Many of us put off replacing our mattress. Some endure uncomfortable nights and back and neck pain without looking into the health risks that inadequate or uncomfortable sleep can pose. An old or bad quality mattress can be the culprit of your poor sleep with many underlying side effects.
For a piece of furniture that our body spends 7-9 hours in every night, it’s important to put some thought into how your body is supported throughout the night. We’re taking a look at what you might be risking by putting up with a bad bed.
Allergies and hygiene
An old mattress is prone to becoming the perfect habitat for dust mites. Are you often waking up with a stuffy nose? This could be due to a dust-mite allergy that a surprising amount of us suffer from, and your mattress is probably to blame. An older bed that has absorbed sweat and skin flakes from your body over the years is the perfect - and gross - feeding ground for dust mites.
Dust mites are wreak havoc on those who suffer from asthma and allergies. A new mattress accompanied by a dust mite and allergy protection mattress cover is a way to create a bed-bug free zone.
Back pain & soreness
Is your back pain is evident when you first wake up? If you can stretch to get rid of pain within 15-30 minutes, this is a major sign that your mattress is a direct cause of your pain. An overly firm mattress will push on your pressure points when you lay on it. This causes your back to be misaligned, while if a mattress is too soft, you’ll sink into it and cause bad posture in your sleep.
Mattresses vary greatly for each individual. If you're sleeping on a hand-me-down mattresses or an old mattress, the wrong firmness for your body can do more harm than good. It's important to make sure you select one that’s right for you.
Heat absorption
Many older mattresses, particularly older memory foam mattresses, have very little ability to expel the body heat they absorb in order to mould to your body shape. Heat becomes trapped in your mattress, keeping you far too warm for ideal sleeping conditions which should usually be slightly cooler.
Avoid this by paying attention to the filling and foam in your next mattress. Opt for one with heat releasing features like enhanced airflow and heat dissipation in our Comfort Touch Eco-Gel mattress.
Disturbed sleep
A mattress that isn’t right for you will usually be the reason you take longer to fall asleep. Whether it’s too old, too firm or damaged and worn, it can create a night of tossing and turning because your body doesn’t feel properly supported. This poor sleep has some minor and (if prolonged) major effects on day-to-day life:
- Lack of alertness, energy and creativity, general ‘brain fog’
- Poor mental wellbeing, increased risk of depression and anxiety
- Weakened immune system
- Regularly bad sleep can put you at risk of serious health conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes and a shortened lifespan
Bad mattress or not, it’s important to replace your mattress every 8 years before it begins impacting you negatively. Yes, even the best mattresses have a lifespan. If it’s time for a new one, or if you suspect your current mattress is the culprit of your restless nights, check out Brownies Mattress Direct's large range of mattresses for every need, all manufactured locally in New Zealand.
