Still on the fence about buying a new, high-quality mattress? You’re not alone. This is a decision many people struggle with. Throughout this guide, we want to help you make the best decision for you, outlining some of the long-term benefits of a new mattress that you may not have thought of. Once you have all the necessary information, you can make a smart choice for your health and well-being.
Investing in quality: yes or no?
Buying a mattress can be a significant investment, in terms of both time and money. There can be a lot of research that goes into finding ‘the one’. You might also need to carry out some budgeting tasks to ensure you’re making a decision that’s affordable, cost-effective and realistic for you.
So… at the end of the day, is it all really worth it?
Of course, that's something only you can decide. However, when weighing up the pros and cons and looking at the cost-benefit analysis, many people consider the short-term advantages only. What they don't always realise is that a great mattress doesn’t just satisfy today. It can be a ‘gift that keeps on giving’, continuing to bring benefits well into the future.
Short-term benefits of a quality mattress
When you think about what it’ll be like to get a new, high-quality mattress, you’re probably focused on the short-term benefits. And it’s easy to see why. Not only are there tons of them, but this is also exactly what you want out of a new mattress: instant gratification. You want to reap the benefits straight away, and have confirmation and complete peace of mind you’ve made the right choice.
Short-term benefits of a high-quality mattress may include:
- Greater comfort when lying down
- Falling asleep faster and more easily
- Enjoying a better night’s rest, staying asleep for longer
- Feeling more refreshed when you wake up
- Fewer aches and pains in the morning
These are all benefits you can see after your very first sleep on your new mattress. But how about after a week? Or two? Or one month? Or even a year? The truth is that great mattresses aren’t just a flash in the pan. The longer you use them, the more benefits you might begin to experience.
Long-term benefits of a quality mattress
So just what are some of the long-term benefits you might experience when sleeping on a high-quality mattress, night after night? Let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest advantages…
- Better physical health
Minor aches and pains that appear when you first get out of bed and gradually disappear throughout the day are common. They’re often due to sleeping in a bad position, or not having adequate support for the body overnight. In many cases, this is something that can be resolved quickly with a more supportive mattress. However, there are some forms of pain that don’t disappear quite as easily.
In some cases, pain in the lower back, hips, neck and shoulders could be caused by spine misalignment. It’s much more common than you might think, and can put additional strain on the body’s musculoskeletal system, contributing to ongoing pain in the muscles, joints and tendons. It can happen over time when the spine is kept for long periods (e.g. overnight) in poor positions.
Just as spine misalignment comes on gradually, it takes time to heal, too. One night on a new, high-quality mattress won’t fix the issue. But consistently sleeping in a bed that properly supports the body and keeps the spine in the optimal position may help to alleviate symptoms in the long term.
- Improved mental health
Mental health isn't something that can change significantly overnight. While we may experience very different and diverse feelings on a day-to-day basis, overall mental health runs deeper. It takes time to develop a stronger, more robust emotional foundation. And a great mattress could really help.
Sleep and mental health are very closely related. In fact, according to the Mind charity, poor-quality sleep or a lack of sleep can contribute towards a number of mental health concerns. It can make you feel anxious or depressed, increase the risk of psychosis or paranoia, or contribute to feeling lonely and isolated. Bad sleep can cause new mental health problems – or exacerbate existing ones.
Forming better long-term sleep habits – with the help of a quality mattress – can help to keep your mind healthier. And habit-building is something that we’re exploring in more detail below…
- Stronger sleep habits
You may have heard that the average adult needs around 8 hours of sleep every night. Now, while that's often disputed, the fact remains that we all need to be sleeping long enough – and consistently enough – to allow our bodies to thrive. We must give our bodies the time they need to grow, develop, repair and recover while we sleep. And that doesn’t come from a one-off good night’s rest.
Instead, it comes from good long-term sleep habits that are built and maintained over time. Although it’s often said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, some researchers are suggesting it takes much longer. And one study even says it takes 10 weeks to really settle into new behaviours.
So don’t expect to overhaul your sleeping habits after just a few days on a new mattress. Give it time. After about 3 months of consistently sleeping on a high-quality mattress that supports your body, you should start to notice you’re getting into a better sleep routine that keeps you happy and healthy.
- Cost savings
They always say, ‘Buy well, buy once’. Of course, that doesn’t really work for mattresses. You can’t ever just ‘buy once’ and have that mattress for your entire life. But what you can do is buy less often. And you may well find that doing so can bring some pretty significant cost savings over time.
Imagine buying a cheap mattress for £80. What a bargain, right? The problem is quality. If it’s a low-quality mattress, you could end up having to replace it year after year. After 8 years, you will have spent £640 on new mattresses! Now imagine investing a little more upfront into a higher-quality mattress costing between £200 – £300. With high-quality mattresses designed to last for around 8 years, a £200 mattress could mean you’ve saved £440 in that time frame by buying once.
While it’s recommended to replace a mattress every 8 years, you might even be able to get away with it for longer if you know the best ways to care for a mattress and how to clean a mattress.
Is it worth an investment?
When trying to decide if investing your time and money into a new mattress is right for you, don't just think about what a new mattress could do for you today. Look into the future, and consider what it could do for you tomorrow, too. You might just find that it makes your decision much easier.
And if you do decide to go ahead and invest in a new, high-quality mattress, remember that we've got a fantastic mattress collection for you to browse. You can also contact us with any questions.