Purchasing a new mattress may not be as exciting as buying a new car or new tech gadget, but it’s a necessary expense to say the least. Sleeping on a poor mattress can be detrimental to your sleep which has a direct impact on your physical and mental health. Therefore, it’s crucial that you keep an eye out for the signs that show your bed is no longer working in your favor.
Here are a few sure-fire ways to tell if it’s time for a new mattress.
1.) Has Your Mattress Lived Passed Its Shelf Life?
Almost everything has an expiration date, and this is especially true when it comes to your mattress. Think back to the time you purchased your mattress — how long ago was it? The National Sleep Foundation suggests you replace your mattress every 8 years, give or take a year or so depending on the quality of your mattress. As such, if you’ve owned your mattress longer than 10 years, it’s probably time for a replacement. You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on a new mattress either — there are plenty of high-quality beds under $1,000 that’ll bring you another decade of comfort and won’t break the bank.
2.) Are You Waking Up With Aches And Pains?
If you go to bed feeling fine and healthy but wake up in the morning with an aching back or side, your mattress is likely the culprit. It could be due to the fact that your bed isn’t well suited for your sleeper type. For example, if you sleep primarily on your side, you’ll want to sleep on a soft mattress so it’ll provide pressure relief to the curves of your body. Back and stomach sleepers, on the other hand, should look at firm mattresses that keeps their back from sagging into the mattress. It’s also possible you started out with the correct mattress firmness, but it progressively got softer over time.
3.) Can You See Sagging Or The Outline Of Your Body On Your Mattress?
Memory foam is one of the most popular materials used in mattresses, mostly because of how soft it is and its pressure relieving properties. The reason it’s called memory foam is because once you get out of bed, it remembers the impression of your body for a few moments before bouncing back to normal. Now, if you’re getting up out of bed and there is a permanent indent in your mattress from your body — it’s definitely time for a new bed. Especially if you don’t even own a memory foam mattress.
Also pay careful attention to any sags in your mattress. Sagging or mattress indentations up to 1.5” deep have been linked to muscle pains, body aches, and a decline in sleep quality. The foam layers inside a mattress can start to sag after years and years of normal wear and tear from the pressure of your body weight. If you have a more traditional mattress accompanied with a box spring, sagging can be attributed to withering inner springs.
4.) If Your Allergies Are Acting Up
Common household allergens include mold, mildew, bacteria, and dust mites. Dust mites are one of the leading causes of allergies inside the home, and they like to hide out and multiply in the cotton felt layer commonly found in innerspring mattresses. In fact, all of these pesky irritants can make their way into your mattress and sleeping space. So if you’re feeling congested or sneezy after sleeping on your mattress, a build up of allergens could be the cause. To avoid this problem in the future, you can purchase a new natural latex mattress which is naturally resistant to these household allergens.
5.) If You’re Going Through A Significant Life Change
It can also be necessary to purchase a new mattress if we go through certain life circumstances that call for it. For example, if you experience a significant amount of weight gain or weight loss, you probably won’t be as comfortable on your mattress as you once were before your weight fluctuation. Same thing goes for pregnant women, or folks who go through a surgery. Women who are expecting may want to buy a softer, more pressure relieving bed that’ll feel much more comfortable on their belly and pressure points than a firm bed. If you sleep with a partner and undergo surgery or sustain an injury, you may want to buy a split mattress so you don’t disrupt your S.O.’s sleep.
Moving in with a significant other is another big life marker which may require you to purchase a new mattress. Thankfully you can easily order a mattress online from pretty much any vendor. Maybe your mattress is too small, or maybe they have a different sleeper type than you and you need to compromise by buying a mattress in the “medium” firmness range, that way neither of you have to sacrifice quality sleep.
6.) Most Surfaces Feel More Comfortable Than Your Mattress
When you find yourself getting a better night’s sleep on a standard hotel mattress or on your leather couch in the living room than you do on your own mattress, it’s a telltale sign that it’s time to buy a new bed. Your mattress should feel perfectly accommodating, comfortable, and supportive. For example, if you’re someone who weighs over 250 lbs and you’re sleeping on an all-foam bed, you won’t feel as supported as you should feel. So if laying down on your mattress doesn’t make you go “ahhhh” in a sign of relief, look into a bed that’ll suit your body type and compliment your sleeping style.
