Is it time to replace your mattress?

As we mentioned in our last article about the benefits of a memory foam mattress, the average person spends about 26 years sleeping in their lifetime.

We recommend that you replace your mattress every 7 years for optimal comfort and for your health. If you don’t do this, here are just some of the issues of sleeping on an old mattress:

An old mattress is a breeding ground for bacteria and mites

The average person sheds a pound of skin (454 grams) a year, most of it in bed, and loses around half a pint (285 ml) of moisture while sleeping each night. Therefore, it’s easy to see why an old mattress can be a breeding ground for bacteria and also for mites. If you’ve had your mattress for a long time, or if you’ve been sleeping on a second-hand mattress, just imagine what could be lurking in there!

According to The Sleep Council, your old mattress is likely to contain a variety of bacteria, including staphylococcus, enterococcus, norovirus, and, in rare cases even MRSA.

Even more disturbing, the National Pest Management Association say that the average mattress can contain 100,000 to 2 million dust mites, and after 10 years, the weight of your mattress doubles due to their presence.

You can develop or worsen allergy symptoms

The presence of all of the dust mites in an old mattress can cause havoc for allergy and asthma sufferers. You may think it’s just hay fever kicking in again, but it could well be the critters lurking in your mattress that are causing your issues.

If you notice that your allergies, nasal congestion and breathing problems are worse when you are in bed, it’s time to invest in a new mattress.

An old mattress can cause back and neck pain

As your mattress gets older, it will get softer and less supportive. Depending on the type of mattress you have, it may also have an uneven sleeping surface too. This causes stress on your ligaments, tendons and muscles which can cause back and neck pain.

If you often wake up feeling unrested and sore, it’s a very good indication that it’s time to replace your old mattress. There are some fantastic orthopaedic mattresses available now which offer optimum support for your back and which can make a huge difference to your quality of sleep.

Your sleep quality can be very poor

Older mattresses come with a wide range of problems including lack of support, noisy springs and an uneven sleep surface which can really affect your quality of sleep. They can also cause issues with your partner if you’re moving around a lot during the night, trying to find a comfortable spot.

Lack of sleep can lead to serious consequences. Studies have shown that stress levels in people who do not sleep well are much higher than those who enjoy a restful night’s sleep each night.

Therefore, if you find that your mattress is causing you restless nights, it’s time to replace your mattress with a new one.

So, is it time to replace your mattress?

If your mattress is 7 years old or even older, or if you’ve been sleeping on a second-hand one, it’s definitely time to replace your mattress.

Whatever the age of your mattress, ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to one or more of them, we recommend that you replace your old mattress with a mattress more suited to your needs. You spend a great deal of time in bed, so you owe it to yourself to be comfortable and to get the best sleep possible.

1. Are your allergies worse at night when you’re in bed?
2. Do you often wake up with back and neck pain?
3. Is your mattress making weird noises when you move?
4. Are you often restless because you struggle to get comfortable in bed?
5. Is part of your mattress sagging?
6. Do you disturb your partner when you’re changing sleep positions?

Need help choosing the right mattress? Contact our friendly team for expert advice.