How Often Should You Buy a New Mattress?
How often should you buy a new mattress? It’s a question we get a lot. Let’s say you sleep in your bed for 8 hours a night for 365 days straight. At the end of the year, you have spent almost 3,000 hours lying on your mattress. Considering how much time you spend sleeping (plus lounging) on your mattress, it’s not surprising that it wears out eventually. The harder question is – how long does it take before a mattress really needs replacement?
The answer is “it depends.” Factors like mattress quality, the amount you sleep, sleep style, and sleeping with a partner all play a role. The National Sleep Foundation recommends changing your mattress every eight years. However, it’s helpful to take these other facts into consideration.
After all, you know your mattress and what kind of sleep it delivers better than anyone. But you also use your mattress every night and have grown used to its flaws and defects. Many people are sleeping on worn-out mattresses that actually hurt their sleep simply because it feels familiar.
How often should you buy a new mattress? Check out these factors.
Dips and Depressions
Your mattresses are supposed to provide a flat sleeping surface with even amounts of support. If there are obvious sections where the mattresses is sagging, it means your mattress no longer provides adequate support. Sections like around pressure points in your shoulders and hips are often areas where sagging occurs. At best, this makes your mattresses less comfortable, and at worst it leaves you with pain in the morning. Either way, saggy mattresses need replacement.
A Permanent Outline
If you have a memory foam mattress, you’re familiar with how the impression of your body stays in the foam. It usually lasts a second or two after you get out of bed, then it springs back to flat. As the years go by, the foam takes longer to fill back in. Eventually you’re left with a permanent outline of your body in bed. This is a clear indicator that the memory foam is worn out, incapable of providing adequate support. As a result, it’s time to replace.
Spinal Pain
No matter how old your mattress is, when it doesn’t provide enough spinal support it’s not worth holding on to. If you sleep on your back or stomach, your spine should naturally form an S shape. If your spine is flattened or the S is elongated, the mattresses aren’t doing you any favors. Furthermore, side sleepers should have a straight spine, but a worn-out mattresses can cause uncomfortable bending and flexing. Spinal pain starts as a morning annoyance, but it can quickly become a chronic condition. Therefore, it’s worth seeking out a new mattress ASAP.
Lumps and Bumps
Over years of use, the padding inside your mattress will begin to shift around no matter what kind of mattress you have. Lumps might form, meaning that padding that’s supposed to provide support has moved to other parts of the mattress. In addition, trying to sleep on an uneven sleeping surface is annoying. Investing in a new mattress gives you an optimal environment to get the sleep you need.
Allergy Flare-Ups
So far, we have mostly focused on how mattresses lose padding and support, but that’s not the only consequence of age. When asking how often should you buy a new mattress, allergies also play a role. Allergens like mold, mildew, and dust mites collect in the mattress too. Unless you’re diligent about cleaning the mattress and sheets, those allergens could cause respiratory issues or other allergic flare-ups. Your bed is supposed to help you relax, not make you sick. So if your allergies are bothering you unexpectedly, consider a fresh mattress.
Restless Nights
If you have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, your mattress is the first thing to investigate. Many factors affect your sleep, from your pillows to the temperature of the room. However, none matter more than the mattress beneath you. Even if you can’t identify a specific problem, poor sleep might indicate that something is wrong with your current mattress. For the sake of your health and wellbeing, start looking for a mattress that encourages you to sleep deeply.
Crowded Conditions
You can also outgrow a mattress. Perhaps you move into a bigger bedroom, start sharing your bed with a partner, or become pregnant. Your sleep is too important to deal with a bed that no longer works for your sleeping arrangements. The sooner you make an upgrade, the sooner you can sleep how you want.
Advancing Age
The most clear cut answer to “how often should you buy a new mattress?” is usually every 8 years. The best time to replace a mattress is before it’s absolutely necessary. If your mattress is 7-10 years old it may still perform perfectly, but statistics suggest it’s reaching its end. Don’t wait until you start tossing and turning at night or waking up with aches and pains. Many new mattresses offer features and amenities that weren’t available last time you went mattress shopping.
How often should you buy a new mattress? Talk to Sit ‘n Sleep.
If the signs indicate it’s time for you to replace your mattress, rely on Sit ‘n Sleep to make the process easy. We have a massive and diverse mattress inventory. Plus in-store sleep experts who can help you find a mattress perfectly suited to your needs. We’d love to answer any of your questions, especially “how often should you buy a new mattress?” Explore what we have to offer on our extensive website, or call us 800-908-0354. When you’re ready to experience the comfort of a new mattress in person, come visit us at your local Sit ‘n Sleep.
