Have you ever considered how much use your mattress gets over its lifetime?
To do a bit of maths, on average, a person sleeps 7-9 hours per night; that is a third of your day. So, on 7 hours sleep per night, that is 49 hours a week, 2,548 hours a year. That is a lot of use for our mattress.
After spending some time on the internet, the guidelines state that people should change their mattress on average every eight years. So, over that timeframe, your mattress gets over 20,000 hours of use. No wonder people suffer from poor sleep if their mattress is past its sell-by date.
At this point, ours far exceeded this, and while we have travelled the world and now spend more time in our motorhome than we do anywhere else, we really did need a new mattress.
Image provided by Unsplash
How to tell if your mattress has reached the end of its life
There are several different ways to know if it has reached its end. Although most people will say that, there were many telltale signs in the end.
#1 Visible Signs of Wear
While this is probably the most obvious one, it is also the one people tend to ignore. They cover the mattress in a sheet and duvet cover, trying to forget what it looks like. If your mattress is ripped, stained, full of holes, or sagging, if the springs are coming through, or if it is lumpy, chances are you need a new one. Likewise, if you share a bed and you can feel your partner moving, it’s a sure sign that the structure of your mattress is deteriorating.
#2 Struggle with Sleep
Everyone knows that the amount of sleep you get each night is important. We also all know we need 7 hours to function properly. Less than 7 hours a night can lead to health issues like obesity and weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and depression.
However, it is not just the amount of sleep we need but also the quality of sleep. If you are only sleeping lightly, chances are you are still waking up tired each morning.
Experts believe that to have restorative sleep, we need to sleep deeply. This allows our bodies to recover fully, boosts our immune systems, and strengthens brain function. Plus, it gives us time for our metabolism and hormonal balance to improve.
Therefore, if you are uncomfortable, you will find it harder not only to go to sleep but also to have a good night’s sleep that will bolster your health.
Another thing to note is if, when you travel, you are having a better night’s sleep away from home, this could also be a sign that your mattress is past its best. This is something we noticed, and whenever we stayed in a hotel, we slept so well that we felt even more drained after a night at home. It made us grumpy, and both of us struggled with brain fog.
Lastly, if your partner or you snore a great deal more, this indicates that your mattress is not supporting your body correctly. I don’t know about you, but as a light sleeper, the last thing I need is someone snoring loudly for longer than usual.
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#3 You wake up in pain
A bed should be comfortable, but if you wake up each more with aches and pains, specifically with your hips, back, shoulders, or neck, it could mean your mattress is no longer benefitting you. As your mattress breaks down over time, the support it would have once offered also becomes slack, leading to muscle stiffness.
#4 Increase in allergies
This is not a point any of us particularly want to dwell on, but we do need to be mindful that older mattresses may not be the most hygienic. Over time, our bedding is prone to dust mites if not cleaned correctly, and while we can pop duvets and sheets in the wash, this is not the case for our mattresses.
If you find yourself sneezing more, suffering from a runny nose or itchy eyes, or developing a cough, you may have formed an allergy related to dust and dust mites. Likewise, older furnishing may suffer from mould and a build-up of bacteria, making you feel unwell.
Unfortunately, during a stint working away in Scotland, we did experience a mouldy mattress. Eventually, our health suffered so much that we left simply because we were always unwell and could not function properly.
#5 Overheating at night
Night sweats are unusually associated with females of a certain age. Still, anyone can experience them, and if you wake up sweating, it may mean your body is struggling to regulate itself. Bupa highlights that the ideal temperature for sleeping is between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius, so if the room temperature does not exceed this it may mean your mattress is beginning to break down.
#6 It’s over eight years old
This is just a suggested timescale and can vary depending on what it is made of and how well it is cared for. Strangely, a waterbed has a longer shelf life of around 15 years, a foam mattress can last between 10 -15 years, and a memory foam one lasts around eight years, the same time as a sprung mattress. However, this depends on how well they are looked after. For example, if you use a mattress protector and turn it frequently if the manufacturer recommends doing so, this will extend the lifespan of your bedding. Likewise, heavier individuals may find their mattress structure disintegrating quicker, and those who allow pets to share their bed may also find that they need to swap more frequently.
Therefore, it may be time to start looking for a new bed if you notice any of these issues.
Enjoy a good night’s sleep with Simba
Why did we choose Simba?
We have been looking for a new mattress for nearly two years. That is two years of poor sleep because we were unhappy with everything we saw.
We were dubious about purchasing such a large, costly item online. We spent months trawling the shops at weekends trying to find something suitable whilst dodging the salespeople, but we were not satisfied with anything. Throughout this time, we kept seeing the TV ads for Simba but didn’t know if it would suit us. However, on reflection I wish we had purchased one years ago.
Why consider a Simba mattress?
Simba claims to be an industry-leading brand in the UK, and the Simba website states that they have won more than 60 industry awards and have over 300,000 reviews, more than any other brand around the world. With figures like this, surely they are a mattress brand to consider. On top of this, they are clearly quite confident that new customers will also feel the same as they offer a 200-night free trial, and each mattress comes with a 10-year guarantee.
For many people, this alone would be enough to place an order. However, in recent years, we also look at how sustainable a company is. Therefore, when we saw that Simba’s business strategy focused on three things – health, planet, and people – we realised they were also concerned about the environment.
Simba was the first UK sleep brand to be accredited as a Certified B Corporation, a global certificate awarding environmental and social sustainability as well as public transparency. For us, this was key to our buying experience.
If you look at their website, Simba clearly states that:
“All Simba mattresses are made in the UK in zero waste factories from 100% recyclable materials, reducing air miles in the process. Our foam is CertiPUR® verified and free from dyes and heavy metals. Nothing is sent to landfill and all waste is recycled or repurposed into other products – like dog beds and carpet underlay!
Our packaging is up to 60% recycled and from approved FSC sources, plus all our deliveries are 100% carbon neutral. We use sustainable materials and processes across our range, including BCI cotton and siliconised fibres from plastic bottles.”
Therefore, not only are their mattresses regarded as some of the best on the market, but they are producing them with minimal impact on the planet – a win/win, in my opinion, and it was ultimately these two factors that led us to try a Simba hybrid mattress.
Our review of the Simba mattress
As I mentioned, our last mattress was well past its sell-by date. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, and the quality of our sleep suffered. Therefore, when we were asked if we would like to try the Simba hybrid double mattresses for ourselves, we were intrigued to see whether it did live up to the hype.
The first thing to note is how simple the website is to navigate. So as not to confuse potential customers, Simba dives straight in with their range of mattresses. They provide a clear comparison chart, meaning the decision-making process is extremely simple.
Once purchased, you swiftly receive a confirmation email along with a date when your mattress will be delivered, and it does include next-day delivery options.
On delivery, I was shocked at how small the box was and began to wonder whether the correct size had been delivered; however, after opening the parcel and removing the wrapping, we watched as the mattress expanded in front of us. It says on the website that it is recommended to allow 3-6 hours for the mattress to develop fully and that it may take 72 hours to settle fully.
Once on the bedframe, we instantly noted how dense the mattress had become and how much support it provided without the nasty feeling of springs underneath. The support element was important to us as we have both suffered from bad backs in the past and needed something that would provide us with a comfortable sleeping position.
After that first night, we knew we had been stupid to leave it for so long. We should have changed our mattress years ago.
We are now nearly a month in, and honestly, we are having a rejuvenating rest each night. As I settle into bed, I can feel the mattress moulding to me. I no longer have the springs digging into my side, but I do have the support I need. The bad backs have gone, the snoring has stopped, and we are both getting 7 – 8 hours each night. The bed is so comfortable that we are reluctant to get up each morning.
The fact is, we haven’t slept this well in years.
Hence, we would happily recommend Simba to anyone. The luxury of a great night’s sleep should not be forfeited, and while we had been looking at cheaper mattresses (and far more expensive ones), the cost of a Simba hybrid mattress is worth every penny. The fact that they are also a conscientious company added to the satisfaction each evening of falling asleep on a bed worthy of any high-end hotel.
Have you changed your mattress recently? Perhaps you have tried a Simba mattress and if so, we would love to here more about your experience.
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