According to research by AllRightSleep.com, your mattress can have a detrimental effect on the quality of your sleep. Most sleepers already know this fact far too well but taking a bold step to change or upgrade your mattress has become a totally impossible endeavor.
But, your mattress isn’t the only reason why you’re not getting quality sleep. Things like extreme heat, emptying your bladder, too much sleep or high caffeine contents can also cause mild or severe side effects.
Now, an average adult should have 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep daily. If your mattress is supportive enough, it will help your body to recuperate as well as help the muscles to repair while you sleep. But, if the mattress is old and unsupportive, the consequences will be poor health, chronic back pains, allergies, and weight gain among others.
But, First Off: What’s The Life Expectancy of Your Mattress?
There is no specific answer to how long a mattress is expected to last. The rate by which it wears off greatly depends on how you use it and the manufacturer as each brand has its own combination of materials.
However, though, most manufacturers speculate that the life expectancy of a mattress should be around 10 years. That being said, here are three key factors that can greatly affect the life expectancy of your mattress.
- The Material Used: In most cases, mattresses made of natural latex and high-density memory foam tend to last longer than those made of low-density memory foam or innerspring materials.
- Quality: One rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for. If you invest in a low-quality mattress, then expect to see springs popping out in the next 3 to 5 years. But, if you’re a serious shopper, always research about a brand’s reputation, history, and customer feedback to know whether you’re buying a quality mattress or not.
- Your Age and Weight: If you’re on the heavier side, then it’s possible that you’ll compress your mattress more causing it to sag much faster than a lighter sleeper. You’ll, therefore, end up changing your mattress a bit earlier than normal. On the other hand, as you age, your body becomes sensitive to subtle indentations forcing you to change your mattress to ease the discomforts.
- Lifestyle: Finally, if you use your mattress only for sleeping, then it will last longer than a mattress used as a couch during the day. Also, if your mattress is used by kids for bouncing activities, then it will also wear out quite faster.
So, with that said, here are seven side effects that will tell you are sleeping on a bad mattress.
Back Pain
Chronic back pain is one of the common complaints most people have when sleeping. While some blame their sleeping positions, your mattress can probably be the cause. You see, as your mattress ages, it starts to sag in the middle causing it to lose its supportive powers.
Since the mattress will have a curved shape in the middle, you will not be able to change your sleeping position easily forcing you to sleep in an awkward position that will strain you too much. Although you might not notice it, sleeping in such irregular positions for long will not only cause sleep disturbances but will also affect your spine leading to regular back pains.
Insomnia
Are you experiencing difficulty in sleeping? Well, that could be another sign that you’re sleeping on a bad mattress. You see, lack of sleep for a night or two is okay but complete lack of sleep due to chronic sleep deprivation can cause severe health consequences as the body is lacking enough time to repair and restore itself.
Other than harming your health, lack of enough sleep can cause daytime drowsiness, lack of awareness on day-to-day activities, mood swings, and inability to think outside the box.
Depression and increased stress levels
Other conditions that are caused by lack of enough sleep are depression and increased stress levels. Although these conditions can be caused by other factors such as job/family problems and environmental factors, your sleeping environment is a major factor that cannot be ruled out.
Your body is like a computerized system where, if one part goes wrong, the rest are affected. Therefore, if your mental health is compromised, your emotional and physical health will generally be affected. So, the next time you feel moody, sleeplessness and anxiety attacks, consider changing your mattress.
Hygiene problems
Have you ever realized that when sleeping, you tend to lose about a cup of water through secretion? While some of the water evaporates, the rest is absorbed on your sheets and is likely to penetrate to your mattress.
As we all know, bacteria, mold, and mildew thrive in damp places. So, when your mattress dampens due to the absorption of too much moisture from the body, not forgetting spills, you encourage the growth of mold and bacteria which can be very alarming.
Thankfully, according to the sleep adviser website, this problem, which by the way can cause respiratory health effects, can be prevented by using waterproof mattresses or wrapping your mattress with a waterproof mattress cover.
Allergies
Another side effect of sleeping on a bad mattress is frequent allergies. If you notice that you’re suffering from skin conditions such as itchiness, rashes, skin irritation, and difficulty in breathing, then it’s possible that your mattress has millions of dust mites.
Dust mites are gross and multiply quickly. Since your mattress is their home, they also tend to use it for toilet purposes meaning you’ll be lying on a mattress infested with mite feces.
While most people believe that dust mites are the main cause of their allergies, it’s the fecal matter that causes the itchiness and the breathing problems you always experience.
Promotes snoring
Snoring can be annoying and in some cases, it can be fatal. Most people blame their pillows and sleeping positions when it comes to snoring. What they fail to understand is that a saggy old mattress can also promote snoring as it’s not firm enough to support your head. When your head is not supported properly, the air passageways are partially blocked leading to snoring.
Obesity
Yes, you heard me well! Lack of enough sleep can cause unexpected weight changes. When you’re asleep, your metabolism increases which is enhanced by the body burning more fats from the food you ate during the day.
If you lack enough sleep, then it means the rate of metabolism is lowered leading to breaking down of less fats. When this happens for a long time, then it means you’re at a high risk of gaining weight.
Conclusion
Finally, your mattress is your health and your health is your greatest asset. Poor sleep can lead to mild or severe health consequences ranging from fatigue to physical and mental health issues. So, if you’re experiencing any of the above side effects, then it’s definitely time to change to a new, supportive, and comfortable mattress.