How A Bad Mattress Might Affect Your Overall Health?

Are you not able to sleep well these days? Are you waking up with sore muscles and aching body? Are you considering seeing a doctor for this? Well, if this is the case with you, before making any drastic changes in your lifestyle, simply consider the idea of changing your mattress. Your mattress can be the reason why you aren’t able to sleep well and are thereby feeling tired and exhausted all day long.

Many individuals think that mattresses don’t come with an expiry date. For them, it is that piece of furniture which is as good as new even after years and years of consistent use. This is completely wrong. Just like any other thing, mattresses need to be replaced. In fact, mattresses are expected to last and serve well for about 8 to 10 years and after that, replacing it is crucial. However, if you are not able to sleep well, there are good chances that your body needs a new mattress, even if the older one has not yet crossed the 10-year limit.

Right from the physical pain to mental health, a bad mattress can have a significant effect on you. Here we have listed a few points on how you can recognize a bad mattress and what adverse effects it has on your overall health and well-being.

The Bad Mattress Symptoms

The first and foremost thing to consider is the age of the mattress. In general, companies recommend using a mattress for about 8 to 10 years. However, this again depends on how well you have cared about it. For instance, if you have used your mattress with a cover, never allowed kids to jump on it, vacuumed it regularly, etc. your mattress will easily last for over 10 years. Some mattresses even need rotating and if they aren’t, they will sag after a few years of use.

A bad mattress will even have mold build up. The thing is we sweat a lot while we sleep, approximately a quarter of a liter. Now, all of this liquid directly goes into the mattress and leads to mold formation and growth. Fortunately, there are covers to protect mattresses against this, but then not everyone has one.

After years and years of use, dust mites also develop on the mattress as a result of dead skin build up. Dust mites bring along their own set of issues. For instance, they can cause real health problems for those who are suffering from asthma and severe skin conditions like eczema.

Another thing to consider is the deformation of the mattress. If you are wondering whether your mattress is bad or not, simply checkout it formation. If it is still firm and sturdy, it is certainly good. However, if it is saggy and broken, it certainly needs to be replaced. Besides, if the mattress is still under warranty, you can get it checked by the company person, but if not, then now is the time to replace it.

Health Issues caused by an improper mattress

All of us know that a good night’s sleep is extremely crucial if we want to stay healthy and fit. Now, this is where a bad mattress can create lots of issues. Let’s see what conditions you might face if you aren’t sleeping well.

 Weak Memory: Sleep ensures that different information received by mind is solidified. In a study, two groups of people were asked to perform the same task. All of them performed the task once. Now, 1 group was asked to sleep before repeating the task again and another group was not. The next day, when both the groups performed the same task again, the group which rested, performed better than the other group. This means, their minds have retained the info better after resting compared to the other group.

Lack of Awareness: If day after day you are finding yourself less aware of the surroundings, there are chances you are sleeping on a bad mattress. If you aren’t getting proper sleep, your mind will remain cloudy all the time and gradually lose all the clarity. You will not be able to handle multitasking well and will get easily distracted too.

Degraded Creativity: Thinking of new ideas and working on them becomes difficult if you aren’t sleeping well. Your creative skills and problem-solving qualities will degrade and finally, you won’t be able to think outside the box at all.

 High Blood Pressure: When you are having a deep and sound sleep, your blood pressure levels get back to normal. Now, when your sleep cycle is disturbed, so is the blood pressure and this gradually affects your heart. Also, when you are sleeping, the body releases such hormones to regulate stress levels. This means, your stress level will increase if you aren’t sleeping well.

Weight: Many will not agree, but there is a link between a poor night’s sleep and weight gain. When we sleep, our body gradually burns some calories. However, this is not the main point here. The thing is, when we sleep, our metabolism increases. On the contrary, when we don’t sleep, metabolism slows down and it becomes harder for our body to burn fats and other items it consumed throughout the day.

Furthermore, hunger levels are also affected by our sleep cycle. There are two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which are responsible for regulating our appetite. When we are sleeping, the levels of the hormone leptin, which makes us feel full, increases. Conversely, the levels of ghrelin, the hormone which makes us feel hungry, decreases. When you consider this phenomenon, you will understand how a good night’s sleep affects our body weight and overall health.

Depression: Apart from anything else, the biggest thing which a poor night’s sleep affects is our mental health. By not sleeping well, you might face all the things we discussed here and gradually you might go into depression. Then again depression can lead to improper sleep cycles and other health issues. It is difficult to identify a perfect link between depression and sleep, but there certainly is one.

Finding the Right New Mattress

One of the best ways to ensure that you are getting a good night’s sleep is to replace your old bed with one of the latest mattresses with high-quality materials. You won’t even know how an old mattress is affecting your sleep and overall health, but once you replace it, the difference will be surely noticeable.

You will be overwhelmed to know that there are numerous types of mattresses available in the market today. In order to know – which is the best mattress for you, it is better to know each of the main kinds well. So, here is a quick breakdown for you…

Innerspring: This is the traditional type of mattress which comes with a coil spring. They come with comfortable cover materials now like latex. They come in different types of firmness, right from very springy to extra firm. It is recommended by experts that people with lower back pain must go for firmer mattresses.

Memory foam: These are one of the fastest growing kinds of mattresses. It is made by combining different layers of spongy foams which respond to the body weight and temperature. This type of mattress takes the exact shape of your body and thereby relieves pain.

Latex: These mattresses are extra firm and sturdy. They are made using natural or synthetic rubber and provide very good support to those with back pain.

Nevertheless, the best way to judge which mattress is best for you is to test it. When you enter a store, make sure to spend at least an hour or two. Inquire about different mattresses and sleep on each one of them. Lay there for about 10 minutes and see how comfortable you feel. It is recommended that couples go together to buy a mattress. Also, if possible, take your pillow along to create a perfect sleeping environment.

 

Not sleeping well not only makes you feel exhausted, but also creates several other health issues. Apart from your busy routine and work pressure, one more thing which might be affecting your sleep is the mattress you are sleeping on. Therefore, always ensure that you have the most suitable type of mattress to sleep on.

 

Now, if you are finding the cost of buying a new mattress high, simply compare it to the worth of a good night’s sleep and an overall healthy and fit life.