How often should you replace your mattress?

The commonly cited range is seven to ten years, and it is a reasonable default, but the honest guidance is that condition beats the calendar. The signals that actually matter: visible sagging or body impressions that do not spring back, waking with stiffness or pain you do not have otherwise, noticeably worse sleep than you get in hotels or at other people's homes, and increased allergy symptoms overnight, which can indicate accumulated dust mite populations. A mattress that shows none of these at twelve years does not need replacing because a chart says so.

Type affects longevity considerably. Innerspring mattresses tend to sag earliest as coils fatigue, latex and high-density foam generally last longest, and cheaper polyfoam degrades fastest. Maintenance extends life: rotating the mattress a few times a year evens the wear, a supportive foundation matters as much as the mattress itself since a failing box spring or slat base causes sagging that gets blamed on the mattress, and a washable protector guards against moisture and allergens. Be skeptical of shorter replacement intervals promoted by retailers, and of the eight-year figure that circulates in marketing. When you do buy, the trial period matters more than the showroom, since fifteen minutes lying on a bed in a store predicts very little about how it sleeps over months, and most direct sellers now offer extended in-home trials with returns.