How to Break in a New Mattress

So you just bought a new mattress, and it feels like you are sleeping on a cave floor or your camping mattress. You may even be considering going back to your old mattress. As you are not sure if you will ever be able to break in your new mattress.

So how long does it take to break in a new mattress?  On average, it takes 30-90 days to break in a new mattress, depending on the level of firmness. You may have to employ an array of tricks and tips to break it in quicker.

How To Break in a New Mattress

Heat Your Room

Some mattresses, such as a memory foam mattress, respond to the temperature of the room. For this reason, if you need to soften it, you have to crank up the heat if your new memory foam mattress is too firm. This will help it soften over time.

Apply Pressure

Place heavy objects on the mattress to help soften it. The extra pressure exerted on the mattress even when you are not sleeping on it will help break it in sooner rather than later. Make sure you stop doing it as soon as the mattress softens to your desired level. To prevent softening it too much, which is probably the reason you had to get a new mattress in the first place.

Let It Aerate

Aerating the mattress enables the sacs in the mattress to get filled with air making it bouncier as compared to how it felt when it came from the store. This method is suitable for memory foam mattresses and not spring coil mattresses and other types of mattresses.

Flip It

Flippable mattresses have varying firmness on each side. So if the side you are sleeping on it too firm then flip it and sleep on the other side. With time, the downward-facing side will also get softer as your body pressure pushes it down. Here is a quick guide on flipping mattresses.

Sleep on It

Your body weight will apply pressure on your mattress and make it softer over time. This is one of the main ways people soften their mattresses. It is a waiting game and is the only way to break your mattress consistently. It is also the only way for you to adjust to a new mattress.

Get a Mattress Topper

With the help of a mattress topper, you will be able to exert extra pressure on the mattress as you sleep on it. Plus, you get to sleep on a gentler surface as you wait for your mattress to get softer. You may opt to lose the mattress topper once your mattress is broken in or keep using it.

Cushion Your Mattress

Sleeping on layers of blankets on the new mattress will provide a sort of cushion between you and the new mattress. Making it gentler on you until it is soft enough for you to sleep on it directly.

Replace the Base

In some cases, all you may need to do is get a spring bed base, and you will be in a position to sleep on your new mattress with no trouble at all. A firm bed base may make even the best memory foam mattress feel like you are sleeping on a hard floor surface.

Will A New Mattress Get Softer?

Yes. Eventually, any mattress will get softer. But if you buy a new orthopedic mattress for back pain, it may take a couple of years as this particular mattress type is designed to stay firm for years to come. There are varying levels of firmness, so buy one that suits your back pain needs.

If you buy an orthopedic mattress or any other extra firm mattress by accident and do not wish to keep it, you may consider returning it before the return window is over.