How To Break In A New Mattress? Everything You Need To Know Update 12/2024

You finally got rid of your old mattress and replaced it with a new, clean one. For the first time in months, you’ll finally be able to get a good night’s sleep.

As you lay in bed, hoping to go off to sleep, you may begin to notice that the minutes are passing you by without you actually drifting off to dreamland.

You toss and turn in an effort to find a position that is both comfortable and restful. Was there a blunder? Is your brand-new mattress a flop?

You may only have to learn how to get into a new bed if that’s all it takes. In the same way that new shoes take time to break in, so does a new bed. In this post, we’ll show you how to handle the situation when you’ve made the mistake of purchasing a model that doesn’t meet your needs.

Why Do You Need to Break in Your Mattress?

You don’t have to break in your shoes before wearing them. Mattresses, trousers, baseball gloves, and even car engines all need to be broken in before they can be used. If you think about it this way, your old mattress is familiar to you. You recognize the droopy indents, the worn-out springs, and the frayed fabrics. It will take some time to become used to lying on a new, hard surface. Because of this, it’s possible that your body has become accustomed to the discomfort of being out of alignment. There may be a period of time when the mattress is particularly firm. As with any new bed, the first few nights or weeks can be a little strange. A month or more of effort may be the norm for some, while the first night of ecstasy may just last a few hours for others.
How and When to Break in a New Mattress - No more discomfortTo speed up the process of acclimating to your new bed, use the following steps.

Which Mattress Type Is the Quickest to Break-In?

If you’re looking for a mattress that doesn’t seem too firm when you first get it, you may want to look elsewhere. Some mattresses, on the other hand, are more adaptable and can conform to your body shape more quickly. Let’s have a look at what each variety has to offer.

  • Mattresses with coil springs are available. In a typical innerspring mattress, the coils are either solid or individually wrapped and the comfort layer is either soft foam or fiber padding. As a result, innerspring mattresses tend to break in and wear out faster than other mattress kinds.
  • Mattresses made of memory foam. Memory foam mattresses have a traditional “hug” because of layers of varying densities of foam piled on top of each other. Mattresses with more layers and firmer foam tend to be more rigid at first, and it takes longer for them to soften. Firm foam beds, on the other hand, are easy to break in due to foam’s sensitivity to temperature.
  • Beds made of latex. Memory foam lacks the elasticity and breathability of natural latex. As a result, it’s possible that latex beds require less time to break-in than foam ones. But the most important thing to remember is that the sensation of a broken-in latex mattress will be very similar to that of a new one. All of this does not apply to synthetic latex, but it is important to remember that.
  • Mattresses with a hybrid design. Hybrid mattresses have a wide range of break-in periods, depending on the composition of the mattress. Coil mattresses break in more quickly than ones composed of foam and latex. Depending on the mattress’s coil gauge and foam density, the break-in period may be longer or shorter. There’s no way to establish a general time frame for all hybrid mattresses.

Breaking in a New Mattress – Tips & Tricks

Let Your Mattress Breathe

There is a good likelihood that if you purchased your bed online, it was compressed or wrapped in a shipping box. If nothing else, it’s at least been encased in plastic. For a few days, the materials may emit an off-gassing odor. For further reasons, if your mattress was compressed for delivery, it may take a while for it to return to its full size. It can take anywhere from four to 10 hours, depending on the type you purchased, to expand to its maximum size. As well as making you feel uncomfortable, it can also impede the mattress’s capacity to expand properly. Let your mattress breathe for the first 24 hours without any sheets or body weight on it.

Put on the Pressure

If you want to make your bed more comfortable, walk on it. On latex and memory foam surfaces, this method works nicely. Crawl on your hands and knees instead if your mattress is an innerspring or hybrid. To put it another way, if your weight is concentrated too much on the springs, they can buckle or degrade more quickly. Instead of walking on your bed, try stacking it with books if you’re uncomfortable doing so.

Be Patient

Don’t let yourself become disheartened if you don’t immediately fall in love with your new bed. It’s possible that the first time you wore your favorite shoes, they gave you a blister. Getting comfortable on a new mattress can take up to sixty days. Because of the endurance of the materials, the greater the quality, the longer it may take, so keep that in mind as well.

Warm it Up

If you have memory foam, you should know that when it warms up, the material softens and becomes more pliable. If you’re in a hurry to get a new mattress up and running, you may want to raise the temperature in your bedroom by a few degrees. It’s supposed to soften your mattress. High temperatures can disturb your sleep, so this is a bit of a trade-off recommendation.. In order to get the best results, you should be in a chilly room and have already planned to warm it up.

Sleep on It Consistently

When you’re feeling down, it’s easy to consider sleeping on the couch or in the guest room as an alternative to continuing the project. Keep in mind that regular use of your mattress might speed up the process of breaking in. As a result, you’ll be able to enjoy your item even more quickly.
Breaking in a new mattress | Novosbed

Put It in the Right Foundation

Check to see if the two sections are compatible before placing your new bed on the old one, and that the base isn’t cracked, sagging, or worn out. Even if you don’t always require a new foundation, you may need one if you’ve changed the type of bed on which you presently rest.

Follow Your Gut

If you know in your heart that this bed is not for you, then don’t put up with it. However, it may be worthwhile to give it a chance before making a snap decision.

Give It the Full Time

In order to conduct a return or exchange, most companies need their consumers to sleep on the product for a predetermined number of nights. Many people take a while to get used to a new mattress, and these brands are aware of this. People tend to either love or loathe a product in that amount of time that is specified by companies. Why not give it a shot if they say to sleep on it for thirty nights before asking for a refund? Consider seeking for a company that doesn’t demand four or more weeks of sleepless nights or contacting the brand to express your problem.

How Long Does It Take to Break-In?

Innerspring

Innerspring mattresses are normally comfortable within a short period of time. There isn’t a lot of firmness or thickness to the pillow top layer above the springs, which are naturally built to adjust to your weight. Your first night of sleep may be restful, but it could take up to four weeks for that to happen. It is important to keep in mind that the springs of these beds can decay faster than high-density memory foam. As a result, it’s important to remember to turn your mattress over every three to six months.

Latex

When it comes to the time spans between latex refills, there is some difference. Whether the latex is natural or synthetic, and whether the product is made entirely of latex or a hybrid, are all factors to consider. As a rule, these beds are easier to break in because of the higher volume of air they contain. It could take anything from two to fourteen days for your new latex mattress to get familiar to you.

Memory Foam

This type of memory foam can seem like a cloud at first, but a few months later, it can feel as though you’re sinking into a hole. Although they may take a while to adapt, high-density models are expected to survive far longer than their lower density counterparts. Memory foam beds take longer to break in if the density is high. Up to sixty days may be required to complete the procedure.

What if It Never Breaks In?

Wait

Never rule out a possibility, as the adage goes. When the mattress is broken in, it should feel more comfortable, but that doesn’t guarantee it’s actually comfy. The manufacturer’s recommended time is a decent rule of thumb to follow. In the event that your new mattress does not meet your needs, you may wish to return or exchange it.

Exchange

Most companies have more than one model available. Check to see if you can get anything softer or stiffer in return for what you now have. Instead of losing you as a customer, though, they’d rather spend the money to give you with a new bed.

Return

Returning your bed may be necessary if the manufacturer or reseller doesn’t have a suitable replacement model for you. To begin the return process, you must have a copy of your receipt on hand. Avoid damaging or staining the product throughout the trial time. If you’ve misused the product, the company may reject your claim, even if they’d rather donate it than resell it.

When Should You Give Up?

Your mattress may still be excessively firm even after you’ve tried every trick in the book. Choosing the improper mattress type or the inappropriate firmness level may be to blame. And that’s when you may want to consider returning it (or exchanging).

Nowadays, nearly all manufacturers provide a free 100-night sleep trial. In addition, a break-in period is usually always required (30 days in most cases). You can return your mattress if it still doesn’t feel right after 30 days. After a few weeks, don’t rush to seek for a refund.

FAQ

Do you have to break in a new mattress?

You don’t need to break in your new mattress if you’re already comfy with it. You’ll have to go through the break-in process if it’s too firm for you right away.

How long to break in a new mattress?

Mattresses typically have a 30-day break-in period, however this can vary greatly.

How to tell if a mattress is too firm?

Lack of contouring is the first indicator of a mattress that is excessively firm. If you wake up with back pain and your mattress doesn’t embrace you, you probably have a too-firm mattress.

What is the fastest way to make a firm mattress soft?

Spending as much time as possible on it will soften it up the fastest. So, in addition to sleeping on the hard surface, you may use it to watch TV, read, work, etc. As a last resort, fill it with books when you’re away from the house.

Is it effective to walk on it?

For memory foam and latex-based surfaces, this method works well. Crawl on your hands and knees instead of your feet while working with an innerspring or a spring hybrid to distribute weight more evenly and prevent too much focused pressure on the springs.

How can I tell if my mattress is too firm?

Your shoulders, arms, and hips may be in pain because the mattress is excessively hard. As a result, if your primary complaint is lower back pain, the bed is overly soft.

Is it normal for a new mattress to cause back pain?

Although a new mattress may cause some difficulty at first, if you wake up with back pain every day, there’s certainly another reason. Because of your weight or sleeping posture, you may have chosen a mattress with an incorrect firmness level. Because of your lifestyle, you may be experiencing back pain. Take a look at how much time you spend sitting or slouching or engaging in high-impact sports. Your back pain could be caused by any one of these causes.
How to Break In A New Mattress | Mattress Advisor

Conclusion

Knowing how much time you spend sleeping, it should go without saying that you shouldn’t have to settle for anything less than the best when it comes to your health. Make sure you do your homework before making a purchase. Tips to consider before deciding whether or not to buy the product:

  • Check out consumer feedback. You should pay special attention to individuals who talk about things that are comparable to your own (low back pain or having arthritis, for example).
  • Check out the return policy. If so, how many nights must you stay on the mattress? Is there enough time for you to make a decision?
  • Verify the company’s return policy. In some cases, you may be able to swap out your mattress for one that is firmer or softer.
  • Look for a local showroom where you may test the product before you buy it. When you’re trying to choose between two models, a showroom can help you narrow your options.
  • To make sure you’re satisfied, see if the company sells any add-ons. If you want a softer or firmer mattress, some manufacturers offer “comfort kits” that can be added.

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