When should I change my mattress?

Mechanically, a good quality mattress will last for many years if it is well treated. However, current advice is that you should change your mattress at least every 10 years. Cheaper mattresses will need to be replaced more frequently than this. You should also consider changing your mattress if: you are not sleeping as well as you used to; you feel aches and pains in the morning when you wake up; or your mattress is showing obvious signs of wear.

Regular, firm or soft?

Although a few years ago it was thought that the best mattress choice for back care was a very firm mattress, medical opinion has now changed. The important factor is the support that a mattress can offer. The mattresses offering the best support are usually the pocket sprung or foam mattresses; however there are some good quality open coil (bonnel sprung) mattresses and some good patent spring systems e.g. Miracoil ™.

A mattress offering good support will help to keep your body in the best position for healthy sleep. Most importantly, it will ensure that your spine is kept in the optimum position to help to avoid back pain.

Some mattress models are available in soft or firm tensions as well as regular tension.

Some mattresses are labelled as “ortho” or “orthos”. These mattresses are much firmer than the standard mattress.

Mattress sizes

There are five regular mattress sizes: single, double, king and super king. The measurements are as follows:

Single  90cm x 190cm (3’ x 6’3”)
Small Double 120cm x 190cm (4’ x 6’3”)
Double  135cm x 190cm (4’6” x 6’3”)
King  150cm x 200cm (5’ x 6’6”)
Super King 180cm x 200cm (6’ x 6’6”)

Not every supplier makes their standard mattresses in the small double and the super king sizes. Many suppliers will make mattresses to custom sizes and even custom shapes.