Mattresses should be seen as one of the most important investments we have to make in our lives. Though in my opinion, a house is still a greater investment, some people insist that buying a mattress is much more beneficial than buying a car. Why? We only spend a third of our lives sleeping, that’s why.
The mattress is also the one place we seek at the end of each day when all the energy in our body has been seemingly drained on our activities. It is then only proper that we give it full attention and proper care. Give your mattress proper maintenance and it will give you years of service back. But what happens when one night, when all you could think of is hitting the pillow, you find out that your mattress has become… something else?
Described in this article are some of the most common problems an individual may encounter with his mattress. If you know that your mattress still has a long way to go (most mattresses only have to be replaced after 10 years), then I insist it’s not yet time to buy a new one. But if you know that your mattress has given its service, look at the following problems, problems that might be telling you to start looking for a new sleeping partner, I mean, mattress.
My mattress gives me the springs, literally
This problem would obviously occur on an innerspring mattress. Innerspring mattresses are named such because the mattress’ support comes from the springs inside it. These springs or coils have fillings and usually, there is another layer of filling on top of the coils. This is designed to prevent the user from feeling the coils or springs.
However, a surefire sign of wear, the filling may settle. This happens once the mattress cover wears out, becomes damaged or becomes threadbare. Springs, which are harder than the threadbare cover, can now push through and that’s why you feel the springs.
A mattress which has springs springing all over is a sign that your mattress is getting old. You would not get any decent sleep if all you can feel at night are the metal coils with barely any mattress left. Unless you feel pretty comfortable with that situation, you should now start looking for a replacement mattress to replace the old, threadbare one.
My mattress sags in the center, in the side, sometimes both
Just like the first problem mentioned above, a sagging mattress is another sign that your mattress is getting old. The center or the middle of the mattress is usually the first place where a mattress sags because this is where the sleeper’s body and weight are usually concentrated. Sagging in the middle is typical in innerspring mattresses, especially those constructed with horizontal rows rather than vertical rows of springs or coils.
A mattress may also sag at the sides. This happens particularly when a sleeper does not lie down on the middle but instead lies down on the mattress’ sides. While not as common as middle sagging, a sag in the side can cause discomfort to the sleeper as he/she tends to slide down the sagging side. Today however, many mattresses are already designed with reinforced support along the edges so that the weight of the sleeper is kept inside the mattress.
For first offenses, you can try rotating or if possible, flipping your mattress. Then, sleep on the unused side which is relatively firmer. You can try rotating or flipping the mattress regularly. However, if your mattress is already old, you may have to find yourself a new mattress to replace your current one.
My mattress does not give me enough support
There are so many reasons why a mattress does not anymore give its sleeper support. The two problems mentioned above, exposed spring and sagging, will surely not give any support at all. One surefire sign for you to know whether your mattress gives you enough support or not is the level of comfort you feel whenever you are using it.
It is said that if you have a mattress that gives you enough support, you can also receive enough comfort no matter what sleeping position you are in. Also, if you are using a mattress with great support, you will not feel any back pain, neck pain and the like in the morning. In addition, you can also feel your posture improving.
However, if you are not experiencing any of these things, and on the contrary, you start feeling very uncomfortable, you develop body pains and you notice your posture suffering, I strongly suggest that you leave now and buy another mattress. Sure you may have to spend an amount of money but it’s better than having your health compromised, right?