Five symptoms of a bad mattress
Does your mattress leave you tossing and turning at night? Do you wake up in the morning only to find that your bed has developed a huge dip in the middle? These are just two of the most common signs that it’s time to replace your uncomfortable mattress. After all, a good night’s sleep can help us feel refreshed, alert, and happy during the day. If that’s not worth a little investment, we don’t know what is.
So grab a cup of tea, take a seat (on your bed), and give your sleeping space a once-over for the full diagnosis.
Bad mattress symptoms
It’s easy to get used to a bad mattress, especially if it’s been around for a few years and we don’t know any different. To judge it properly, think about last week’s sleep. Do any of these sound familiar and can’t be explained by external factors like stress?
- You wake up in the night feeling uncomfortable, or have dreams that involve physical pain. (It might be caused by springs pressing into you!)
- You shuffle around a lot before you find a comfortable position.
- You feel aches and pains in the day, especially in the neck or back.
- You notice the mattress shifting as soon as you sit or lie down on it.
If any of these sound like you, it’s time to test your mattress.
How do I test my mattress?
Before you decide if you need a new mattress, think about when you bought it, why you chose it, and how much it costs. Then sit down, have a bit of a bounce, and go through this checklist. Do any of them apply to you?
1. Your mattress is old
A mattress isn’t a merlot - it won’t get better the longer you keep hold of it. Over the years it will begin to sag, and this spells disaster for your sleep. Without the right support you may have trouble drifting off, and your mattress could cause pain in your back and neck. This won’t just cause you problems at night, either, as you’ll most likely wake up feeling sore, stiff and still very tired. If you’ve had your mattress for a few years and you’ve noticed it just doesn’t do the trick anymore, it’s probably time for it to retire.
2. You bought a cheap mattress
Everyone loves getting a great deal, but if you skimp on your mattress the only thing you could end up with is a great deal of discomfort. You spend around a third of your life in bed, so it’s hugely important to make sure it’s good quality. This doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank, but investing as much as you can spare will hopefully save you from endless sleepless nights on a mattress that’s poorly made, and just not right for you. An uncomfortable mattress just isn’t worth the bother!
3. It didn’t come with a home trial
Having a bounce or two on a showroom mattress will never measure up to trying it out in your own home. After all, the only way to truly test a mattress is to actually sleep on it. It takes around 30 nights to get used to the feel of a different mattress, so choosing one is a bit like starting a new relationship - you’ve got to give it time to see if it’s right for you. If it’s not love after that, call it a night.
4. The springs are broken
Sleeping on a mattress with just springs may have been the ‘in’ thing for years, but so were pastel-coloured toilets, and they thankfully got flushed away a while ago. (If you don’t know what we mean, ask your nan). It’s not hard to see why - the sprung mattresses of old were cheap and familiar. On the flip side, they were also less durable and way too bouncy and if a spring broke, your back (and your ears!) knew about it. Plus, thanks to a little thing called motion transfer, sleeping partners may as well have been tucked up at an Elvis concert - there was that much rocking and rolling.
5. Your mattress is sinking
Memory foam is a more recent addition to the mattress family, but on its own it rarely does the trick. At first these beds can be comfortable, as they absorb any wriggles from a sleeping partner and are squeak- and creak-free. But memory foam stacks are also a byword for overheating. The dense foam holds on to body heat, leaving sleepers hot and bothered for all the wrong reasons. Plus, sinking into soft foam may feel good to begin with, but your joints won’t thank you in the long run. If you find your body sagging in the middle, it’s definitely time to change your mattress.
When to replace your mattress
As a general rule, and according to the Sleep Council, you should think about changing your mattress every seven to eight years. As you don’t tend to replace your mattress very often, it’s certainly worth opting for something higher quality that you know you’ll love. Saving a little is rarely outweighed by almost a decade of springs sticking into your back!
If you’ve had your mattress for less than eight years but you’re still finding it uncomfortable, it might be time for a change anyway, especially if it was a cheap purchase. Think of it as an investment in your health and happiness, and remember, you’re expecting to sleep on it for a long time!
Our solution to a bad mattress
Sleeping well is our business - and that’s why all our mattresses are designed to withstand sagging, overheating, and the discomfort of springs.
Our mattresses contain layers of precision foam support and thousands of our unique cone-shaped comfort springs (and our Pro Mattresses take things a step further). Basically, Simba mattresses are designed to cradle you from top to toe and minimise motion transfer. To tackle overheating we created a cooling layer we call Simbatex, which allows air to circulate through the mattress and stop you getting too warm. And of course, because we know it’s not easy choosing your mattress, we offer a 200-night trial - so you’ve got plenty of time to get used to it. If it’s not love at first night (although we think it will be), you can return it for a full refund, no questions asked. We’ll even pick it up.
A little nervous about buying a new Simba mattress? Read reviews from thousands of happy sleepers here. Sweet dreams!
