Is it time for a new mattress? 

Is your mattress 7-10 years old? Matresses break down slowly. So, you may not notice when it crosses the line from a good mattress to a bad one. 

In order to avoid crossing this line, it's a good idea to write down the purchase date with a Sharpie on the mattress tag. 

Waking up stiff? That's not okay. A good mattress leaves your muscles and joints feeling supple and ready for the day. 

A bad mattress makes your body search for comfortable positions more often throughout the night. Thus you spend more time tossing and turning, and less time in a deep, restful sleep.

It's true that you need less sleep as you get older. But you may be getting worse sleep than you could. In fact, bad mattresses have been linked to poor sleep conditions. 

If you've developed the bad habit of laying in bed wide awake due to a lack of comfort, you're bad mattress may have trained your brain to take it's time dozing off. 

Mattresses can be a nice home for dust mites and other allergens - due to the materials that they are made of. 

Over time, these allergens build up. If you wake up with a stuffy nose, watery eyes, or other allergy symptoms - it may be your mattress!

It's great having a nice sofa. But should it feel comfortable compared to your bed? Absolutely not!

If you love laying on your couch - then your mattress isn't comfy enough. Plain and simple.

New toppers and pillows can help compensate for a bad mattress. This is a great short term fix, but a bad long term decision. 

Because in actuality, your treating the symptom and not the cause. A nice mattress can give you better sleep in ways new toppers and pillows cannot.