Mattresses last a long time.

When it comes to household objects, your mattress is both one of the biggest and one of the most resilient over time. Mattresses last so long that we tend to pass them on to friends, family members, even as donations if you wind up with too many beds for some reason.

Many younger people have never bought a single mattress because they've been inheriting old mattresses their entire lives. However, contrary to popular belief, mattresses are not eternal. Even though they may seem to be, mattresses don't last forever, and you'll eventually have to get a new one. So, is it time to go out with the old and in with the new?

Having realized that mattresses do have a lifespan, the question is whether or not yours has already passed its expiration date. When a cushion stops providing productive sleep and starts increasing your morning aches and health problems, it's time to admit that your faithful old mattress is ready to give up the ghost.

Not sure? Consider the following signs to tell if it’s time to buy a new mattress or if yours still has a few years of life left in it.

1. You Wake Up With Aches and Pains in the Morning

Mattresses are supposed to provide a certain amount of firm support and pillowy comfort and each person requires that balance to be different. Whether you need more support or less, with a pillow top or memory foam, is entirely up to you. But the one thing that's certain is when a mattress loses its 'oomph', you also lose your comfortable sleeping surface. While some people like a soft mattress, no one likes an uneven and disintegrating mattress.

If you've started waking up with aches and pains, particularly in the neck, shoulders, back, and hips, the primary cause of achy mornings is an aging mattress. The problem is that your mattress is wearing in an uneven way, which means that it's supplying uneven support to your body.

2. You Have Trouble Breathing, But Only at Night

Many people suffer from seasonal allergies or exercise-induced asthma, but you know what's normal when it comes to your breathing and what is unusual. However, when your breathing problems manifest to keep you awake at night or give you trouble in the morning, chances are this isn't seasonal pollen.

Did you know that the weight of a mattress doubles every 10 years as it accumulates mites, dust, skin cells, and allergens? Just like a dusty carpet, every time you sit, lie, or enthusiastically flop onto your mattress, some of those dust mites and allergens puff up and become part of the air you're breathing. In fact, many people find that the chemicals used to craft and treat modern mattresses are a breathing hazard even without the years of dust buildup. If your mattress is starting to interfere with your night-time breathing, it's time for a new organic mattress.

3. A Valley in the Middle Appears

The number one most identifiable sign of a dead mattress, a shadow of its previous comfort, is the valley in the middle. Sometimes called the dip, sagging, a mattress hammock, or the dent, almost everyone has experienced at least one mattress in their life that has simply given in to gravity and constant use and formed a permanent human-body sized valley in the center. For those who sleep alone, this is usually exactly in your favorite sleeping spot. For couples, the valley is usually where you snuggle together and your combined weight has worn down space in the mattress.

One thing always happens when the valley forms—you will find yourself rolling into it no matter how hard you try not to and the edges of the valley mark where the bed makes its shape instead of conforming to yours, which means more aches and pains. Also once the valley forms, there's no un-forming it.

4. You're More Comfortable Sleeping in Other Places

Sometimes your mattress may still look all right and the valley isn't too big yet, but other little signs will tell you that your mattress is no longer serving its intended purpose. For instance, if you find yourself drawn to sleeping in unusual places like on the couch, the guest bed, or even a pile of pillows in the living room and getting a better night's sleep, chances are your bed isn't as comfortable as it should be.

Another early warning sign is if you sleep better in a hotel room or at a friend or relative's home rather than at home. Sleeping in your own bed is supposed to be the ultimate option for comfortable sleep. When that's not true, it's time to buy a new mattress.

5. The Mattress Has a Lingering Smell

Over time, we tend to get used to the smells of our own environment, especially if they're made in part by our own smells. However, when a piece of furniture starts developing an odor of its own, steps must be taken. What smell hits you when you walk into your bedroom? Don't just let your brain go on automatic and know what to expect, actually take a moment to compare the fresh clean smell of the rest of your house to the smell around your bed. While there are a lot of odor sources around a bedroom like a laundry hamper or the master bathroom, few people think to suspect their mattress.

The next time you change the sheets, take a big smell. If your mattress smells a little too much like you over the years, remember that weight in dust mites and skin cells that are the most likely cause. And unfortunately, you can't just throw a mattress in the washer.

6. Flipping Doesn't Fix the Problem

The final solution for someone who has loved their mattress for many years and doesn't want to see it go is to flip the mattress. For some, this is a maintenance task one does once every year or two while others don't flip the mattress until they've already begun to admit that old mattress is on its way out. One way or another, flipping the mattress is supposed to provide at least another year of firm comfortable sleep before the long-term wear and tear but eventually, even flipping doesn't work. If you find that the valley exists even after flipping the mattress, or that the material is just too deteriorated to provide good support, it's time for a new mattress.

Fortunately, buying a mattress isn't nearly as much of a hassle as it used to be. You don't have to go to a big mattress store and get the whole hard sell on the full box-spring set. If your box-spring is still good and your bed frame is just beautiful, you can buy a delightful new organic mattress online and have it delivered to your door in as little as a few days.