Why social media could cost you a fortune 

I am a 75 year old expat pensioner living in Spain. I recently received a letter from HMRC to say that from April 2020 a new law comes into place, meaning that I will receive £70 less a week in state pension because my wife won't have reached pensionable age until 2024.

I also received another letter saying I will receive the state pension increase until 2023. Although it didn't say in the letter what happens from 2023 onwards, I am presuming that I will not get an increase after that date.

I left school when I was 15 years old and got an apprenticeship as a design draughtsman, and have had a few other different jobs until I retired.

I was made redundant three times over the years, but have never wanted to receive benefits, so I found jobs with less pay, like washing dishes in a local hotel for a few months, until I found a better paid job.

I have paid into the system all my working life, so that I would receive a full state pension.

I was wondering if you had any information as to what will happen after 2023. I have lived in Spain for over 15 years now, so I am not allowed to vote in any elections, including a second referendum if the UK decided to have one. I hope you can help.

Steve Webb replies: The letter that you have received from the Pension Service is to tell you that an extra payment that you currently receive on top of your state pension will cease in April 2020.

This relates to an extra amount which people used to be able to claim for what the system calls an 'adult dependent'.

Under the terms of a law passed in 2007, no new claims for this top-up have been possible since 2010, but those who were already getting the payment in 2010 (as I think you must have been) have been allowed to continue to receive it until now.

It may help if I explain a bit more about what that payment is and what is changing.

When the National Insurance system was designed, the assumption back in the 1940s was that each household would have a male breadwinner whilst his wife would (often) spend part of her life bringing up children and out of paid work.

As a result, various rules were introduced to provide for couples which included a married woman who did not have much income or pension in her own right.

One feature of this system which arose from this view of the world was the idea of an 'adult dependency' increase.

Originally, most National Insurance benefits paid an extra amount to claimants who had a spouse who was financially dependent upon them. These have been gradually abolished and are now finally being removed from the state pension system.

For the avoidance of doubt, we are talking here about an extra payment that a married man might receive, as part of his state pension, because his non-pensioner wife was financially dependant on him.

We are not talking about pensions that women might claim in their own right when they reach state pension age.

As I mentioned above, since 6 April 2010 no new claims for this adult dependency addition to the state pension have been accepted.

But, as a concession, those who were already in the system by that point were allowed to continue to receive the payment for up to 10 years.

In most cases, the spouse would reach state pension age during that period and she would then claim a pension in her own right. This would generally lead to the removal of the addition to the husband's pension in any case.

Your case is slightly unusual in that your wife is significantly younger than you and still has not reached state pension age more than a decade after you started to receive your state pension.

Unfortunately, this means that there will be a gap between the date when your addition is stopped in April 2020 and when your wife's state pension starts in 2024.

You also refer in your question to 2023 but this relates to a different matter. Because you live in the EU, there has been some uncertainty about whether the annual pension uprating that you receive would be affected by the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

The UK government has made a pledge to continue such upratings at least until 2023. What happens beyond that date will depend on decisions by the UK government at that point.

This commitment will however only apply to any pension that you are entitled to receive under normal state pension rules and I'm afraid will therefore not protect the 'adult dependency' addition which will stop next year.

We've truly woken up to the merits of a good night's sleep. Almost every week, one study or other shows the importance of getting a proper 40 winks to keep body and soul in tip-top condition.

A U.S. study recently reported that if students really want to gain perfect grades they'll need a whole month of perfect slumber. No wonder sleep has become big business. Here are some of the latest advances in the basics of bedtime.

Beautiful bedding

Finding a pillow at the right height is key for premium comfort. That's why sleep brand Kally has launched an adjustable pillow (£39.99, kallysleep.com), which contains four independent, easy-to-remove hollow-fibre pads that allow you to adjust the height and density of your pillow.

Alternatively, you may want to plump for Kally's full body pillow (£49.99), which was developed by osteopaths. It's shaped like a tube so you can wrap yourself around it, and aims to keep your neck and back perfectly aligned to relieve pressure for back and neck pain and support for pregnancy, recovery and restless sleepers.

Kally offers a 14-night guarantee — if you don't like it, they'll refund you.

Designed to provide a warm, gentle pressure to give the sensation of a comforting cuddle, weighted blankets are part of the latest wellness trend.

In place of a duvet, they aim to maximise relaxation and minimise body movement to encourage a deeper sleep.

Historically, these have been available only online. But John Lewis recently began stocking quilted cotton blankets in a neutral grey shade which are made with weighted glass beads (from £48, johnlewis.com).

There are six different weights to choose from, and getting the correct one is crucial. 'We recommend customers select a blanket weight that is about 10 per cent of their body weight,' says Unna Patel, a buyer at John Lewis & Partners.

Online brands include Mela Comfort. Its blankets are also filled with glass beads and come in five weights. They cost from £124.99, though the company offers a 100-night trial, so if you don't like it, you get your money back (melacomfort.co.uk).

Fabrics for all seasons

Body temperature plays an important part in getting a good night's sleep. Look out for duvets that have fillings or fabrics that change their state to keep you at a comfortable level. Soak & Sleep promises to keep you at a constant ambient temperature in winter and even in summer.

They are filled with a 'technical blend' of material, including Lyocell and polyester. The company claims the filling will absorb heat from your body when you're too warm and release it when the temperature drops.

If you're a hot sleeper, this might appeal as it's a lightweight 4.5 tog (from £70, soak andsleep.com).

For something warmer, try wool-filled duvets. Penelope Bedroom's Woolly Pure duvet is 10.5 tog and promises exceptional sleep thanks to its British wool filling, proven to improve sleep quality by 25 per cent (from £140, penelopebedroom.co.uk).

The right fabrics will aid your sleep if you choose well. While cotton and polyester blends are much cheaper, you could pay in other ways. 'The perfect sheets need breathability, and that means 100 per cent cotton,' says Jed Coleman, founder of Rise & Fall bedding (riseandfall.co.uk).

Don't be duped by sheets that have a high thread count — the number of fibres per square inch of fabric. There is a sweet spot for each type of weave and you need to get the right balance between the two if you want the perfect night's sleep.

Coleman reckons the perfect thread count for a percale — a traditional one up one down weave — is 400.

'Anything above or below that figure does not get the balance right. For sateen (satin weave), the perfect balance is 600, making the sheets buttery soft and easy on the skin.'

No lumpy mattresses

There's no one-size-fits-all mattress. People have different needs based on size, shape, weight, sleeping positions.

Adam Black, co-founder of Button & Sprung, is one of many advocates of natural and chemical-free mattresses.

'Natural fibres facilitate a cooler and more comfortable night's sleep,' he says. 'It also means you sleep on a chemical-free, more sustainable and more environmental-friendly bed than the foam-based alternatives.' Pocket-sprung mattresses are popular. Going one step further, Button & Sprung mattresses (buttonandsprung.com) use mini springs in addition to the core pocket ones, providing contouring support at the body's pressure points throughout the night.

Prices range from £545 for 2,822 springs and from £2,600 for 29,760 springs.

A mattress topper can help a good night's sleep even further. The White Company's reversible topper is perfect for all-year-round comfort; use the merino wool side for that extra layer of warmth in the colder months, then flip it over to the crisp cotton side for something cooler in the summer. Prices from £150 for a double.

Find the right frame

When it comes to selecting a bed frame, there are sizes, styles and storage to consider — all in a seemingly endless pool of price ranges and brands.

Of course, choosing a bed is a very personal task, however, there are some frames that are bound to please the most difficult of sleepers.

Loaf's Chit Chat bed has a stylish, squishy headboard in plush velvet — perfect for night-time reading or breakfast in bed — solid oak legs and sprung birch slats. They also offer a 100-night free trial on all of their mattresses (from £1,245 loaf.com).

Get Laid's bedframes have a totally different look — made from super-sold durable wood.

The frames are handmade and come in a range of finishes, and each bed comes with an 11-year guarantee and slats which are twice as wide and thick as average beds (from £259, getlaidbeds.co.uk).