When it comes to getting a full restful sleep, three things are key. Fatigue, time, and location. If you’re not tired? You don’t sleep. If you don’t get enough time to rest? You get up still exhausted. If you can’t get comfortable? It takes ages to doze off and you wake up in bad shape. Out of all these factors, the latter is the one you’re likely to have the most control over. So much so, it’s been refined to a science.

Yes, we’re talking about your mattress. Whether you like to sleep on a cloud or with some sturdy support, smothered in blankets or sweat-free and cool, there’s a mattress made for every type of sleeper. But sometimes things can get tricky when it comes time to admit our current mattress has worn out, and trickier still to settle on the right replacement.

Today, we’re going over the ins, outs, whys, and hows of replacing your mattress.

Why

It’s a fair question to start with. Why swap out your mattress? For a lot of people, it only needs upgrading when there are springs poking loose, when there’s an intolerable stain or smell, when there are lumps and dips; all the hallmarks of a cartoonishly overused mattress. Except it isn’t always that easy to tell when a mattress is ready to go—especially when the mattress owner doesn’t see the point of going through the trouble of hunting for a new one. Look at it! It’s fine!

To the naked eye, anyway. But when it comes time to sleep, the body knows better. One of the earliest signs is sagging towards the middle or the most commonly-used half of the bed. Sometimes twisting the mattress around on the frame can be enough to give the internal coils and padding a break, letting it spring back as you use the other side. However, this temporary fix is only that. A fleeting remedy that gets less and less reliable as years go on. As the quality of the mattress wears down, your body starts to feel it as it takes longer to find comfortable sleeping positions, mornings bring aches that weren’t there when you fell asleep, and your full nights of sleep leave you with less and less true rest. This goes without mentioning the increased risk of allergies; no matter how often you change the bedding, allergens are bound to build up.

When

The general rule goes that if a mattress is nearing its eighth birthday, it’s likely time to retire it. Sometimes as early as six or seven years. But this is hardly a catchall period for every single mattress. As the science behind mattress design has grown more advanced and people go with more updated offerings, the durability and comfort of a given mattress can last far longer than the springs-only slabs of yesteryear.

The time to replace your mattress is when it starts detracting from your rest rather than helping you get more.

How

Alright, you’re ready to swap out your old mattress for an upgrade. Before you jump straight to trashing the current bed, remember to take a few things into account before you start shopping around.

If you’re keeping the same bedframe, know what size you’re looking for! The size range starts at Twin, usually for young children, then moves up the scale to Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, and the extra-large California King. It also pays to know going forward what kind of consistency you want from your new mattress. Note, you may think you know what your preference is, but time may have changed the way you sleep best. People like to test out sample mattresses in the store for a reason—sprawl out and see which style is most comfortable for you.

Is it something sink-in soft, like the Restonic Avenue Plush Queen Mattress Set?

Or maybe a firm and supportive option, like the Restonic Extra Firm Hybrid Queen Mattress Set?

Maybe you want something that conforms just so to your body, like the Tempur-Pedic Queen Luxe-Adapt Soft Mattress Set?

It could be that softness or firmness doesn’t matter as much to you as keeping yourself just the right temperature, like with the adjustable iComfort by Serta® CF4000 Firm Low-Profile Queen Mattress Set.

There’s a huge range of options to work with these days. Whether you just want a cozy classic or something brimming with advanced bells, whistles, and remote control options, your new mattress and some far more restful sleep are waiting for you.