Like most furniture, mattresses are expensive, and not something we expect or want to buy on a regular basis. They are easy to forget about once a purchase has been made. In fact, many people hold on to their mattresses long after the time to replace them has passed.
Not knowing when your mattress has reached its expiration date or avoiding buying a new one due to price can be a costly mistake to make. Old, out of shape mattresses can keep you from getting the good night’s rest that your body needs. Your mattress needs to perform well for you to avoid negatively impacting other elements of your life- from your mood levels to your productivity, to your overall health and wellbeing.
It is extremely important to have a mattress that works well and to understand when this is no longer the case. Here are six signs that it’s time to buy a new mattress:
It takes longer to find a comfortable position
When you lie down at night, do you get comfortable easily and quickly drift off to sleep? Or are you constantly shifting positions? Do you spend a few minutes in one position just to roll over and try a new one, and then another one, and then another? If you find that you have to shift positions often to get comfortable, and you didn’t need to do this before, it could be a sign that your mattress is failing to provide you with the proper support.
You wake up with aches and pains
When the mattress fails to provide support, your body feels the effects of excessive pressure in the forms of aches and pains. How does your body feel when you wake up in the morning? How do your lower back, hips, neck, and shoulders feel? If you are waking up with aches and pains in these, or other, parts of your body it could be a sign that your mattress is no longer delivering the proper support where it is needed.
You are feeling sleep deprived
How are you feeling during the day? Are you rested and energized? Or do you “hit the wall” rather early? Everyone has “off” days, but if you find that you can’t remember the last “on” day you’ve had, you could be sleep deprived- and your mattress may be to blame.
You sleep better in other places
When you sleep on your mattress night after night, it can be harder to determine if it is past its best or not, as it’s what you are used to. Take a moment to think on how well you slept somewhere besides your own bed. How well did you sleep in the last hotel you were in or when you stayed over with friends or family? Did you sleep better? Were you more comfortable? Did you wake up in less pain than usual? If so, it’s a pretty good sign that your mattress no longer performs properly and needs to be replaced.
The mattress looks old and tired
When you take your sheets off the bed, how does it look? Has it retained its original shape? Is the surface even and flat, or has it become lumpy? Can you see dips where you and your partner lie? Is it ripped and torn? If your mattress looks old and tired, then it is probably making you tired, and it is time to replace it.
You don’t know how long you’ve had it
A mattress is a long-term purchase and can last for a good number of years, but they don’t last forever. A general rule of thumb for the life is a mattress is to replace them around every seven years, however, this timeline may vary between the top and bottom end of the market. If you can’t remember when you purchased your mattress, it has probably been around too long.
If you have recently purchased a new mattress and still find that you are having trouble sleeping through the night or feeling rested, then you may benefit from a visit to Valley Sleep Center. Call one of our five convenient Valley locations today to schedule your sleep consult.
