When Does a Mattress Need Replacing?

Typical Life

• While all mattress types and brands have different levels of longevity, likely many people wait too long to replace their old mattress. According to the Better Sleep Council website, the average lifespan of a mattress is around five to seven years. With mattresses costing anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars in v February 2011, a lot of folks are waiting long past this amount of time to buy a new one.

Variables

• Many variables must be taken into consideration when determining how long a mattress should last. Unfortunately the basic design and quality are only a small part of the equation. Just because you spent twice as much on the mattress doesn't mean it'll last twice as long. The real determining factors include the amount of use a bed gets and the weight of the person or people sleeping on it. Hotel mattresses, for example, get used constantly and are likely to survive a shorter amount of time. The same goes for master bedroom beds in homes. Meanwhile a guest room that only gets used a few nights each year will last for many years longer than your regular bed. If a person or couple is heavy, their bed will not last as long as a mattress of a lighter weight person or couple. Children's beds tend to last a long time as well simply because they are small people.

Rough Nights and Mornings

• The simple answer to the question of mattress replacement is that you should replace it when it no longer provides you with a comfortable night's sleep. If you wake up each morning feeling sore and stiff, your mattress may be a big part of the reason, and you should consider replacement. If you constantly toss and turn in the bed due to discomfort and you wake up after a full night's sleep feeling tired, the mattress could be to blame.

Body Impression

• When your mattress begins to leave a body impression in the surface after you get up, and it does not go away in a few minutes, the mattress may have seen better days. Regular flipping or rotating can help stave off this effect. Eventually body impression is likely to happen though. Solid foam mattresses are more prone to this problem than traditional innerspring sets.

The Hotel Test

• Perhaps the best test to know whether you need a new mattress is the hotel test. The next time you are staying in a hotel, think about how you feel the next morning. If you feel like you've had the best sleep you've had in awhile, there is a good chance that the hotel's mattress was the reason for it.