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Mattresses break in after about a month or two of regular use. This means that they get softer and more comfortable as the brand-new materials develop impressions that conform to your body and as the top layers become softer, or simply – broken in. Unfortunately, some sleepers find their new mattress way too uncomfortable, and when they learn about the break-in process, all they want to know is how to break in a new mattress fast. This post answers all questions that you might have as a sore-back sleeper or just someone who wants to know about breaking in a new mattress.
How Long Does It Take to Break in a New Mattress?
Mattresses break in between a couple of weeks and two months.
It depends on how the mattress was made, materials used, but also how much you use it and your body weight. You might break in your mattress within one or two weeks if you’re lucky.
If you bought a memory foam mattress or a hybrid mattress, it may take up to 60 days for it to break in. These mattresses take the longest time, especially if they contain high-density memory foam.
Traditional spring mattresses take around 30 days to fully break in.
Natural latex mattresses take the shortest time – about 14 days. Synthetic latex may take a bit longer.
How to Speed up the Break-in Period
Breaking-in doesn’t have to last forever. Here are some tips for breaking it in so that you can get back to sleeping comfortably as soon as possible.
Let the Mattress Breathe
Once you’ve received a new mattress, open it up and place it on the floor or on a bed frame and just let it breathe for a few hours. Some manufacturers recommend allowing 24-72 hours for it to expand. Open the window and turn on the fan.
When the air gets into the materials, the mattress will expand a little which makes it more flexible.
This is especially important if your mattress came rolled up in a box. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and let it air out as much as necessary.
Spend Time in the New Bed
Even if it may not be the most comfortable place, spend every night sleeping in the new mattress. Also, for the time being, transfer some of what you’d normally be doing on a couch or at a desk into the bed.
Watch movies and TV, read, make calls, or even do some work on your laptop while in bed.
All this time adds up and speeds up the break-in period. The new sleeping surface will soon become more comfortable.
Add Some Weight
Some mattress manufacturers recommend walking on your mattress to break it in and rolling over the top of the mattress.
Another way is to put some heavy boxes and books on the bed during the day. Make sure to move those objects across the bed from time to time to let it break in evenly.
Lastly, you can ask a heavy friend or family member to use the new bed for a few days. That should also help.
Turn up the Temperature
We definitely recommend sleeping in a cool room – it’s good for you and your health. But it’s also good to know that an increase of only a few degrees can make a mattress softer.
It should be more noticeable on a memory foam mattress, but other mattresses also tend to soften up at a higher temperature.
However, please don’t hang onto this tip as your only solution and go crazy on the temperature, especially not if you’re a temperature-sensitive person.
It’s Not Just the Mattress… Get Used to It
The new bed has to break in and that’s for sure, but this is not the only reason you may feel discomfort.
When you sleep on the same mattress for many years, it will eventually start breaking down. Areas that had small impressions later developed deeper indentations and dips. This is a surefire sign that the memory foam and/or other materials have worn down and can’t support your body properly anymore.
Some sleepers feel pain due to this very lack of support but others don’t. And here’s a surprise – even if you didn’t feel any discomfort sleeping on your decade-old mattress, your body has compensated for those indentations. This means that some muscles stretch too much while others cramp up, and this whole situation can lead to poor posture.
Take a body that got used to a crooked sleeping position and put it onto a flat new mattress. It may hurt. And while you’re moaning about buying the wrong mattress, the problem might actually lie in the fact that you got too used to sleeping on a bad bed.
So while your mattress is adjusting to you, you’ll also be adjusting to your new mattress. It will take some time, so be patient.
When to Stop Waiting for the Mattress to Break in and Just Give Up?
First of all, be sure to check the length of the trial period listed by the manufacturer. Most mattress companies offer around 90 days for their free trial after which you can return a mattress for a full refund.
This makes it a bit easier. If you have a 90-night trial, and your bed is not comfortable by this time, just return it.
However, some sleepers don’t complain about slight issues with comfort. They complain about severe back pain and numbness. Firm mattresses create painful pressure points, especially on hips and shoulders, and soft mattresses can throw your body out of alignment which can cause strong back pain. This can be so bad that people can’t sleep at all for days; it even makes their work and daily activities impossible.
If the problems are this severe, then, by all means, don’t deprive yourself of sleep for longer than a week. You can try handing the mattress over to a heavy family member and take it back after a week or so. But if you don’t have this option and the issues keep aggravating, stop using it after a week.
Most manufacturers require a minimum of how much you have to use a mattress before you’re eligible to return it. For example, let’s say you have a 100-night sleep trial period. You may be required to sleep on the mattress for at least two weeks because of the adjustment period.
You should definitely try to follow through with the manufacturer’s request if possible. Again, if you can’t sleep a wink because of the mattress, it’s better to give up than to cause, say, a traffic accident because of sleep deprivation. After all, some of the biggest disasters in the world were caused by sleep deprivation.
How to Adjust a New Mattress That’s Too Firm or Too Soft
If your new bed is too firm but you don’t want to give it up, you can do the following:
- get a soft mattress topper
- put some soft blankets on the mattress
- flip the mattress (if it’s a double-sided mattress with two different firmness level options)
On the other hand, if you want a firmer mattress because yours is too soft:
- invest in a firm mattress topper
- slide a plywood sheet under the mattress to make the bed base firmer
- flip the mattress
Please think twice about making your new mattress firmer like this. If it’s already too soft when it’s new, it’ll get even softer as it breaks in and especially when it starts breaking down. This will cause a lot of problems in the future and you won’t be able to return it after the trial period ends.
What is a Mattress Break-in Period?
A break-in period is the amount of time it takes for the mattress to soften up. Brand new mattresses are typically firmer at first because the new mattress materials are still tight and firm. After the initial break-in period, which normally lasts up to two months, the new mattress will feel the way manufacturers intended.
Its materials will soften up and the mattress itself will develop impressions in places where your body makes the most pressure. So, for example, if you typically sleep on the side, your hip and shoulder will make slight impressions in the hip and shoulder area, so sleeping on it will feel just right for you.
Unfortunately, the break-in period causes discomfort to some people. Those who buy a medium-firm mattress may complain about their mattress being way too firm. Worse still, if the sleeper is a lightweight 100-120lb. person, he or she will probably not be able to break it in any time soon. Their mattresses remain firm for a longer time.
Why Do Mattresses Need to Break In?
It’s similar to a new pair of shoes – although they are made well, the materials haven’t conformed to your feet yet. After a while (and maybe a few blisters later), they will fit perfectly.
When it comes to a brand new mattress, the cover is super tight, the foam is firmer when it’s new, and the coils aren’t much flexible.
If you want to break in your new mattress, you have to use it. Get it to conform to your body and allow your body to conform to it.
Mattress type doesn’t matter much here – the break-in period happens in memory foam mattresses, latex mattresses, innerspring mattresses, and hybrid mattresses alike. At first, each mattress feels firm. Or at least – firmer than intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not literally straight away. If your mattress was rolled up (bed in a box), you may need to allow up to 24 hours for it to fully expand. Traditional innerspring mattresses usually don’t come rolled up (although some new models may be so) and they may only need a few hours of airing out before you can put the sheets on and sleep on it.
It is quite normal. This is because your body is used to the old mattress and not used to the new one. Also, the new mattress may be too firm at first – but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right mattress for you, you just need some time to “break it in” and get used to it. The manufacturers know this and that’s why most of them offer free trial periods that typically last anywhere from 30 days to 18 months.
Yes, it can. Especially if the mattress is too soft, but this can be a problem with all mattress types. For example, memory foam mattresses may cause back pain, and even the absolutely best brands out there just aren’t cut for everyone – even Tempur-Pedic has had its share of complaints.
Yes, you have to allow your new mattress time before it becomes completely comfortable and starts offering the perfect night’s sleep. Just bear in mind that some mattresses are built to be very firm. Since they were built with this intention, breaking it in won’t make it much softer. Make sure to get acquainted with the mattress firmness scale and choose your mattress accordingly.
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