When do I change my mattress? Some will tell you to change your mattress every 5 years, others no more than 10 years. The life of a mattress depends on several factors.
Knowing when to change a mattress starts with knowing theoretically the lifespan of a mattress in general and the categories of mattress desired in particular.
Then there is the practice, namely assessing the condition of your mattress. This is what we will see in this article.
Also, read: Why mattress sag in the middle?
Lets go.
What Is The Lifespan Of A Mattress?
The lifespan of a mattress is on average about 10 years, or 3650 nights, under normal conditions of use, that is to say when they are adapted to the weight of the sleeper.
However, this is only an average. These data depend on:
- terms of use
- of the mattress category
Not all mattress categories are created equal when it comes to durability.
Some types of mattresses need to be renewed more often than others.
Spring, foam or latex mattresses fall within this average duration.
However, there is an exception in this area: the wool mattress. Thanks to the possibility of remaking a wool mattress during its life cycle, it stands out as we will see later in this note.
Let’s Go Back To The Average Life Of A Mattress.
Even though the lifespan of a mattress is very variable, ranging from 5 to 15 years, it is getting closer to its end of life every day.
for hygienic reasons: the accumulation of dead skin, or the considerable number of liters of perspiration that have flowed through your bedding (even protected by a mattress protector)
for reasons of natural wear: to mechanical wear is added the natural aging of the lining.
The components suffer from natural aging, reducing the quality by about 30% and causing the loss of one hour of sleep.
Assuming that our mattress lasts 10 years, or 3650 nights, and that we move about 40 times a night, the bed base and mattress will have been used about 150,000 times.
The French change bedding on average every 14 years, 78% admitting that they should have done it earlier.
Americans change bedding on average every 8 years.
The Dutch change bedding on average every 8 years.
This 10-year duration is a relative benchmark because the longevity of a mattress depends on 5 main factors:
The Morphology Of The Sleepers On It
the heavier someone is, the less long they will keep their bedding. The heavier someone is, the less time there will be between two repairs to the wool mattress. It’s mechanical.
Mattress Quality
A lower quality mattress and sleeper set can deteriorate quickly, while a higher quality mattress and sleeper set will give you good comfort and support for years to come.
It all depends on the range of the mattress.
After 10 years, these different factors lead to a deterioration in performance of around 25% for a good quality product, much more in the case of low-quality bed bases and mattresses.
The Mattress Use
A mattress and box spring set used night after night will cease to provide comfort and support more quickly than a mattress used sporadically.
The Mattress Maintenance
Proper care can extend the life of a mattress.
The Hygiene Of The Mattress And Its Environment
the humidity level of the room, the sweating of the sleeper.
With a view to sustainability, the manufacture of a made-to-measure mattress makes sense since it is designed and studied with regard to the influencing parameters.
Mattress warranty = lifetime of the mattress
The guarantee of a mattress more or less corresponds to its lifespan.
If a 5-year warranty is indicated, you can be sure that after five years the mattress is already beginning to show signs of fatigue.
You won’t necessarily feel them because when you’re 25 and if you’re in good shape, you could even sleep on a nailboard.
On the other hand, after the fifties, moreover when the physical health begins to be fragile, it eventually becomes a little more complicated.
What Is The Most Durable Mattress?
Which mattress material has the longest life?
Faced with this life expectancy of ten years which even seems to sound like a fatality, did you know that certain types of mattresses escape this planned obsolescence?
This is the case of the wool mattress.
The great advantage of the wool mattress is that it can be redone!
After 8 to 12 years, a wool mattress is indeed a little packed, but it does not shed.
From the same wool (and possibly a little extra wool), a mattress maker remakes a new mattress using a new canvas.
It is the repair of a wool mattress.
They can be renovated several times, which is both an economic argument and an ecological gesture.
This is why wool mattresses are among the most durable.
Why change mattress?
Why Change Your Mattress Every 10 Years Or So?
For health reasons because the mattress has a direct impact on the quality of your sleep.
Avoid lumbar and cervical pain so as not to degrade the quality of sleep
If the mattress does not always offer comfort, support, it is the body that feels it first.
Minimizing the effects of a mattress renewal often results in an increase in health costs.
As you spend a third of your life in bed, it is better to monitor the condition of your mattress.
Do not let a situation of discomfort continue which, in addition to the inconvenience of the discomfort itself, presents a risk of seeing persistent pain points set in, just because your mattress would need to be repaired or renewed to conquer extra comfort.
For comfort reasons
As the body changes, our sleeping comfort preferences also change.
As we age, our body undergoes many changes. What was comfortable and provided adequate support when you were 25 is not necessarily so when you reach the age of 35-45.
Changing mattresses corresponds to the evolution of our morphology which will necessarily have changed in 8-15 years.
Another example: The space for a six-year-old is no longer suitable for a 16-year-old.
When comfort preferences change.
We decrepit with age, our needs change. Being young firmness does not bother. With age our body demands softness.
Over time, our tastes can change. Make sure the mattress continues to meet your comfort preferences as well as those of your partner.
Other more exogenous reasons make us consider buying a new mattress:
When lifestyles change: Changes in your life, such as a move or a wedding, may justify the need for a new mattress.
Make sure there is enough space for the bed as the years pass.
Signs It’s Time To Change Your Mattress
All these signs usually appear after 10 years of use.
How do you know when to change your mattress? How do you know it’s time to replace your mattress? How do you know if the mattress needs to be renewed? How to check a mattress?
It is advisable to change the mattress mainly when:
Physical And Physiological Signs
- You sleep badly.
- You constantly change position.
- You have aches or pain in your back when you stand up.
- You can’t recover overnight.
- Insomnia
- Your sleep lacks depth.
These are the first signs of a mattress beginning to lose its comfort benefits.
The condition of a bedding can be the cause of these ailments. The causes are often multiple.
There are indeed many other factors that affect the quality of sleep. The mattress is just one of them.
Faced with these first signs, we suggest that you contact a specialist.
Adapting our sleep habits to compensate for the wear and tear on their mattress is often not the solution. This prevents at most aggravating the situation without improving it.
Sleeping on your side and moving onto your stomach during the night is often indicative of a mattress that does not suit you (too firm or worn out).
When we sleep on the stomach, the position of the back is necessarily bad (more or less pronounced arch) but the body takes this position because of the pressure exerted on the shoulder or the hips.
The inert arm effect and the tingling mean too much pressure, not to mention the compressed neck because the shoulder does not “release” enough in the mattress.
Signs Of Wear
There are unmistakable audio and visual external signs of wear.
The mattress springs squeak.
The dips and bumps are excessive.
Loose seams
Torn ticking
The interior of the mattress must be in an advanced state of wear.
Allergic Signs
Foam collapse and loss of persistence
The mattress retains the shape of the body when lifted. There is no longer any afterglow.
Sit on the edge of the bed.
When you get up, the mattress should spring back into shape instantly without keeping the imprint of your body.
Remanence is the ability for a filling (foam, latex, wool, etc.) to take on its initial shape or thickness.
Has The Mattress Lost Its Support?
We begin to feel the springs.
Push both hands flat, the mattress should resist. If your hands sink in, the mattress no longer keeps the spine horizontal.
The Bowl Effects
If the core of the mattress is slightly packed, nothing serious. m
However, if the sag forms a basin on each side of the sleepers, you should not wait any longer.
Now lie down.
If you find yourself at the bottom of a basin and have the impression of sinking, it is because the suspension is indeed completely related.
Your bedding no longer provides the essential support for muscle, back and spine relaxation.
All these signs mean that your body is no longer supported as it should be.
Bed Base And Mattress: Should They Be Changed At The Same Time?
Do I also have to change my bed base when I change my mattress? Should everything be changed?
It’s not an obligation.
Do not be lured by arguments supporting the contrary assertion such as the extension of the guarantee when you commit to a mattress / box spring set of the same brand or the same bedding manufacturer.
Encouraging you to change everything at the same time responds above all to the objective of your interlocutor to increase your shopping cart to increase the turnover of the company.
There is no point in increasing your bedding budget if it is not necessary.
To assess the need to change the box spring at the same time as the mattress, look at the following elements:
The Contact Surface With The Mattress: Is It Always Flat?
Stability: is it still stable? Important for sleeping independence.
The Condition Of The Slats Or Springs: Are The Slats Damaged?
Are they slightly domed (if it is visible multi-batten)? For exposed slatted bases the slats must be convex (curved) in the right direction and aligned with approximately the same clearance.
Are They Always Fixed, Linear And Aligned? Do They Creak?
Hygiene of the bed base: has the ticking of the bed base remained clean? Is the box spring free of dust or dead skin?
If it has a textile like box springs, is it shampooed once a year with ecological products provided for this purpose, you can extend its life
Slightly domed slats (if it is visible multiple slats)
If for you it seems like the first day of your purchase, clean it thoroughly, and save the purchase of a box spring.
It is still recommended to put the new, new and healthy mattress on a base compatible with it for the following reasons:
Keep a technical agreement so that the bed base can perform its necessary part in the suspension function of the mattress and bed base assembly.
Avoid deterioration faster than expected, caused by a worn base on your new mattress (deformation of the mattress, hollow, etc.).
Now let’s turn the question upside down: when should I change the box spring?
Conclusion
Any investment, including in the choice of our mattress, must also be viewed from the perspective of sustainability.
Buying a mattress is indeed a long-term investment.
A good mattress should be designed to last and only lose its characteristics very slowly.
From this point of view, choosing a wool mattress seems worth the investment effort.
I have an extended article stating: How to clean your mattress?