either a case of putting up with it else try and find a narrow mattress that will go at the front of the van.

I'm with Ray. We sleep better in the fixed double of our 430 than we do at home in a 6ft wide bed with quality mattress and topper. We put it down to the chilled locations that we camp in, the peace, the fresh air, and maybe a G&T or two. It helps being shorter than the width of a Triton !!

Pea...it's more like a boulder!!

Would anyone know how wide the front seating area is in a 540 as i am wondering whether to do away with the seats completely and just put a proper mattress there?

It's 73cm in the alcove and 60cm by the door according to the Hymer website. Our 540's (2001 and 2005MY) had an extra bit of cushion and the side of the door seat had a hinged flap that allowed the whole bed to be made up to 73cm. Not sure if that is still fitted to more modern 540's.

You'd need to be careful about mattress selection as the base is solid, not slatted or sprung.

Try here:-
https://www.uksleepingpills.com
A very cost effective way of avoiding sleep deprivation due to mattresses of any kind