It’s your sanctuary at night, your cozy bedtime pal, but is your mattress secretly working against you? It’s scary but it’s true: the wrong mattress can actually do you more harm than good!

Not many people know the extent to which your mattress can affect your day-to-day, but we’ve broken it down for you so you can keep an eye on your mattress and make sure it’s serving you well.

Read on to find out five things your mattress may be doing to hurt you.

1. Your mattress could be housing nasty little dust mites which can trigger allergies

Look, let’s be honest: cleaning our mattresses is something we always say we would do but don’t ever really do. It’s such a hassle. And honestly, how dirty can a mattress really get?

Turns out – very!

Leaving our mattresses for so long without a good cleaning creates an opportunity for dust mites and other nasties (such as dead skin cells – eugh!) to enter the mattress. Dust mites are well known for their allergy-inducing capabilities. So if you find yourself sneezing, congested, or just feeling a little under the weather all too often, take a good look at your mattress.

To combat this collection of gross-ness in your mattress, we recommend the following:

• Wash your bedding at least weekly. It’s a pain, but a necessary evil! You’ll notice all the difference, we promise.
• Use allergen-proof bedding. We highly recommend our Zeek range of bedding. It’s antimicrobial, super-soft, affordable, and a fortress against dust mites!
• Switch to an antimicrobial mattress! If your mattress is a bit older, consider making the switch to a specialised antimicrobial mattress. Check out our range of Zeek mattresses for a cheap mattress that will make all the difference.

2. Poor back neck and joints support can cause long term damage

Sore? Stiff? Achey? Take a good look at your mattress. This is one of the most common disadvantages of using a low-quality or past-its-use-by-date mattress. Many people complain of back pain, neck pain and aches in their joints without taking a good look at who the culprit may be (Spoiler: they live in your bedroom!)

Seeking medical/professional help for aches and pains is a must, but if this is not supported by a solid and sturdy mattress at night, then all the good work may be undone and then you could develop more significant long term problems.

Good news: the solution is easy! Pop into your local bedding expert store and speak to a knowledgable salesman about your issues and your pain points. They should show you a range of mattresses in varying budgets that can help combat these annoying pains.

Here at ComfortStyle, we have a set of skilled bedding experts on staff who are trained to help you find the ideal mattress for your budget and needs. Pop in-store any time and we’ll help you find exactly what you need!

3. It could be causing you to overheat

Memory foam mattresses are all the rage right now, and for good reason – they’re super-duper comfy! But the secret many mattress retailers don’t tell you is that memory foam mattresses can often trap your body heat and cause you to overheat overnight and wake up hot, bothered, and sweaty – no thanks!

This isn’t to say all memory foam mattresses are bad though of course! Take our Zeek range for example. This range has been specially created to cool you down overnight instead of warming you up by using special bamboo fabric that uses your body heat to create an evaporative cooling effect. Pretty cool! (Pardon the pun)

4. Your mattress could be emitting toxic fumes

Some mattresses emit toxic gases into the environment, and this can really affect your health (obviously – they’re toxic!). To avoid this, ensure that all new mattresses you buy are certified against poisonous materials.

Look out for certifications on your mattresses such as CertiPUR-US® or STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®. If it has these certifications, it’s been independently tested and is marked as healthy, safe, and free from nasties.

5. Your mattress has an expiry date

Just like the food in your fridge, your mattress has an expiry date! The general recommended lifespan of a mattress is about 6-7 years. If your mattress is approaching this birthday it may be time to retire it in favour of a new one.

Keeping a mattress that is past its use-by-date can do your body a lot of damage. The springs may have deteriorated creating uneven support, a bumpy feeling, and they may have even started to squeak – annoying! The foam in your mattress may have also started breaking down from years of use.

Also, yes it’s gross but you need to consider: around the 6-7 year mark your mattress will have accumulated a lot of sweat, dead skin, dust, and other everyday bits of grime that a good vacuum or airing cannot get out.

Because the shelf life of a mattress is much longer than the milk in your fridge, when you’re mattress shopping, be sure to consider that this purchase is an investment for the next 6-7 years. When you break down the total price over that span of time, spending a little more can really pay off in the long term!