How Long Do Mattresses Last?
For something we use every night, mattresses are quite easy to overlook when it comes to getting the budget together for a replacement. You notice that it causes your nightly disturbances, but, by the next morning, you are more likely to remember that your laptop needs a new battery or that your car is due for a routine check-up - forgetting all about the muscle stiffness or backache from last night’s poor sleep.
Everybody’s been there, trust us. Most sleepers don’t really think about the right time to replace their mattresses. But constant drowsiness, wakefulness, or sleep deprivation will eventually lead sleepers to the question: how long do mattresses last? The average life of a mattress is roughly seven to ten years, but you need to pay close attention to signs of wear and tear such as disrupted memory foam or noisy springs to learn whether your mattress is past its time.
According to numerous studies, new bedding systems improve poor sleep quality, so you may want to know more details on mattresses’ longevity. Let’s dive in.
So, How Long Does a Mattress Last?
Most mattresses begin to lose their support after seven to ten years of usage. However, a mattress's life expectancy depends on many factors that include quality, maintenance, as well as the body weight and sleep positions of the sleepers.
Factors Influencing the Lifespan of a Mattress
Material Quality
It’s almost a rule of thumb that you get what you pay for when buying mattresses as the quality of the materials used can either reduce or increase its final price and lifespan. As you probably don’t want to overpay for your mattress either, make sure you get familiar with the price range of high-quality mattresses.
Sleep Position & Body Weight
Naturally, the more weight compresses the mattress over time, the shorter its lifespan. Sleeping on a mattress that doesn’t support your body weight can cause premature sagging as you exert pressure throughout your bed. This is why it’s of utmost importance that the mattress is designed to provide sufficient support for all of your body parts and your overall weight.
Another factor that considerably affects the longevity of your mattress is the position you sleep in. It’s only logical that your mattress may sag in the center if you are sharing the middle of your bed with a partner, while sleeping on your side will cause quicker sagging around the hip and shoulder areas.
Maintenance
The first and foremost thing in proper maintenance is to avoid jumping on your bed or other unusual activities that will add excessive pressure to your mattress.
Using a waterproof mattress protector or a mattress topper will shield your mattress from spills or stains, which reduces the chances of any liquids ruining your mattress.
The Lifespan of Different Mattress Types
Latex, Polyfoam, Memory Foam Mattresses
Memory foam, polyfoam, and latex mattresses are the most durable mattress types, and their average lifespan is ten years. However, please keep in mind that low foam density and low quality foam will reduce the lifespan considerably.
Innerspring Mattresses
An innerspring mattress, on the other hand, has a lifespan of six to seven years because coils suffer from wear-and-tear , and generally lose their elasticity.
Hybrid Mattresses
As a hybrid mattress fuses the best of two worlds, i.e. it combines the benefits of memory foam and innerspring mattresses, it usually boasts a longer lifespan than traditional innerspring mattresses. This means that your hybrid may last as long as twelve years with proper maintenance.
Make sure to look at the number of coils since the more coils in a hybrid, the more durable it is. The optimum coil count for a queen-size hybrid is between eight hundred and one thousand coils.
Waterbeds
Waterbeds tend to pop within a few years of usage, especially if you are putting over two hundred pounds on them every night.
Signs to Replace Your Old Mattresses
In another article, we talked about how you can tell whether you need a new mattress. You will learn about every sign that’s revealing that your mattress doesn’t provide you with proper support any longer. Here is a sneak peek:
- Your innerspring mattress is noisy;
- Your memory foam mattress sags;
- Dust mites, bed bugs, or other allergens infest your beddings, or;
- You are simply not having a restful sleep on your mattress anymore.
Conclusion
Everything is ephemeral, everything wears off, and everything breaks, they say.
Yes, there are many variables that can contribute to the premature sagging of your mattress, but, with proper care, you can create the opposite effect and prolong its shelf life. However, as time passes by, your mattress will eventually wear off, interfering with your sleep patterns and decreasing your sleep quality.
So there you have it - now that you know the best time to replace your mattress with a new one, you can look forward to better sleep.
FAQ
Can a proper box spring prolong the life of a mattress?
As a box spring provides a solid base for your mattress, having a proper one can preserve it from breaking down prematurely.
Are new bedding systems more durable than those of an old mattress?
This depends on numerous factors such as the mattress type, manufacturing process, and materials used. Hybrid mattresses, for instance, are newer systems that usually last longer than traditional innerspring mattresses.