How to Know When a Mattress Isn’t Right For You

Buying a mattress isn’t always plain sailing. Even after following guides and professional advice on technologies, you can struggle to sleep on a new mattress, which is incredibly frustrating after looking forward to it.

The first thing to know is that all mattresses have a breaking-in period, where the materials in the mattress soften. It takes at least three to four weeks of regular sleeping for a mattress to break in, and most annoyances are during this period.

However, the cause of your problems might be more profound than this. Here’s how to know when a mattress isn’t for you:

You toss and turn constantly

If you are tossing and turning, it’s evident that you can’t get comfortable in bed, although your mattress might not be the cause.

Fussy bedding, being too hot or cold, and anxiety/stress can make you toss and turn, so it’s worth exploring before blaming your mattress.

Should it turn out that your mattress is making you toss and turn, send it back (if you have a trial) and replace it with something different.

Another option is a thick mattress topper that is softer/firmer than your mattress – this will change how your mattress feels.

It crumples at the edge.

Edge sleepers need a mattress with edge-to-edge support. Otherwise, the edge can crumple under your weight and make you feel like you are falling off!

Unfortunately, you can’t improve edge support, but you can sleep towards the middle of the bed. Otherwise, buy a mattress with edge support built in - our article covers the best mattresses for edge support.

You feel every movement.

If you feel your partner's every movement, you will do better with a mattress that isolates movement with zoned pocket springs.

The Sleepeezee G2 and Shire Beds Pennine Pillowtop are excellent options if motion transfer bothers you.

You have pain when lying on it

A mattress that is too firm can cause discomfort when your body presses into it. This is most common with side sleepers, where the small contact area (the side of the body) pushes into the mattress.

A soft mattress topper could alleviate your symptoms, and side sleepers could try putting a thin, soft pillow under their hips. Should you need a new mattress, follow these firmness + body weight recommendations:

• Medium soft: Side sleepers under 130lbs
• Medium: Back and side sleepers between 130lbs and 230lbs
• Medium-firm: Back sleepers between 130 and 230lbs, side sleepers over 230lbs
• Firm: Side sleepers over 230lbs and back and stomach sleepers over 130lbs.

You wake up with aches and pains.

Waking up with aches and pains is a sign that your mattress is too firm or soft, but it can also be due to inflammation from strenuous activities.

If you wake up regularly with aches and pains that you can’t put down to daily activities, then your mattress could be to blame.

The solution is the same as the one we provided: replace your mattress with a softer or firmer for your body weight.

It triggers allergies

If you are prone to allergies, a hypoallergenic or anti-allergy mattress is the best option to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Many older mattresses are not hypoallergenic, allowing skin cells, dander, and bacteria to penetrate the layers and build up.

Replace your mattress ASAP if it triggers your allergies, or throw on a waterproof mattress topper as a stop-gap if saving up.

It has a chemical smell that gives you a headache.

While allergies are associated with old mattresses, many newer mattresses have chemicals left over from manufacturing that can give you headaches.  

If your mattress has a chemical smell, this could keep you awake, give you a headache, and trigger sneezing fits if you are sensitive to chemicals.

The best way around this is to buy a natural mattress like the Sleepeezee Wool Supreme, Giltedge Eco Lux, or Millbrook Beds Lavish 1400