6 Ways your mattress affects you

One might wonder if different mattresses make any difference at all to the how we end up sleeping on them. And if so, just how different can it get? But have you ever had a full night’s rest and woken up still feeling a touch unrested or lacking energy? Have you ever wondered why despite getting a good number of hours of sleep, you spend the day feeling lethargic? How about when you are on holiday and take a couple of nights to adjust to sleeping in that hotel bed? This is more than just a princess-and-the-pea story and in all likelihood in each of these situations, the quality of sleep was affected by the quality of the mattress you use.

Some tell-tale signs to look out for, when considering a change of mattress to fight exhaustion and sleeplessness:

  • Do you consistently wake up feeling low on energy, sluggish or inactive for many days in a row, despite getting sufficient hours of sleep?
  • Does your sleep improve on different beds, say at hotels or in a different home/bed?
  • Is your mattress over ten years old?
  • Does your mattress have any visible signs of wear and tear such as sags, lumps or broken parts?
  • Do you find you have to restrict yourself to a particular part/space on the mattress in order to fall asleep?

If you answered yes to more than 2 of these questions, it is time to consider a mattress change so you can avoid some of these adverse effects of lack of sleep.

Studieshave found the poor sleep is linked to weight gain, due to a range of factors. Further, sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, are worsened by weight gain, creating a vicious cycle that’s hard to break out of. Experimental studies where sleep was restricted also showed reduced insulin sensitivity and fluctuations in blood sugar, as a result. Good sleep directly impacts blood sugar metabolism and can cause weight gain as well as increase Type 2 Diabetes risk

A study that compared the sleep quality and stress-related symptoms between older beds and newer beds showed a significant reduction in stress levels (worrying, racing thoughts, restlessness and irritability) in cases where newer beds were use. This has an impact on blood pressure causing spikes with heightened stress. Additionally, each REM stage of sleep is known to reduce blood pressure as a means to bring you back to normal levels. Interruptions in these cycles, due to disturbed sleep means the heart rate may sometimes remain elevated for longer, leading to heart disease in the long run.

Old mattresses tend to accumulate a lot of microscopic particles from dust and mites to dead skin, hair, food particles and so much more that is not visible to the eyes. Over time these accumulations can cause allergy attacks, and the only way to address them is to replace the mattress with a new clean one. A hard, old mattress can cause stress, pains at pressure points that touch the mattress for the maximum amount of time, so if your mattress has aged to the point of layers getting fused and hard, it’s time to look at a new one.

The REM stage of sleep is known to be responsible for helping us fix information and solidify it into our subconscious. A lack of sleep hampers this process and can lead to loss of memory or absentmindedness. A study conducted on the sleep patterns of medical interns shows an impact on brain function too – especially cognition, concentration and productivity,

Loss of sleep has been known to negatively impact immunity too, with the study showing that getting less than seven hours of sleep increased the likelihood of developing a cold (once infected with a virus) by three times.

Loss of sleep has been known to negatively impact immunity too, with the study showing that getting less than seven hours of sleep increased the likelihood of developing a cold (once infected with a virus) by three times.

Back to blog