Quality sleep is incredibly valuable. Lack of sleep can be detrimental to your health. It can harm your relationships.
Poor sleep can endanger others as well, particularly when driving.
Consider your mattress as sleep equipment. Make an investment in one that will keep you healthy and happy.
Signs you need a new mattress:
- Your mattress is 5-7 years old.
- You wake with stiffness, numbness, aches and pains.
- You sleep better at a friend’s house or in a hotel bed.
- Test out mattresses by lying down on them in stores. If you purchase online, be sure the return policy works well and customer service will work with you if you are dissatisfied.
- Take your partner with you to test the mattress. You share the bed.
- Make sure the mattress is comfortable and supportive for you. This doesn’t mean it has to be firm.
- Get a queen-size mattress so you have plenty of room to move. Get a full-size bed for your child so there’s room for you when needed.
- Certified polyurethane foam is made without formaldehyde, toxic metals and has lower VOCs. Look for mattresses that are certified.
Helen Sullivan is Communications Counsel for the CertiPUR-US® foam certification program. She has been involved in “sleep” for the past 30 years, including serving as consultant and spokesperson to the Better Sleep Council for a decade.