When Is It Time To Buy A New Mattress?

It's a well-known fact that we spend a third of our lives in bed. What's significantly less-considered is how little attention we give to that magical thing which supports us when we are in bed... our mattress. Here are a few tell-tale signs that it could be time to consider investing in a new mattress.

1. How old is it?

If your mattress is over 7 years old it's heading towards its dotage and time for the great mattress retirement home in the sky. The Sleep Council recommends changing every 7 years. Chances are, you won't remember accurately when you bought your mattress. It could be older than you think!

2. What does it look like?

If the edges are starting to become frayed, if you can feel springs just under the surface material, or worse if any of the interior is protruding it's time to make a change.

3. Listen to it

Does your mattress creak and bow? Can you hear springs crunching and squeaking beneath you when you get into bed or when you move around? This won't be doing anything for your sleep and is a surefire sign that your mattress is ageing.

4. Feel it

Can you feel the outlines of springs? If so, act now. You owe more to yourself than to put up with springs prodding you and intruding on your quality of sleep.

5. How do you sleep at night in general?

You might not be feeling actively uncomfortable, but if you are waking up in the night this could be down to a few factors. Some will be to do with your mattress. Poorly cushioned springs digging into your body can cause pressure points which hinder blood circulation and cause numbness in the legs and shoulders. This will interrupt your sleep and cause you to wake up and change position. Some memory foam mattresses - particularly ones used without a mattress cover - or without a breathable technology - can become quite toasty for hot sleepers. Again this will interrupt the deep sleep phase.

6. How do you feel when you wake up?

If you wake up with aches and pains or still tired then you definitely need to consider what impact your mattress might be having on this. You may not have given your existing mattress the right consideration when you bought it, it could be a a result of the mattress depreciating in quality over time, or it could be that your body has changed since you bought it.

7. Have you slept better somewhere else?

This is a common one. If you often find yourself sleeping better when you stay at friends' houses, guest houses or hotels then you should see that as an alarm call. Think about what it is that you like about it, find out what kind it is, what technology it is, pocket spring, memory foam, or whatever.

Remember, you don't owe anything to your mattress.

If it's not delivering then you must seriously think about changing it, for the benefit of your health and well-being. We change cars more frequently than our mattresses and spend longer researching the purchase of a toaster than we do researching the thing which keeps us warm and safe at night and that acts as our own personal battery-recharger, and which we spend one third of our lives in. We need good quality sleep to perform at the very best of our ability. If you short-change sleep you are only cheating yourself! So why not perform your own sleep inventory on your mattress today!