Common Mattress Myths
When you start shopping for your dream mattress, you might find yourself contending with a whole bunch of preconceived ideas about the process, the quality, and the reliability of your potential purchase. This can add a lot of stress to your shopping experience. Thankfully, your SleePare experts are here to debunk any myths you might be harboring, so you can go into your shopping experience with ultimate peace of mind.
Myth #1: A Firm Mattress Provides the Best Support
The truth is, the firmness of your mattress is not the only factor in how well your body is supported throughout the night. Other key factors include how well the materials conform to your body as well as how well the mattress cover and core wicks away body heat and moisture. In general, medium-firm mattresses offer the best support for the greatest number of people.
This type of mattress, whether it's a memory foam mattress, hybrid mattress, or a box spring, will offer the best comfort in addition to providing better pressure relief on achy muscles and joints while you sleep. Soft mattresses conform to your body better than firm ones, but do not usually provide adequate pressure relief. Alternatively, firm mattresses do not conform enough to your body impressions to truly provide support.
Myth #2: The Right Mattress Will Feel Perfect Right Away
You've spent all that time picking out the perfect mattress based on your weight, sleep preferences, and budget. It's easy to think that such a carefully thought out purchase would be ready to use right away—but that's actually not true. Since you've gotten used to sleeping on your old mattress, your body is going to need time to adjust to your new one.
The mattress itself may also need to adjust slightly to your size and shape, depending on the materials. Depending on your body size, favorite sleeping position, and nighttime body temperature, it may take up to a month for you to adjust to your new mattress purchase—even if it's from one of the top-level mattress retailers.
Myth #3: You Should Flip Your Mattress Every Few Months
While this was a common bit of advice for traditional models, modern mattresses don't need to be flipped at all. Depending on their construction, they may not be able to. To reduce lasting body impressions in your new mattress most mattress companies recommend that you rotate at the following intervals:
- Months 1-3 – Rotate every two months.
- Months 4-6 – Rotate monthly.
- Months 7+ – Rotate 4x per year.
By rotating your mattress regularly, you'll allow the materials to conform evenly to the shape of your body. You'll also prevent excessive dipping or impressions in your mattress due to repeated pressure inn the same position. However, it is important to note that most standard mattresses will depress up to 1 ½ inches as part of the normal adjustment process.
Myth #4: You'll Need to Replace Your Mattress Every 8 Years
This is a common misconception, but it's only partially true. Actually, the life of your mattress depends on a variety of factors, including:
- The mattress manufacturers or brand
- Your body size
- How you sleep
- How well you care for the mattress
- How often you rotate the mattress
In general, you can tell it's time for a new mattress depending on how you feel when you wake up. If you start experiencing more unexplained soreness or stiffness. A nice rule of thumb is to replace your mattress every 7-10 years—but it's not a set number.
Myth #5: You Don't Need a Mattress Protector
Out of all the myths we looked through, this claim is probably the most detrimental to your purchase. You absolutely do need a mattress protector. In addition to protecting your mattress from marks, stains, and temperature changes, mattress covers also help protect you from allergy inducing dust in between cleanings. Plus, most companies in the mattress industry will refuse to accept a warranty claim on a dirty mattress. This is mainly for employee safety reasons, so workers are not continuously exposed to dirt, allergens, and other residue from the homes that they collect from.
Myth #6: Mattresses Double in Weight Every 10 Years
This rather outlandish claim states that mattresses double in weight every decade or so due to the accumulation of dust, debris, and dust mite droppings. Gross, huh? Well, don't panic just yet. In reality, no evidence of any kind has been found to support this assumption.
Mattresses have not been found to double in weight over any period of time and they should not accumulate excessive dust or debris so long as they are cleaned regularly. Our experts recommend dry vacuuming your mattress monthly and changing/washing your sheets weekly.
Myth #7: Memory Foam Mattresses Aren't Good for Hot Sleepers
This is another pretty common one, and it comes from the assumption that memory foam mattresses are too dense to offer any reliable kind of breathability. In fact, only 10% of memory foam mattress owners actually complain about the level of temperature control.
However, it is important to note that traditional spring and hybrid mattresses leave reviews about poor temperature control about 5% of the time—so that is lower than memory foam. However, the industry is getting better. Gel memory foam mattresses have poor temperature reviews of as little as 5%. Plant-based memory foams are even lower at around 2-8%.
Myth #8: Memory Foam Mattresses Stink
This is a common misconception about memory foam mattresses, since many of them tend to give off a slight odor when they are first removed from their packaging, However, generally only about 15% of all memory foam mattress owners complain about the odor. In addition, only 2% of these owners actually consider the odor to be severe enough to return their bed.
We recommend that you follow the manufacturer instructions for airing out your new mattress. This will help you feel more confident that none of the minor smells you notice after your purchase will be a detriment to your health or well being.
Myth #9: Longer Mattress Warranties Are Better
Contrary to popular belief, mattress warranties are not so much related to the quality of the product or its life expectation. Instead, they are more about the longevity of specific materials. In general a warranty specifies a grace period of time where a company will reimburse you for worn or broken parts due to regular wear and tear.
Many products, especially high-quality mattresses, can survive far past their warranty date. If you're unsure about the brand (such as if you've never tried it before), it can't hurt to opt for a longer warranty. However, it's not a prerequisite to a superior quality, long-lasting product.
Myth #10: Mattresses Are Overpriced
While this might be true for certain retailers, it's not true for all of them—especially not SleePare stores.There are a few different reasons that mattresses are priced the way that they are. The factors for determining the final rate a customer will pay includes:
- Materials used
- Unique design features
- The amount of time a mattress is expected to last
- How heavy the mattress is
All of these things come together to determine what sort of compensation each person in the pipeline will get, from the manufacturers to the person who sold you your mattress. Those people tend to work very hard to get you a high quality product. Don't they deserve to get paid for it?
How do you identify a mattress myth?
We get it: sometimes myths are hard to spot—especially if they are widespread. Your best bet for not falling into the mattress myth trap is to educate yourself. Keep an eye out for any claims that go to extremes or feel outlandish. Most things are not all bad or all good. Instead, they're more about what is good and bad for you as an individual.
Summary
Take another look at those myths we mentioned: some of those can be quite distressing. They can make you worry about the integrity of your purchase as well as the health of you and your family. They can make decisions about what to buy and how to care for your home extra stressful. They can also cause you to make poor choices when it comes to the type of mattress you choose. If you're ever in doubt again, just turn to the SleePare experts. We'll be able to ease your mind and get you a good night's sleep.
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Meet The Author:
Shanir Kol
Shanir Kol, founder and CEO of SleePare, pioneered the “Try and Buy” model in eCommerce, enhancing mattress shopping by combining in-store trials with online purchases. Launching in 1999, his company focuses on customer satisfaction and eco-friendly practices, aiming to minimize mattress waste and expand sustainably.