You knew it was going to happen eventually. All those long nights (and even all those short ones) together had to come to an end at some point. But the trouble with endings is always telling when the time is right.

When has the spring finally gone out? When are you sick of all the lumps and sagging? Have things just gone too soft?

Is it time to replace your mattress? We’ve talked before about how to know when it’s time to break up with your mattress, but it’s such an important topic, it bears repeating.

Even with the best mattresses, there comes a time to replace them. While common wisdom says you need to replace your mattress every 10 years or so due to wear and tear, there may be signs your mattress and you need to part ways even earlier.

1. Waking up isn’t just tough, it’s downright painful.
   If you’re waking up to new pains in your neck, shoulders, back, and lower back, your mattress may not be supporting you right through the night. Mattresses are one of the most used items in your home. Over time and use, mattresses lose their ability to support your body properly. Body pain may also be a sign that you sleeping on the wrong firmness level for your body.
2. One lump or two?
   Do adjectives like lumpy or saggy describe the state of your mattress? You may want to start looking for a replacement. Body impressions can occur over time as your body breaks in your mattress. If you feel body pain, inspect your mattress for lumps and impressions. If the impressions are more than 1.5 inches deep, you may want to start looking for a replacement.
3. More sneezes than snoozes.
   Over time beds attract household allergens, and unless you’ve upgraded to a bed with comfort response latex or you’ve purchased a great mattress protector, your bed may be clinging on to more and more of them.
4. Maybe chocolate on your pillow?
   Sleeping away from home can be tough, especially in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar sounds. So if you find that you get a better night’s sleep away from your own mattress, it may be time to consider why.
5. Age before beauty sleep.
   The older you get, the firmer your mattress may need to be to combat back pain. On top of that, the best mattress for you may change every 7 to 8 years after the age of 40. Of course, how firm can depend on whether you sleep on your back or on your side. Click here to read more about comfort levels.

The good news is, technology is changing. New mattresses on the market, like the Simmons Beautyrest Black Hybrid, offer amazing comfort and durability.

When you make the decision to bounce your old bed in favor of a fresh, clean, comfortable new one, you’ll be back in dreamland in no time. Of course, once you have your new mattress, you’ll want to take some steps to extend its life. Here are a few ways to keep your mattress looking good (and feeling good) longer.

1. For every season turn, turn, turn.
   Rotate your mattress every 2 months. Even if your mattress is the “no-flip” variety (otherwise called “single-sided”), you should rotate it regularly, especially in the first six months of ownership. That means turning it 180 degrees. If it’s a double-sided mattress, you should also flip it when you do the turn.
2. No more monkeys jumping on the bed.
   Try to avoid jumping on the bed (or letting your kids do it). It may sound silly, but this causes more stress to the mattress and may lead to visiting us sooner than you’d like.
3. Proper support.
   Just like your mattress supports you, your bed frame supports your mattress. By making sure that there’s good support on the center of your mattress, you’ll be making sure it provides good support to you for years to come.
4. Spills or accidents.
   Should you spill something on your mattress or your child or pet has an accident, read our post on how to clean your child’s mattress (this post explains how to clean your “child’s” mattress but, you can use these cleaning instructions on most mattress stains).