Ans. When was the last time you thought about your mattress? Many of us forget that our mattresses are the most utilized piece of furniture we own. In fact, if you sleep eight hours a night, in one year you’ll rack up 3,000 hours on your mattress. After 10 years, you’ll have logged 30,000 hours on the same bed. Listed below are a few hints that indicate it’s time to start thinking about renewing your sleep surface.

1. You bought your current mattress over ten years ago. The average life span of a quality mattress is approximately ten years. Mattresses older than that suffer from deteriorating comfort features and diminished support capabilities.

2. You wake up feeling more tired than when you went to sleep. Most consumers wait too long to replace their mattresses. If you don’t wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated – or if you feel any pain or discomfort – you’ve definitely waited too long.

3. The couch feels more comfortable than your bed.
Concentrate on the feel of your mattress. Do you feel coils or bumps? Your body needs a smooth comfortable sleep surface to get a regenerative night’s sleep. Your mattress should enable you to sleep through the night with minimal tossing and turning.

4. Your mattress looks worn and uneven.
Inspect your mattress regularly for sags and imprints. If your mattress appears uneven or worn and frayed, maybe its time to start shopping. The upholstery layers in all mattresses compress over time. For optimal performance, be sure to rotate your mattress occasionally to extend its durability and renew its comfort. If you “inherited” your mattress from a family member or friend, chances are you need to replace it now.

5. You’ve taken your mattress for granted.
Mattresses are the most used yet most ignored piece of furniture in the house. Pay attention to your mattress. Do you hear creaks and groans? Do you notice the surface sags or indents in certain areas and not in others? The condition of your mattress may come as a surprise, once you take a close look.

Ans. Mattress prices range greatly: from about US$2,000 to over US$20,000 for a Patented technology mattress. A good night’s sleep is one of the best investments you can make, so buy the best mattress you can afford. Keep in mind that most of us spend as much as one-third of our time in bed. Your investment will cost less than a  dollar per night over the next ten years! In fact, a US$20,000 Sealy Posturepedic sleep set costs about US$5.50 per night (based on a 10-year life).

Ans. A good foundation is as important as a good mattress! It acts much like a large shock absorber, taking a lot of the nightly wear and tear. And it contributes to your comfort and support. Don’t put a new mattress on an old foundation. A brand new mattress placed on a worn foundation wears out faster. It cannot give you the support you are paying for. When you select the mattress, purchase the foundation – the two are designed to work best together. Sealy engineers invented “foundation support” in the 1970’s, which set the standard for today’s bedding.

Ans. Mattresses and foundation are designed together to work together. It’s not the mattress alone, but the total Posturepedic Sleep set that was designed in co-operation with leading orthopedic surgeons. Just as fine carpeting feels better and lasts longer when supported by quality underfelt and just as riding comfort depends on the seat cushion and suspension system of your car… So it takes both mattress and foundation to give you the unique back support system you want.

Ans. The Better Sleep Council advises consumers to buy the highest quality bedding they can afford, then replace old bedding every 10 years. After this many years, even the best bedding may no longer provide the comfort and support you deserve.