About one-third of your life is spent sleeping, and how you sleep influences how you feel when awake. Such is enough reason to make sure you’re sleeping with a quality mattress. However, mattresses that begin providing a great night’s sleep eventually wear and necessitate replacement. Is it time to put your existing mattress to bed and exchange it for a new one? Here are a number of reasons to opt for a replacement along with help choosing a new one.
Tired and Sore
You’re supposed to rise in the morning feeling refreshed and well rested, but if you’re sleeping on a worn mattress, you may feel tired and sore. Other factors may contribute, such as exercising or being sick, but if you regularly get up feeling like you haven’t slept a wink, it’s probably time for a new mattress. Make a notation of how many mornings you feel refreshed versus sore. After a month, count the days you felt horrible after waking, and if you have a significant number of them, head to the mattress store.
Worn and Saggy
A number of lumps and sags on the surface is a telltale sign that it’s time to get a new mattress. Some settling is common, yet a quality mattress should stand the test of time and maintain its form through the years. Yet, if it’s been ten years or more since you bought a new mattress, you may notice lopsidedness, lumps, and worn areas. Take the time to inspect your mattress, noticing all the imperfections on its surface. Do you spot more than a few worn areas? If so, it’s time for a replacement.
Couch and Recliner
Some mattress owners are in denial about the state of their old product. For example, rather than falling asleep on the bed, they may prefer to fall asleep on the couch or the recliner. It’s common to nod out while watching television, but if you find that you prefer to fall asleep on your couch or recliner you may be fooling yourself. Your bed should be the most comfortable piece of furniture in the home. If you’re opting for the couch or comfy recliner rather than grabbing winks in your bed, then the bed lacks more than a small something to be desired.
Time and Years
When was the last time you bought a new mattress? Were you listening to cassette tapes at the time or watching videos from your VHS machine? If so, it’s been more than a few years and it’s time for a new mattress. Depending on model and manufacturer, most sleeping experts will suggest getting a new bed every ten years or so. It’s not a hard rule, but even the top-of-the-line models will begin to sag after a decade of use. If you can’t even recall the last time you bought the mattress or it’s been so long that the receipt has vanished to dust, it’s about time for a new model.
Tossing and Turning
Some people have trouble sleeping, whether due to anxiety or an official sleeping disorder. However, if you and your partner are tossing and turning throughout the night, chances are that it’s not either individual but the mattress that is the problem. Ask your partner about their opinion of the quality of their night’s sleep. No one wants to needlessly spend money, yet as stated, a significant amount of your life is spent sleeping, not to mention its influence on waking life.
Support and Comfort
We’ve established a number of reasons why you may decide you need a new mattress and you can discover a selection of mattresses at iZone Beds. Now, you need to focus on factors that will help you select a new one. Firstly, you want the mattress to have enough support so that your body lies mostly flat from head to toe. Otherwise, you’ll wake with aches in particular parts of your body, especially the neck and back. Secondly, you want the mattress to accommodate your preferences for comfort; some like a firmer mattress and others opt for softer ones.
Motion and Temperature
A quality bed minimizes the motion of each sleeper so one won’t influence the rest of the other. Motion transfer is a major issue with couples, especially if one is a light sleeper while the other is prone to frequently switching positions throughout the evening. Another issue is related to the retention of body heat – too much retention and you’ll sweat or feel overheated while you sleep. If there is too little retention, you’ll feel like you never have enough covers on the bed.
A great night’s sleep is only a few decisions and an order away. Use the above information to decide if it’s time and to then make a decision on your new mattress.
Mary Berkowitz is a sleep therapist working to help those with a sleep disorder finally get a good night’s sleep and feel refreshed in the morning. Her articles appear on health and wellness plus magazine style sites.
