How comfortable you are in bed affects the quality of your sleep- and ultimately the quality of your life. The mattress and the foundation should be the best that you can afford. After one decade, a mattress no longer offers the comfort and support you need for a good night's sleep. The next time you change your sheets, take a critical look at your mattress. Look for soils, stains, or tears in the cover, and uneven surfaces and sagging spots around the edges or where you usually lie.
Poor appearance is indicative of poor performance.
Lie down and concentrate on the feel of your mattress. When you sleep the same bed each night, you become desensitized to its dwindling comfort and support. If you find it difficult to gauge your mattress's comfort, visit a local bedding or department store to see how a new, good-quality bed feels. In 1969, the fakir Silki claimed to have spent 111 days on a bed of nails in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The late eighteenth century saw the advent of cast-iron bedsteads and cotton mattresses.