Signs It’s Time to Get a New Mattress

Your mattress is a major part of your daily routine. You start your day in bed and finish the day in bed, spending roughly 6-8 hours each night sleeping. That’s why it is so important to have a mattress that is just right for you. The right mattress provides you with a higher quality of sleep, which positively impacts your mental and physical health.

However, mattress shopping can feel like a big endeavor, so you might be procrastinating doing it. You might think your current mattress is perfect, or at least good enough, as a way to justify putting off getting a new mattress. Yet the fact remains, there are clear signs when it’s time to get a new mattress. 

Your Mattress is Ten Years Old

The age of your mattress might be an obvious sign, but it’s one people ignore. After all, it’s easy to lose track of time and forget when you bought your mattress. Our brains can even justify it, thinking it must be only a few years old even though you haven’t gone mattress shopping in a decade. Yet age is critical for determining if it’s really time to get a new one.

On average, a high-quality mattress, such as one from Gardner Mattress, has a lifespan of about ten years. This is assuming that you’re sleeping on it nearly every night, so it’s undergoing the normal wear and tear that comes with regular use. If you’re someone who travels frequently and therefore doesn’t sleep in your own bed as often, your mattress might have an extra year or two. Generally, though, ten is the maximum lifespan of a mattress.

You’ve Outgrown the Old Mattress

Generally, most adults don’t have to worry about outgrowing their mattress like children do. However, some teens might experience late growth spurts and find their bed is suddenly too small. This is definitely a time when a new mattress is needed, as being in a mattress that’s too small will lead to growing pains, cramped legs, and bad sleep.

As for adults, you might outgrow your mattress, but in a different way. As in, you might need a new mattress if your body has undergone significant weight changes. If you’re significantly heavier than you were before (and this can include putting on muscle, pregnancy, etc) or lighter (substantial weight loss from diet and exercise), you might consider this a new sign that you need a new mattress to prevent long-term discomfort. Weight is a big factor when it comes to determining what kind of mattress you need. If you’re on the heavier side, you need a mattress with more support. This way the materials won’t compress so easily, which is what causes uncomfortable lumps and sagging. 

You Wake Up with Major Aches and Pains

Speaking of discomfort, this is another sign you should look for with your mattress. When you get out of bed in the morning, you should feel awake and refreshed. That’s how you know you have a good mattress that’s helping you sleep deeply and revitalize your body. If you’re waking up aching, stiff, or in pain, you should probably consider your mattress to be part of the problem.

An old, sagging mattress puts uncomfortable pressure on your joints. This can be a problem if you’re afflicted with long-term health issues like osteoarthritis, arthritis, or bursitis. It can even be a problem if the mattress is new and it’s not the correct levels of support and firmness you need. Sleep is essential to managing your pain, so if your mattress is causing it, or at least not alleviating it, you need to invest in one that will help.

You’re Getting Sick More Often

Sleep is essential to everyone’s physical and mental health. Without a good night’s sleep, you could find your immunohealth, blood pressure, and mental health can take a hit. Your cognitive functions can suffer, too, which puts you at risk of getting into accidents. If your mattress isn’t providing the right level of comfort and support, then it’s negatively affecting your health. If you find yourself getting sick and tired more often, consider whether your mattress is the problem. It likely is, and that’s a clue you should replace it for your own well-being.

It’s Starting to Smell

Imagine you’re noticing a faint but lingering smell when you lay down to sleep. It’s not your bedsheets; you just washed those. Your pillows smell fine so they can’t be the culprit. So this leaves one possibility – your mattress is starting to smell.

It’s a gross but undeniable fact that as we sleep, our bodies sweat, shed skin, and otherwise get our beds dirty. Thankfully, cleaning your mattress is easier than it sounds, and mattress protectors can be a big help. But eventually, you might find yourself losing that fight. If you find your mattress is getting smelly despite frequent and thorough cleaning, it’s time to get a replacement.

Smell can also be a factor if you’re using a chemically-treated mattress. Mattresses need to be fire-resistant per US regulations. For some companies, the cheapest and easiest way to meet this requirement is to use chemicals. However, this leads to prolonged exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which can lead to long-term health issues. And the easiest way to detect VOCs is through smell. If you detect strange odors from a new mattress, you might want to check if it’s been chemically treated. If it is, you would do well to return it and shop for a chemical-free mattress instead.

You’ve Undergone a Major Life Change

“Major life change” is admittedly a pretty broad category, though it is self-explanatory. Perhaps the key life changes that could require a new mattress are moving and getting married. With moving into a new place, you might find your bedroom is bigger or smaller than your old one. This could give you the opportunity to upgrade to a larger mattress and bed frame, or require you to consolidate space with a smaller one. As for getting married, you need to make sure your bed is comfortable and large enough for both you and your spouse. Go mattress shopping together so you can decide on a mattress that will suit you both.

There are also medical life changes that could prompt you to get a new mattress. Perhaps you’ve undergone a major surgical procedure that will affect you for a while. In this case, you might want to get a new mattress that will pair well with an adjustable base. Even growing older can affect your body in major ways that a new mattress can counteract.

Getting a new mattress might seem daunting, but it’s important to keep your eyes open for the signs that it’s time to go shopping. Once you have the right mattress, you’re sure to sleep deeper and more comfortably than ever before. Come visit the Gardner Mattress showrooms and we can help you pick the right mattress and make the process more enjoyable.