Having the right mattress is the key to getting a good night’s sleep. We all know what it feels like not to get a good night’s sleep, but so few of us experience the deep and refreshing experience of sleeping well. A supportive, clean and functional mattress is an important factor in getting a restful sleep. Mattresses that are old, broken, small or too soft or hard will cause tossing and turning, and restless nights where sleep seems elusive. Take a look at these 4 reasons why it might be time to get a new mattress to help you evaluate if it’s time to invest in a good night’s sleep.
Your mattress is too old
An old mattress simply can’t support your body the way a new mattress can. Old mattresses are worn down, and unresponsive to the body’s weight, and can lose their comfort factor. If you sleep 8 hours a night, that’s 3000 hours a year spent on your mattress. Over ten years, this adds up to a huge 30,000 hours spent on the same mattress! Choosing the right mattress is a good investment. It’s also why the life span of most mattresses is 8 to 10 years. If you’re sleeping on a mattress that’s older than that, chances are you’re sleeping on a mattress that can’t give you the support and comfort you need anymore.
Depending on the material an old mattress is made of, degradation can be seen in the way this material works, for example, coils may bend or break and no longer provide support. Other signs your mattress may be too old are signs of wear and unevenness, like sagging or misshapen mattresses. If your mattress is 8 to 10 years old, and you can’t get a good sleep on it and sleep better in other places, like in hotels or on the couch, it’s definitely time for a replacement!
Your mattress does not suit your sleeping style
Did you know you could get a better night’s sleep with a mattress that matches your sleeping style? Every person finds a different sleeping style comfortable, so when it comes to mattresses, it is certainly not a case of one size fits all. However, many people don’t pay attention to this detail when shopping for a mattress. Over 80% of mattresses sold are the innerspring coil type; however this type of mattress gets the lowest satisfaction rating for users. It’s important to pay attention to how you sleep, and what kind of mattress would be best for you.
If you are a side sleeper, you want a mattress that supports the body while taking pressure off the shoulders and hips. A softer mattress is ideal as it allows you to sink in a little more, relieving the load on these parts of your body. If you prefer to sleep on your back a medium firm mattress is ideal, as a mattress that is too stiff will press against the spine, whereas a mattress that is too soft won’t provide enough support. If you sleep on your stomach a stiffer mattress provides support to your back by keeping the body straight while you sleep. And if you like to combine sleeping styles, it’s best to try out a few mattresses in the store and see what suits you the best.
Your mattress is too small
A mattress that is too small will never be quite comfortable, as it doesn’t provide enough even support for the entire length of the body. Not to mention, if you share your bed, there may be lots of pushing a shoving throughout the night to ‘get back to your side’!
If your mattress is too small, assess what size it is and find out what mattress sizes are bigger. If you’re not sure what size your mattress is officially, you can find out by measuring the width and length of the bed with a tape measure and comparing it to standard sizes found in a mattress store, or listed online.
Your mattress is a hand me down from someone else
If your mattress is a hand me down from someone else, chances are it’s probably been pre-loved for much longer than it should have already and is ready to be retired. Hand me down mattresses can be especially detrimental to children, whose growing bodies need good nightly support. A hand me down mattress with years of use also stores plenty of years worth of the previous owners sweat and skin cells, plus dust, dust mites and their droppings and if you’re really unlucky, bedbugs. A new mattress is always a good investment in this case, and old mattresses can now be recycled to repurpose some of the more resilient materials.
I am years past due for a new mattress. I might get a new one during the holiday sales.
I definitely don’t think hand me down mattresses are ideal .. unless its a new one. Another reason could be physically outgrowing the Mattress
We just invested in a new mattress and a duvet, too. My back and hip were hurting in the morning and that’s gone now!
My mattress is too small. It is definitely time to get a new one.