When Should I Replace My Mattress: The Definitive Guide

Last Updated on May 9, 2022

by Marc Werner, Founder - GhostBed

When to replace your mattress is a common question. Your mattress may have become an oasis that you can count on for you to rest your weary body, but there does come a time when you should switch it for a new one. Beyond the dreaded sag of an old coil mattress there are other factors that answer the question “When should I replace my mattress”? Even a memory foam mattress will need to be replaced for various reasons.

Listen to Your Body

Your Mattress Will Tell You

Aging Timeline

Listen to Your Body

If all of a sudden you are not sleeping well or waking with new aches and pains, it could be the time to replace the mattress. Obviously a mattress that is causing an otherwise cheerful person to wake feeling like they have not slept, needs to be tossed and replaced. Just by listening to your body can tell you when it is time for a new mattress.

  • If all of a sudden you are waking up every day from your old mattress with new pain, then it is time to go shopping for a new mattress.
  • The older you get the more often you may need to change the mattress. Where at a younger age the body can endure added pressure on the limbs and nerves, those over 40 can start feeling unneeded pressure and soreness when sleeping on a mattress that is five years and older.

Your Mattress Will Tell You

Just like anything else a mattress will show its age as well, wrinkles, sags and all. Take a good look at your existing mattress to evaluate it. There is no fixing a mattress; if it is worn and broken then it is time to replace it.

  • Are you rolling towards the center of your mattress every time you try to lie down flat? This is because you are trying to sleep on a sagging bed. A mattress sagging is definitely shouting to be replaced.
  • Disgusting stains are shouting that you have slept, sweated and have spent way too much time on that bed for it to be used anymore.
  • If lying down on your bed is filled with trying to find the smooth spot between the lumps, then your mattress is saying it is time to be replaced.

Aging Timeline

Memory foam mattresses are meant to consistently hold their shape. Even without the eventual sag that traditional coil mattresses have, as the foam conforms to one’s body to help alieve aches and pain, due to the aging factor even they need to be replaced after a certain number of years. Experts advise that people should purchase a new mattress every seven to eight years for health reasons.

  • As a mattress ages it becomes home to dust mites and bacteria living off of one’s dead skin cells that have settled into the bed. As time goes on there is no amount of cleaning that will remove these allergens. By year 8 it is time to trade in your old yucky mattress with a fresh new bed in order to stay in optimal health.
  • Body oil easily soaks into a mattress after years of use. At around seven or eight years the oil can cause skin breakouts as well as a stinky, yucky mattress that is beyond cleaning. Want to keep your skin looking its best then you will want to replace the mattress at this time.

Once you replace your old mattress with a new one you will probably ask yourself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Spending about one-third of your life on your mattress makes it a very important necessity for living the most comfortable and fruitful life as possible. Once you have your new memory foam mattress be careful to clean and maintain it in order for it to continue to take the best care possible of you.

Marc Werner - Founder, GhostBed

Marc Werner

Founder - GhostBed

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After undergoing three neck surgeries, Marc knew what it was like to live and sleep in constant pain. In 2001, after searching fruitlessly for a comfortable pillow and mattress that supported his neck and back ... Learn More

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