Do you know how old your mattress is? If you’re like many people, you’ve been sleeping on the same mattress for so long you don’t even remember when you bought it. Because a good mattress can be fairly costly, many people do not follow the “rule” of replacing it every eight years. While some mattresses do last longer than that, many don’t even make it that long.

Is it really that important to replace your mattress regularly? The answer is yes. You spend a third of every day, maybe more, lying on your mattress. If it’s not comfortable, it can cause a number of health issues. Comfort isn’t the only thing to worry about, either. If you haven’t swapped out mattresses in quite some time, here are some of the dangers you may currently be facing.

Get Rid of Your Mattress if You’re Not Sleeping Well

Do you wake up tired and sore? A lot of people blame this on the activities they were doing the day before, but sometimes, being sore in the morning has nothing to do with your job or your hobbies. Instead, it’s your mattress that’s making your back hurt. All mattresses become less firm over time. They may start to sag, lose their shape, and become lumpy. Mattresses with springs can become uncomfortable as those springs shift and start poking you.

But memory foam won’t have those issues, right? Many people assume so, but that’s also not the case. Memory foam does break down over time. It won’t hold its shape as much, nor will it support you where you need support. Poor quality memory foam mattresses may start doing this after just a few years, especially if you spent a lot of time lying in bed reading or watching TV before you go to bed. Some people spent twelve hours or more on their bed, causing the mattress to break down more quickly.

The Dangers of a Poor Night’s Sleep

Why is it a problem that you aren’t sleeping well? A lack of good sleep has a wide number of health detriments. You won’t be as aware, for one. It can be difficult to think, and your reaction times will be sluggish. The body uses sleep as a time to heal and replenish itself, so losing sleep affects your physical health, too. Certain diseases, including heart disease, have also been linked to a lack of sleep. If you have any chronic illness, not sleeping well is likely to make it worse.

Even if you’re perfectly healthy, having a slower reaction time can be dangerous. It could result in accidents, including car wrecks. It can also affect your work performance, causing you to make costly errors. A lack of sleep affects mood, too, so you may become snappish at your friends and family, damaging those relationships.

Your Mattress Can Make Your Breathing Worse

Do you have asthma, allergies, or some other breathing condition? If you do, and you’ve noticed it has gotten progressively worse over the years, your mattress could be at fault. If you could see your mattress on a microscopic level, you would likely find it to be incredibly gross. Over time, mattresses fill up with dust, debris, and dead things such as dust mites. In fact, dust mites, the feces they excrete, and their dead bodies combine to create major respiratory issues. Add to this dead skin cells and other gunk that gets into your mattress and you have a recipe for labored breathing. Even if you change the sheets often, you’re still breathing in some of this stuff every time you fall asleep.

New mattresses won’t cause these problems, but as the years go on, the amount of gunk in your mattress will get worse and worse. It’s possible you’ll even end up with mold and other bacteria in the mattress. When that happens, it’s time to find out how to get rid of an old mattress in Minneapolis. That is where Junk King comes in. We can help with your old mattress, and so much more.

You Get Overheated Easily when in Bed

When mattresses are in good condition, they help regulate the temperature at night. However, as they start to break down, the mattress becomes less and less effective at doing this. You start sinking more into the padding, which prevents effective airflow. This is especially true with memory foam mattresses. You may start adjusting the temperature lower and lower at night to compensate, but this extra cold can actually cause the foam to break down more quickly.

If you tend to keep your room on the warm side, that can also cause the foam in your mattress to deteriorate more quickly than normal. If you do feel too warm or too cold at night, the best option for your mattress is to add another blanket or turn on a fan.

Other Signs that it’s time to Have Your Mattress Hauled Away

While you may decide that it’s time to get rid of your mattress because of how you’re sleeping, or not sleeping, there are some other signs that your mattress is at the end of its life. You may not really spend much time looking at your mattress when you’re changing the sheets, but you should give it a good visual inspection every now and then. Look for rips, tears, and holes in the fabric. Also, look for stains and visible signs of sagging. If you can tell that parts of the mattress, especially the parts you typically sleep on, have sagged, it’s time to replace your mattress.

Listen to your mattress, too. Do you hear any odd squeaks or other noises when you sit down or change position? If so, it’s a sign that the springs are wearing out and can no longer support you as they should.

Even if you don’t see these signs, any mattress that is approaching ten years old needs to be switched out because of the dust it has accumulated. The eight-year rule is a good one to go by, but you should certainly replace your mattress after a decade. Remember, you’re spending around a third of every day in bed. You need a mattress that is going to provide support and comfort.

Can You Get More Life Out of Your Mattress?

There are a few things you can do to get another year or two out of your mattress, but you need to start doing these things from the time you buy it. With mattresses, there is no real way of fixing problems once they start. However, some preventative care will ensure you’re able to put off buying a new mattress for a year or two. First, be sure you have a good box spring, platform, or other base for your bed. This will help prevent sagging. Next, use a mattress protector. While this may bring to mind those loud, horrible plastic protectors, there are other options out there that are made from protective fabric and do not make any noises or add any discomfort. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions, too. Finally, don’t let your children (or yourself) jump on the bed.

What About Flipping the Mattress?

You’ve probably heard that you need to flip your mattress every six months to a year. That’s a good suggestion if you have a double-sided mattress. Memory foam mattresses, especially those that only have a memory foam topper, cannot be flipped over. Many newer mattresses are only one-sided, so you won’t be able to flip them.

However, one thing you need to do no matter what type of mattress you have is to rotate it. This helps to even out the wear on the mattress. You’ll want to rotate your mattress more often than you would flip an older mattress—experts recommend rotating it every three to six months.

Let Junk King Minneapolis Help You Get Rid of Your Old Mattress

What do you do when it’s time to change your old mattress? You’ve got to dispose of your old mattress somehow. One of the easiest options to get rid of it is to call Junk King Minneapolis. When you work with us, you can be assured that you will receive prompt, professional service. You don’t even need to get your mattress out of the house. Just direct us to where it is, and we’ll haul it out of your home and toss it in our truck.

There are strict laws regarding mattress donation, and in most cases, it’s not an option. However, we do what we can to recycle all of the old mattresses we pick up. Metal springs can be easily recycled, while the wood used in mattresses can be chipped and used as mulch. Even the fabric and foam used can be recycled or repurposed.

Call Junk King Minneapolis Today to Schedule Your Mattress Disposal

Need that old mattress out of your house? Give Junk King Minneapolis a call! In addition to taking old mattresses, we will haul away old furniture, appliances, electronics, yard waste, DIY debris, and much more. As long as it isn’t hazardous, we can put it on our truck. Call us today at 1-888-888-JUNK or text us at 1-737-888-5865 for a free, no-obligation quote.