Is it time to replace your mattress?

The Better Sleep Council recommends that you replace your mattress every seven to ten years, depending on how comfortable and supportive it feels. In that amount of time — given normal wear and tear — the foam or springs will have undergone enough use that they can’t support your body as well as a new mattress can. And if you haven’t used a mattress cover, your bed will have taken in oils, dust mites, and bodily fluids like sweat. Plus, over the course of ten years, mattress technology will have evolved.

Here are few tell-tale signs it’s time to invest in a new mattress:

You’ve got the groove. (Well, your mattress does.)

This can manifest in a number of ways. It might feel like you have sleep indentations in your bed or like you have a ridge right down the middle. Either way, it’s not pleasant if you want to change positions or sleep outside the boundaries made for you by the indentations.

If the grooves are in the center of the mattress, you’ll feel like you are rolling toward the middle of the bed any time you don’t sleep right in the center. It can feel a little bit like sleeping in a canoe. And this particular situation is especially annoying if you share a bed.

You can feel lumps or bumps in the bed.

Lumps and bumps likely mean that your mattress material is worn out due to spills. Spilling on your mattress is more than just uncomfortably damp. It’s bad for the material that makes up your bed. Foam degrades when it gets wet, and when you spill liquid on a mattress, it’s pretty tough to dry it out. Another reason to always use a mattress protector.

Protect your bed! Shop Serta’s best mattress protectors now.

You wake up with aches and pains.

If you’re waking up with aches, pains, or stiffness, it might be time to think about a new mattress. Perhaps your mattress is too firm or too soft for your body. If your mattress isn’t supporting you in a way your body needs, start looking at different types of mattress construction or try out an adjustable foundation.

You’re moving to a bigger place.

If you have a double or queen bed and you move to a home with enough space for a king size bed, consider making the upgrade. A larger room can handle a bigger bed, and in certain cases, a large bedroom appears more visually balanced with a king size bed.You sleep better in a hotel room than you do at home.If you regularly get a better night’s sleep on a business trip, or even a vacation, it’s time to rethink the mattress you have at home. Maybe it’s just not compatible with your comfort preferences. And trying out a hotel mattress can be a great way to learn what you like in a bed. You can even search for the mattress you enjoyed using our online hotel mattress finder.