by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy
We are told we need a new mattress every 7 years. But how many of us heed this warning? What happens if we sleep on an old mattress? How does this affect our health?
Read on and find out.
Here’s a list of ways your old mattress can be affecting your health –
- Joint and muscle pain – A saggy, lumpy or unsupportive mattress can give rise to aches and pains in your muscles and joints.
- Back pain – If your mattress is not supporting your spine, this can cause backache and pain in your neck.
- Poor sleep – An old, overly firm or squashy mattress means you cannot get properly comfortable at night, leading to frequent interruptions, tossing and turning and sleep deprivation. After a bad night’s sleep, we all feel groggy, sleepy and irritable in the mornings, and this affects our work productivity and our driving reaction times. Each hour of sleep deprivation increases the risk of a road traffic accident by 11%.
- Too hot – Foam mattresses tend to be hotter than coiled spring mattresses. Sometimes foam mattresses are infused with a heat-protective gel but this wears out over time. We actually sleep better in cooler temperatures.
- Allergies – The bed becomes a home for house dust mites and their faeces, plus shed skin cells, animal dander, dirt and debris. The average mattress is said to double in weight over 10 years as it fills up with these unpleasant things. At night, due to the warmth and the moisture, these allergens irritate the skin causing sneezing, runny eyes and nose, itching, redness and skin rashes.
If you can say yes to any of the above, it’s probably time for a new mattress. Here are a few pointers –
Buying a new mattress
Buying a new mattress is a considerable expense but one that will reap great benefits for your health over the coming years. It’s hard to put a price on a good night’s sleep. Remember to rotate your mattress every 3-6 months and reverse it. Hoover it regularly to keep it dust-free.
Taking advice on a new mattress
You might want to take advice, for example, the ‘Which – mattress advice guides.’ You might want to use a mattress topper.
Bedding advice
Always use an undersheet to cover the mattress and pillow protectors to help the pillows last longer.
Hypoallergenic bedding is a good idea if you suffer from allergies. This bedding is made from cotton, wool or silk – not synthetic fibres – and is tightly woven to stop house dust mites or pet dander from getting in between the fibres.
Pillowcases, bed sheets and duvet covers should be washed once a week, or every 3-4 days if you have pets. Wash at 60°C with a high-quality detergent.
Final thoughts
A new mattress can revolutionise your quality of life – it’s as simple as that! Many of our everyday ailments can be traced back to climbing into a lumpy, uncomfortable bed and enduring another night of broken sleep.
- Is it time you did something about changing your mattress?