This really depends on how important a good night’s sleep is to you. If it makes no difference, why buy a mattress at all? Why not sleep on the floor, on a military cot, or get comfortable in a corn crib? After all, that’s how our early pioneers did it.
For everyone else, the average life span of a mattress is roughly 6 - 8 years. This depends on the type of mattress, the quality of the materials, the workmanship, the everyday use, and the routine of care. There are some things you can do to help make your mattress last longer, and yes, there are definitely some factors that will shorten its life.
Take a Short Quiz To See If Your Mattress Needs To be Replaced
- Does your mattress sag in the spot where you sleep most often or at the edge where you get out of bed?
- Do you sleep well at night?
- How often do you switch sleeping positions during the night?
- Do you notice when your sleeping partner moves or if they get out of bed?
- Does it take you a while to get comfortable?
- When you wake up, do you feel any aches or soreness?
- Are you using an extra pillow or two under your head or elsewhere for support?
- Do you wake up congested, or have allergies been bothering you?
- Have you followed the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding mattress protectors, cleaning intervals, and necessary bed support like a box spring or bed frame slats?
- Do you sleep better elsewhere, like in a hotel, staying with family, or on a favorite couch?
If three or more of these questions bring up doubt, your mattress is probably time to replace it. There is no exact expiry date or life expectancy, but it’s pretty safe to say it’s not worth pushing it when your sleep quality is affected.
One thing you can do is check the manufacturer’s warranty. If you feel your mattress has not lived up to it, contact the customer service department of the manufacturer to see how they can help. Some manufacturers do their very best to accommodate their customers.
Why Dirty Mattresses Are Dangerous
This is the subject no one likes to talk about, but we’re finding out more and more about how dust mites, pet dander, fungus, and bacteria can thrive on a mattress that hasn’t been regularly cleaned.
Here’s why:
– Every hour, we shed 200,000,000 skin cells. This is multiplied by the number of hours you spend in bed each day, times the number of days in a year, and you can see the issue. Even if just a fraction of the dead skin cells we shed a night make it through to the mattress, that’s still an astronomical amount.
You can wash your sheets every other day, and your mattress will still accumulate enough dead skin cells to prepare an “all-you-can-eat” buffet for dust mites. A normal number of dust mites isn’t going to pose a problem, but too many and the droppings they create can irritate your respiratory system when you sleep.
– The average person sweats 26 gallons a year in bed. No, this does not include any Olympic activities. This is just the normal amount that occurs when you sleep. Eventually, a portion of this sweat will soak through your mattress cover and into your mattress.
You can probably guess what happens when sweat is mixed with dead skills cells in the warm, cozy environment of your mattress. Yup. Any normally occurring fungus and bacteria get a chance to thrive. Sometimes this can include E. coli, and that is not good news.
– The truth about bed bugs. According to regularly conducted research, bed bugs can be found in all 50 states. However, chances are if you had a beg bug problem, you’d definitely know about it. And the poor souls who have bed bugs shouldn’t need any convincing to replace their mattress – we all hope.
So yes, we need to be aware of how easily bed bugs can enter a home, but it’s not worth losing sleep over. Just to be sure, it’s a good idea to regularly wash the mattress protector and fitted sheets as well as vacuum all the seams and crevices on your mattress. Some pillow top mattresses have an increased number of cracks and crevices. A quick inspection every time you change your bed linens is a good habit.
How Body Types And Pressure Points Can Affect Mattresses Lifespan
If you’re the same weight you were as a teenager, chances are you can expect your mattress will last longer than normal. Some of the highest quality mattresses that have been well-cared for and with very light use can last up to 15 years.
Unfortunately, not all of us are in the same situation. The bigger you are, the more wear and tear your mattress will undergo. This naturally shortens the expected lifespan of a mattress. Regardless of body type, pressure points like knees, elbows, hips, and shoulders can become painful on a worn-out mattress.
How To Find The Right Mattress
If you already know exactly which mattress you want, then it makes shopping around for the best deal easier. Although, if it’s been a while, you will do well to review some of the latest advances in mattress construction and design. Hybrid technology combines some of the best features into one mattress. Adjustable bed frames and matching adjustable mattresses have grown in popularity, and it’s a good time to see what you might be missing.
Look for a local mattress retailer who can quiz you on your sleep profile and show you a selection of mattresses to match. Not all salespeople are sleep experts but it’s definitely worth looking around until you find one.
Be sure to review and compare the terms in the manufacturer’s warranty for the mattresses in the running. And probably you’re the most important question you can ask is about a trial period. Will you be able to try the mattress at home, and what happens if you don’t like it?
