Most of us don't think about our mattresses until something goes obviously wrong. We adapt gradually to declining comfort, often not realising how much our sleep quality has deteriorated until we sleep on a different bed—perhaps at a hotel or friend's house—and notice the dramatic difference. By then, we may have been sleeping poorly for months or even years.
Knowing when to replace your mattress can significantly improve your sleep quality, physical health, and daily energy levels. This guide helps you recognise the signs that your mattress has reached the end of its useful life and understand what factors affect mattress longevity.
Average Mattress Lifespan by Type
Before examining specific warning signs, it's helpful to understand general mattress lifespan expectations. While individual results vary based on quality, usage, and care, these guidelines provide useful benchmarks.
Typical Mattress Lifespans
- Innerspring: 5-7 years (basic) to 8-10 years (quality)
- Memory foam: 8-10 years for high-density foam
- Latex: 10-15 years (longest lasting type)
- Hybrid: 7-10 years depending on components
- Budget mattresses: 3-5 years regardless of type
These are averages—some mattresses fail earlier, others last longer. Use these as general guidelines while paying attention to the specific signs your mattress shows.
Physical Signs Your Mattress Needs Replacing
Visible Sagging and Body Impressions
The most obvious sign of mattress wear is visible sagging, particularly in areas where you typically sleep. Strip your bedding and examine the mattress surface. Do you see depressions where your body usually rests? For memory foam and latex, impressions deeper than 3-4 centimetres indicate significant material breakdown. For spring mattresses, any visible sagging suggests the coil system is failing.
Try the ruler test: lay a straight edge (like a yardstick or level) across the mattress surface. Gaps between the ruler and mattress surface greater than 3 centimetres indicate problematic sagging.
Lumps and Uneven Surfaces
Run your hand across your mattress surface. Does it feel uniformly smooth, or do you detect lumps, ridges, or inconsistent areas? Lumps indicate that internal materials have shifted or broken down unevenly. In spring mattresses, you might feel individual coils pushing through comfort layers. In foam mattresses, lumps suggest the foam has degraded in patches.
Edge Deterioration
Mattress edges often wear out before the centre, especially if you frequently sit on the bed's edge. If the edges feel significantly softer than when new, collapse when you sit on them, or no longer provide stable support, this indicates structural degradation that may be affecting the entire mattress.
Sit on the edge of your mattress as you would when getting dressed or putting on shoes. Does the edge compress significantly, making you feel unstable? Compare this to how it felt when new. Substantial edge deterioration often precedes broader mattress failure.
Noise
Spring mattresses should be relatively quiet. If you hear squeaking, creaking, or grinding sounds when you move or change positions, the coil system may be damaged. Broken, bent, or worn coils can create these noises and typically cannot be repaired—they indicate the mattress needs replacement.
How Your Body Tells You It's Time
Morning Aches and Stiffness
Waking consistently with back pain, neck stiffness, joint aches, or general soreness that wasn't present before bed strongly suggests your mattress is no longer providing adequate support. When mattresses lose their ability to maintain proper spinal alignment, your body compensates in ways that cause strain and discomfort.
Pay attention to where you feel discomfort. Lower back pain often indicates inadequate lumbar support. Shoulder or hip pain might mean the mattress isn't relieving pressure points properly. If these pains diminish as you move around in the morning, your mattress is likely the culprit.
Worsening Allergies
Mattresses accumulate allergens over time, including dust mites, dead skin cells, and environmental particles. Even with regular cleaning and protective covers, these build up within mattress materials. If you notice worsening allergy symptoms—sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, or skin irritation—that are most pronounced at night or upon waking, your mattress may have accumulated problematic levels of allergens.
Poor Sleep Quality
If you're sleeping the same number of hours but feeling less rested, your mattress might be to blame. Mattress deterioration can affect sleep quality in subtle ways: increased tossing and turning as you unconsciously search for comfortable positions, more frequent awakenings, and reduced time in restorative deep sleep stages.
Ask yourself: Do you sleep better elsewhere—at hotels, friends' homes, or even on a couch? This comparison can reveal whether your home mattress is the problem.
Multiple indicators together suggest your mattress needs attention: taking longer to fall asleep, waking multiple times per night, feeling unrested despite adequate sleep duration, preferring to sleep in other locations, or partner complaints about increased movement at night.
The Age Factor
Even if your mattress shows no obvious signs of wear, age itself is a consideration. Mattress materials break down over time even with careful use. Additionally, your body changes—weight fluctuations, new health conditions, or simply ageing can mean a mattress that once worked perfectly no longer suits your needs.
As a general rule, evaluate your mattress critically once it passes the 7-year mark. This doesn't mean automatic replacement, but it means paying closer attention to performance and comfort indicators.
Factors That Shorten Mattress Life
Several factors can cause mattresses to wear out faster than expected:
- Higher body weight: More pressure accelerates material compression
- Inadequate support: Wrong foundation or bed frame causes premature sagging
- No mattress protector: Moisture, spills, and body oils degrade materials
- Irregular rotation: Concentrated wear in sleep areas
- Children jumping: Impact stress breaks down internal components
- Poor initial quality: Budget mattresses simply don't last
The Real Cost of Keeping an Old Mattress
It's tempting to delay mattress replacement to save money, but consider the hidden costs of sleeping on a worn-out mattress. Poor sleep affects cognitive function, productivity, mood, and physical health. Studies link chronic poor sleep to increased risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues.
There's also the practical cost of discomfort—using pain medications, visiting healthcare providers for sleep-related back issues, or simply the diminished quality of life that comes from never feeling fully rested.
When you calculate the cost of a new mattress over its expected lifespan—often less than $1 per night for quality options—the investment in your health and wellbeing becomes much easier to justify.
Making the Transition
Once you've decided it's time for a new mattress, use the opportunity to reassess your sleep needs. Your ideal mattress might have changed since your last purchase due to age, weight changes, new health conditions, or simply evolved preferences. Research current options, test thoroughly (using trial periods when available), and don't just default to the same type of mattress you had before.
Consider sustainable disposal for your old mattress. Many Australian councils offer mattress recycling or collection services. Some mattress retailers provide old mattress removal when delivering new ones. Avoid simply sending mattresses to landfill when alternatives exist.
Your mattress is a significant investment in your health, and recognising when it's time for replacement ensures you continue receiving the restorative sleep your body needs. Pay attention to the signs, trust your body's feedback, and don't hesitate to invest in better sleep.