How to Know Your Bed Should be Replaced

Because we spend so much time in our beds, basically a third of every day, it’s hard to recognize when it has deteriorated to the point where replacement is necessary. Quite frequently, an old mattress may seem comfortable because you’ve slowly adapted to its lack of comfort and support. But if you compared it side-by-side to a new bed, the difference in quality would be drastic. Unfortunately, conducting that kind of comparison isn’t realistic in many cases. Instead, here are a few simpler suggestions for identifying when it’s time to replace your bed:

• The bed is uncomfortable. This is by far the most obvious signal that your mattress needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, once you get to this point, it means you’re already sleeping uncomfortably. Waking up achey or stiff, and feeling tired at work all day is one way your body tells you that you’re not getting the support you need from your mattress, and that it’s too late for a soft mattress fix. Sleep should always be refreshing and rejuvenating, and if you wake up feeling any different, it may be your bed’s fault.
• The bed is old. Like almost every consumer product, a mattress won’t last forever. Whether it’s a foam rubber mattress, air mattress, or a traditional bed, it will eventually wear out. At a certain point, it’s proactively smart to replace a traditional bed because of the potential allergens it may have collected over the year. One general rule of thumb is to replace your mattress every seven to ten years. Some may last longer and some may wear down sooner, but that time frame is a good checking point to take a hard look at your mattress and see if it’s about to enter its golden years or is ready for its funeral.
• You have allergies. As mentioned above, mattresses can contain a litany of allergens and irritants, from mold and mildew, to dust mites. These can keep you from falling asleep, or cause you restlessness that keeps you from getting your best sleep. That reduced quality of sleep means reduced energy during the day, and if it keeps up, can even lead to a decline in general health. Some bedding types, like polyurethane foam mattresses, are better at preventing the infiltration of irritants, but it’s also important to ensure you aren’t allergic to the materials used to construct the mattress, be they fabrics or stuffing materials.