Is your bed too old to give support? How do you know when it’s really time to replace a mattress, and why?

Each year, we spend just under 3,000 hours in bed lying on our mattress, sleeping as well as doing other activities on it. Although most mattresses do come with a warranty that gives you a general idea of how long they should last, more (or less) wear on it will cause it to need to be replaced sooner or later than the warranty states. How do you know when your mattress has reached the end of its life and needs replacing? Here are a few signs that your mattress is past its prime, and it’s time to start shopping at The Mattress Warehouse for a new one.

Comfort: Is your bed comfortable?

If you wake up feeling stiff and uncomfortable, if you suffer from back pain, or if you can physically feel that your mattress is lumpy or saggy, obviously it’s time for it to go.

If you can see a physical change in the mattress, from a flat surface to one with body impressions in it, it is definitely too old and causing damage to your back. For a mattress to provide adequate support, it needs to keep your back in a straight line, making for a restful night’s sleep. If your back is bent and twisted by the mattress, your spine will pinch nerves, causing pain, and put tension on muscles, causing stiffness and sleep that leaves you waking tired.

Time: How old is your mattress?

Research conducted by scientific ‘usage’ tests on various mattresses shows that the average mattress still provides sufficient support even after eight years of use. This research gave an estimated longevity of up to 10 years, reduced to every five to seven years for those over 40 years of age to ensure adequate support is given by the mattress. In general, if your mattress has been used every day and is more than 10 years old, then it has lived its life and should now be allowed to pass on. By this time the coils will have lost their bounce back and the foam will have compacted. Whatever type of mattress you get, even if it is a Rest Assured with a 15-year warranty, start looking for something else after about 10 years.

A foam mattress will generally last longer than a coil one. The coils get slept flat a lot more easily than the foams, due to the way the spring can only take so much punch before it stops bouncing back as effectively

Allergens: Is your bed making you wheezy?

You may start to experience symptoms of allergies such as sneezing or wheezing when in close proximity to the mattress, or during the night if your mattress is too old. The time we spend on a mattress adds up to a third of our lives, and every night we secrete various fluids and shed cells and hair. These all land on your mattress, attracting dust mites and growing your mattress into a haven for dust mites and other bacteria that will irritate your breathing canal. This is why even if your mattress is still giving you enough support, after ten years you should replace it, simply for hygienic reasons. Shallow breathing while sleeping makes your sleep quality bad, and can lead to lifelong allergy problems.

To look for your new mattress, shop at The Mattress Warehouse! We carry every kind of bed, from coil beds like Edblo, Silentnight, Serta, and so on. For foam beds, we carry Genessi and Cloud Nine, and all our beds come in every different level of firmness, from very soft to the firmest firm. Call us today on 0861 007 000 or buy online from our website now!