How Often Should You Replace Your Mattress?

The need to buy a new mattress can sneak up on you. Because your mattress ages gradually, that means you might not realize you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in two years until you’ve spent two years tossing and turning. Then a lightbulb goes off: It might be time to replace the mattress.

How often a mattress should be replaced can vary due to several factors, but it’s good to have a general idea of how long a mattress lasts in the back of your mind. On average, a mattress lasts seven to 10 years. But before you set an alarm for buying a new mattress on a set schedule, there are six questions to ask first.

1. How Is Your Sleep?

Knowing when you need to replace your mattress doesn’t solely revolve around a set number of years. There are a variety of other factors to consider as well; perhaps most important is how you’re sleeping. If your sleep is suffering, it’s time to consider if your mattress is a factor and, if so, whether it should be replaced.

A good indicator that your mattress is to blame for your snooze issues is if you find yourself sleeping better in hotels or at other people’s homes. You can try to replicate the bedding, sights, sounds, and pillows of those restful environments, but if your at-home sleep still isn’t up to par, it’s a safe bet a new mattress will be the clincher.

2. How Do You Feel?

Stiff muscles and achy joints aren’t just a sign of your age—they could be a sign of your mattress’s age, too. If you’re waking up throughout the night feeling stiff, uncomfortable, or in pain, your mattress might not be giving your body the proper support it needs for a restful night’s sleep. If you’re trying to get more life out of your mattress before you replace it, see if a mattress topper or new pillows can help you get a few more months out of your existing setup. 

Also, are you noticing your allergies or asthma getting worse, especially at night or when you first wake up in the morning? A good mattress protector can help keep out allergy-causing dust mites, but when allergies worsen, it may be time to start fresh with a new mattress.

3. How Does Your Mattress Look?

No one wants to be doing the dip while they sleep. Sagging, bagging, dipping, and drooping are all big red flags when it comes to your mattress’s health. Once you notice indentations that don’t go away, chances are they’re here to stay—and will ruin your sleep once and for all.

Turning your mattress can be helpful if you sleep solo and the divot is only on one side. But unfortunately, most mattresses these days are not meant to flip over, which used to tack on a couple more years to a mattress’s life. 

4. How Does Your Mattress Sound?

What’s worse than an uncomfortable bed? A loud one. Your mattress shouldn’t be making sounds as you toss and turn in the night, and chances are, it didn’t when it was still in good shape. If it’s now serenading you to sleep with its creaks, crackles, and pops, it might be your mattress trying to tell you it’s had enough. 

5. How Does Your Mattress Smell?

Years of sleeping on a mattress can lead to the build-up of odors. So can a humid or musty environment. You can try deodorizing your mattress by sprinkling a light coating of baking soda and vacuuming it up, but if that fails, consider replacement. A good night’s rest may depend on it.

6. How Old Is Your Mattress?

If you’re wondering why we put this item at the very bottom of our list, it’s because it doesn’t hold quite as much weight as any of the issues that we’ve already mentioned. A seven-year-old mattress doesn’t cause a bad night’s sleep automatically, but a three-year-old mattress with a sagging problem sure can.

That being said, most mattresses will need to be replaced on average about every seven years, though some will last longer and others may see issues set in much earlier. A high-quality mattress might make it as long as 10 years, but the real trick for replacing your mattress at the right time is keeping in mind the sights, sounds, and feel of your bed, as well as your own body cues. The Sleep Foundation recommends replacing mattresses sooner than 10 years, depending on the type of mattress:

How To Extend The Life Of Your Mattress

Whether you’re the owner of a new mattress or are looking for ways to keep your mattress kicking for a few more years, there are best practices that can help you get the most life out of your mattress. These factors can affect the lifespan of your mattress:

• Construction: Innerspring mattresses tend to have the shortest life span, while latex mattresses last the longest. The quality of the construction (high-density versus low-density) can also make a difference.
• How you sleep: Side sleeping can cause more hills and valleys in your mattress.
• Who you share your bed with: More weight on a mattress will shorten its lifespan. The same is true of kids who are prone to accidents and spills, not to mention shedding pets.
• Mattress maintenance: If you neglect to use a mattress cover and don’t rotate or flip your mattress, it tends to wear out faster.

Rotating your mattress every three to six months and protecting your mattress with a mattress pad and waterproof cover (particularly if you frequently share a bed with children or pets) are all key to pulling as many years out of your mattress as you can. 

Dust and allergens can have an effect on your mattress as it ages, too, so don’t neglect regular cleaning every three to six months with a good vacuuming and spot stain removal. You can even get in the habit of airing your mattress every morning in order to cut down on moisture buildup that could promote mold and bacteria growth.