Our houses or apartments are full of furniture. Presumably, you have a lounge (or two), a dining table, and a bed at the very least. Modern conveniences designed to make our lives more comfortable. I wonder when you replaced your lounge? Perhaps when it started to sag in the middle and you had trouble getting up, or maybe when it no longer matched your decor? How about your mattress? On average we sleep 229,961 hours in a lifetime, that’s ⅓ of our lives spent lying down, on a mattress. When you last replaced the most important piece of furniture in your home?
Having the right mattress (and pillow) is imperative in obtaining a “good” night’s sleep. A night of good sleep not only has a direct impact on your mood and mental health – we have all woken cranky after a bad night’s sleep, it also helps your body recuperate, your muscles repair, but it also improves memory and focus, helps builds immunity, and helps control weight. So is your current mattress working for you or against you?
As a general rule, most mattresses will last 8-10 years. This is dependent on the quality of materials the mattress is made from, who uses the mattress, and how long per day. I once had a patient tell me they had been using the same mattress for 40 years! I highly doubt it was still supportive after almost half a century, and perhaps that was why I was providing them with treatment for musculoskeletal pain.
An old or poor-quality mattress can negatively affect your health, from short-term effects of drowsiness, headache, aches and pains to long-term effects such as respiratory problems, spine and back issues, and allergies. Most people think a good mattress is simply for comfort, a supportive mattress has a significant impact on your health – both physically and mentally.
Here is a list of seven things that may be seen due to an old or poor-quality mattress:
Pain: this is the most common complaint people have when sleeping and it can come down to your mattress. As mattresses age they start to lose their structure and support. An ill-supported, sagging mattress can lean to back and neck strains, sleeplessness, fragmented sleep, and daytime fatigue.
Microorganisms & Hygiene: dust mites multiply rapidly and find old mattresses in a haven. These microorganisms can cause skin conditions and respiratory problems such as allergies and eczema. Bed bugs love old damp mattresses and on average a person loses 0.5kg of sweat/night over time this creates a bed bug ideal habitat. Their bite creates health problems from sleep deprivation to anaemia. This damp environment is also perfect for bacteria, mould, and mildew, leading to skin and respiratory issues
Insomnia/Sleep Disturbances: waking still feeling tired, groggy, and grumpy. Your mattress may be the cause, an old mattress can reduce the quality of sleep you are getting, lowering your immune system. Over time issues like insomnia can lead to serious health issues like high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions.
Stress: inadequate sleep directly affects your day, after 1 sleepless night you are more irritable, short-tempered, and vulnerable to stress. High-stress levels can then affect sleep by increasing the body’s cortisol levels stimulating the brain to become alert and awake.
Snoring: mattresses are overlooked when it comes to snoring. An old mattress cannot support your spinal and head therefore the muscles in the jaw and throat can collapse which can limit your airway increasing snoring. Dust mites, mould, mildew and bacteria can also aggravate sinus issues and snoring.
Cardiovascular, Immunity & Obesity: If you do not sleep well your heart tends to work harder. A study conducted by the European Heart Journal showed that people who suffer from lack of sleep or poor sleep, have 48 per cent more chances of developing a heart condition such as high blood pressure, compared to those who sleep well. Sleeping on an old mattress prevents you from getting high-quality sleep, which weakens your immune system, increasing your risk of colds and flu and other bacterial and viral conditions. Sleep has been linked to metabolic and endocrine functions, this means that old mattresses promote sleep deprivation which in turn promotes binge-eating and overeating.
Mental Health: Sleep and mental and emotional health have an intimate and bidirectional relationship, poor sleep quality has been linked to depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Given their strong association, it is believed that improving sleep can have a beneficial impact on mental health and can be a component of treating many psychiatric disorders.
So where do you begin in searching for a new mattress?
It’s a significant investment so take your time, do some research, compare the brands, look at the materials used, check out the manufacturer, their reputation, history, where they are made, have they had any changes in the manufacturing recently, do they get good reviews, and do you trust where the information is coming from.
Or you can just wait for our next blog for our recommendations. We’ve done the hard work and researched it all for you so you don’t have to!
References:
- https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/your-mattress-is-ruining-your-health/1564996
- http://naturalsleep.ie/blog/mattress-causing-snoring/
- https://www.thesleepjudge.com/effects-of-sleeping-on-a-bad-mattress/
- https://www.avacaremedical.com/blog/mattress-can-affect-health.html
- https://www.onebed.com.au/side-effects-of-bad-mattress/
- https://www.serenityhlp.com.au/blogs/sleep-and-health/the-impact-sleep-has-on-your-mental-wellbeing?vgo_ee=bG0SFIiR1SJy2yyuBS4nrTuEbK22HhTtAvn%2BC6hLg2M%3D
- https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood
- https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/
