9 Painful Things That Happen To You When You Sleep On An Old Mattress!

Last Updated on January 29, 2020

There is a reason why doctors and sleep experts recommend us to change our mattresses every 7 or 8 years. If you’re also guilty of both having an old mattress and not knowing why you SHOULD replace it, then you might have just come to the right place.

Our beds and mattresses are technically our life partners. In other words, we spend a total of 229,961 hours sleeping, representing 33% of our lifetime.

This shows just how important it is to sleep in a healthy sleep position and have a healthy mattress. Otherwise, you could face some really annoying issues that may turn into serious health problems in the long run.

And the disadvantages of sleeping on an old mattress do not only involve back pain or neck problems, but there is much more to discover.

Read on to find out about the 9 painful health problems that you could experience if you don’t get a new mattress as soon as possible.

1. Your asthma could get worse

To be fair, whether you already suffer from asthma or not, mold that has grown on an old mattress will impact your breathing anyway to an extent. It is just that breathing problems could get even worse if you already suffer from them.

Mold grows in damp and unventilated areas, including walls, roofs, windowsills, and beds.

The accumulated sweat, dust, and dead skin cells on your mattress can result in mold over the years and, according to health experts, you could be very sensitive or allergic to different kinds of mold that may cause you allergic reactions such as sneezing, skin rash, red eyes, runny nose, and shortness of breath.

Nighttime asthma is also a huge possibility when you sleep on an old, moldy mattress. So, don’t wait until you actually experience these symptoms. Replace your mattress ASAP!

2. You could experience more stress

Studies have shown that the levels of stress experienced by people who sleep in old beds are higher compared to the ones who have newer beds.

Stress and sleep are closely related and poor quality of sleep, or lack thereof can greatly contribute to stress or make it even worse. In the same way, sleeping on the wrong mattress or an old one can affect your sleep quality and contribute to stress.

A good night’s sleep is crucial to your overall health and 90% of your sleep quality depends on your mattress, so don’t sleep on an old mattress when there are plenty of high-quality mattresses to choose from.

3. You could develop dust mite allergy

An old mattress can cause you to develop an allergy to dust mite. How so, though? It is due to the dead skin cells coming off our skin and accumulating on our mattress over time which can be appealing to dust mites.

These mites can trigger an allergic reaction and pose potential hazards for people who suffer from skin conditions like eczema.

So if you don’t replace your mattress, you’re basically risking your health.

4. You could suffer from neck and back pain

An old mattress that has lost its firmness and quality equals neck and back problems. It’s as simple as that!

As the mattress gets older, it loses its firmness and becomes unsupportive for your body during sleep. The lack of support from the mattress can stress your ligaments, joints, and spine, and lead to lower back pain and neck pain.

Since you sleep for hours at night, old mattresses also affect your posture and may even lead to spine misalignment and chronic pain.

5. You could end up with memory problems

Yes, you read that right. An old mattress can affect your memory. Here is how:

Studies show that the REM stage of sleep helps retain information. When you don’t sleep comfortably at night because of your old, unsupportive mattress, expect to have problems retaining the information you’ve learned recently or long ago, as well as foggy memories.

It may seem far-fetched, but memory problems could happen to anyone who owns a poor quality mattress and sleeps poorly.

6. It could lead to heart disease

Heart disease is one example of serious health conditions that could be caused by poor quality of sleep due to an old and uncomfortable mattress.

Poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness can lead to insomnia, and then not only to heart disease but also to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and depression.

It is worth investing your money in a comfortable mattress than ruining your health and shortening your life.

7. You could experience premature aging

Another health effect of sleeping on an old, bad mattress is premature aging.

In the long run, sleeping on an old mattress can cause you skin problems and even result in premature wrinkles due to poor sleep quality. If you’re starting to notice dark circles under your eyes, it might also be time to change your old mattress.

Studies have proved that people who sleep well at night are less likely to develop skin problems or age prematurely, so be sure to follow our advice!

8. You could experience reduced libido

You probably never expected that your old mattress can actually affect men and women’s libido, but now you know.

If you don’t sleep well at night, it could massively affect your levels of testosterone and therefore your libido. You may also experience a reduced sperm count.

Why risk your private life just because you don’t want to invest in a new mattress?

9. You could have a weak immune system

Again, low quality of sleep because of an old mattress can affect your health and lead to different health conditions and weaken your immune system.

You become more vulnerable to ailments including cold, the flu, and many more, all because you don’t get the support you need from a mattress as well as the sleep you deserve.

Something that might seem so simple, such as sleeping on an old mattress, may actually be a big problem that could cost you your health. Invest in a mattress now!