We spend around a 1/3 of our lives in bed which is almost 3000 hours a year, so having a good mattress is important! The purpose of this blog is to highlight some things that may suggest it’s time for you to invest in a new mattress.
1) Having an uncomfortable nights sleep
Waking up in discomfort and/or pain can be caused by many reasons, but a mattress that has lost its ability to support you can definitely be a cause. Mattress support is important during sleep as we have 2 main types of stabilisation that help support our spines, these are;
Active - this means when we are up and about moving and lifting our muscles are providing the support to our lower back
Passive - this means the muscles are now relaxed (like when we’re asleep) and we are relying on support from our joints ligaments or discs. Any weakness or injury to these areas will worsen when sleeping in a bed that doesn’t offer enough support.
If you don’t feel discomfort or pain when moving and lifting but do when you’re in bed, this could be a sign that you need to update your mattress.
2) Sagging
If your mattress is starting to sag, it’s an obvious sign that you might need a new one. Sagging can occur when the coils in a mattress start to weaken or the memory foam begins to lose its shape.You can partly tell that a mattress is sagging if there is a noticeable body impression in the mattress or if you get up and your mattress does not quickly return to its normal, flat appearance.
3) If your mattress is making a lot of noise (keep it clean….)
Squeaking and screeching sounds could mean that the coils are starting to age and may not be providing the support you need, as they did before.
4) If you sleep better on other mattresses
If you stay in a hotel or over a friend/relatives house and find yourself having a better night sleep I.e. less tossing and turning, waking up in less discomfort or feeling more refreshed after having a deeper sleep…these are positive signs that you may need a new mattress.
So what mattress should you choose?
That’s the million dollar question…there are lots of different articles/leaflets etc out there with their take on what mattress suits what style of sleeping position etc but in all honesty most companies now offer 30, 60 or even 100 day money back guarantees, and although they may be more expensive they can certainly be cheaper in the long run as buying new mattresses can become a expensive hobby very quickly!
So my advice would be to try out a few different mattresses that offer this guarantee with the comfort of knowing if you don’t get on with it you can take it back.