Imagine trying to get a goodnight’s sleep after a long day, only for popping sounds in your mattress to keep you up. It’s a frustrating experience that will not only interfere with your sleep pattern but also with your productivity due to a lack of proper rest. So it’s only fair if you knew what causes the popping sounds in the mattress that robs you of your much-desired sleep.
A mattress making popping sounds means the coils inside them have lost their strength and become loose, forcing them to rub against each other. It’s a sign of an old mattress that needs replacement. However, if it’s a new mattress, it means the coils are defective, and the mattress needs replacement.
That’s not all, as you still need to learn about the signs of a bad mattress and the best mattresses you can buy, which you will learn if you read on.
Table of Contents
Why Is Your Mattress Making A Popping Sound?
As a general rule, a mattress should be soft and quiet, allowing you to get proper sleep and rest. However, if slight movements or turning around your bed result in popping sounds coming from your mattress, it’s a sign of a failing mattress, and it’s time you considered replacing it. The main culprits of these popping sounds made by your mattress are:
The Coils are Old and Have Lost their Springiness
Whether you’re using an innerspring mattress or a pocketed coil mattress, the popping sounds mean the coils inside them have weakened and are probably rubbing against each other. In the case of the innerspring mattress, there is a chance that the coils have weakened and broken down due to prolonged use, and the two pieces are grinding against each other. The design of the coils used in the innerspring mattresses betrays them since they’re thin in the middle, with the top and bottom being wider.
As a result, the coil takes on an hourglass shape where the middle part is weaker and stretched to act as a spring. After prolonged use, the vulnerability of the middle part of the coil is exposed where it can no longer handle the pressure. That’s when it either breaks or loses its springiness, allowing the top and bottom parts of the coil to come in contact and rub against each other every time you move or turn.
On the other hand, the pocketed coil mattresses have adopted a different design, where the coils have a uniform thickness throughout, hence eliminating any weak points within the structure. Therefore, despite pocketed coil mattresses having a longer lifespan than innerspring mattresses, they are not invincible. After prolonged use, the coils will degrade and lose their springiness, the same way it happens with innerspring mattresses.
The Coils are Defective
If your mattress is new and it’s still making popping sounds, the problem could be related to defective coils. It’s usually a manufacturing error, and such a mattress should be returned and exchanged with a proper one.
What Are The Signs Of A Bad Mattress?
As a whole, the more you use your mattresses, the more they degrade in quality, making it hard for you to enjoy your sleep. Signs such as waking up sore and feeling tired in the morning are among the most common. There is a direct relation between a good mattress and a restful night. Resting allows you to recuperate and recharge your energy so that you can face another day.
A bad mattress will give off signs that will affect you either physically, emotionally and even mentally if you’re stressed for more extended periods. Those signs include:
Popping Noises
It’s the first and the usual sign that your mattress needs replacing immediately. As established, popping noises are a result of deteriorating coils that lose their strength and springiness. If your mattress has been making these types of noises with every slight movement, it’s time to get a new one.
Restless Nights
While various things can cause restless nights, a bad mattress is higher up on this list. If you find yourself turning all the time and it takes you a long time to relax and fall asleep, there is a good chance that your mattress is not up to par. If you find it easy to fall asleep in a hotel room or at a friend’s house, it’s a sure sign that you don’t have insomnia but that you need a new mattress.
You Always Wake up Tired
The essence of sleeping is to wake up feeling refreshed and filled with energy. If you have been waking up feeling exhausted and moody all the time, it’s probably time for you to change your mattress. Waking up tired will affect your productivity, which might impact your work or even your career.
Saggy or Uneven Mattress
After prolonged use, the mattress tends to sink and hold your shape. Sleeping in this spot for too long will limit your movements during the night, which will end up affecting your pressure points, back, and limbs.
While it’s easy to notice uneven surfaces on an old mattress, you need to run your hand on the surface of a new or slightly used mattress to check if the surface is flat. Dangers of sleeping on a saggy mattress include:
- Misaligned posture
- Back pains
- Poor posture
- Neck pains
- Sleep deprivation
To avoid the mattress getting saggy and lumpy, it’s best to turn it at least once every three months, which will promote even wear and tear across the mattress.
The Mattress is Older than 7 Years
According to Sleep Foundation, an average mattress should last at least seven years until it’s considered undesirable. So if you bought your mattress more than seven years ago, it’s probably the best time to go shopping for a new one. It’s also essential to check whether other parts of the bed, such as the foundation, box spring, or frame, need replacing as well.
Which Type of Quality Mattress Replacement Should You Buy?
On average, a majority of mattress buyers have little to no information regarding the type of mattresses they need. As a result, they often rely on the information they get from the seller to narrow down the type of mattress they need. Sometimes this information leads to proper decision-making, and they end up buying good quality mattresses. Still, other times the buyers aren’t lucky as they end up with the wrong and costly mattress. It usually works out as a gamble.
To avoid spending your hard-earned money on a mattress that you might end up replacing sooner than you expected, it’s always better to know which types of mattresses are out there, their expected lifespan, how comfortable they are, and how much they’ll cost you. Here are the most commonly bought mattresses on the market:
| Mattress Type | What you Get |
| Innerspring mattresses | ComfortableInexpensiveReasonably firm6-year lifespan |
| Memory foam mattresses | Perfect for aching muscles and jointsComfortable, but can get hot7 to 8-year lifespan, but can get pricey |
| Hybrid mattresses | Combines foam and springs, making them very comfortable7 to 8-year lifespan, but can get very expensive |
| Latex mattresses | Among the best mattresses out there10-year lifespanExpensive but worth it |
Conclusion
Popping sounds from your mattress signify something is wrong. It’s a sign that the springs have become defective and can no longer support your weight while offering you the same comfort. At this stage, a new mattress is needed. Continuous popping sounds, waking up tired, restless nights, sore back, and uneven surfaces are signs of a bad mattress.
Sleeping on a bad mattress for too long will result in sleep deprivation, poor posture, back pains, sore joints, and misaligned posture. You can choose between innerspring, foam, hybrid, and air mattresses when shopping for one.
Sources:
https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/sleep/choosing-best-mattress-lower-back-pain#:~:text=Sleeping%20on%20the%20wrong%20mattress,contribute%20to%20low%20back%20pain.
https://www.thejoint.com/california/seal-beach/seal-beach-31037/how-to-tell-if-your-mattress-is-causing-you-back-p
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/happens-body-dont-get-enough-sleep/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20most%20serious,can%20even%20affect%20your%20appearance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LajcPDaLCaQ