We all know how unpleasant tossing and turning all night can feel, especially when we know we have a big day tomorrow.

Sometimes sleepless nights just happen, but if you're regularly struggling to sleep or waking up feeling unrefreshed and tired, the cause could be the surface you sleep on.

Read on to discover how your mattress might be making you look old and stressed...

Why a Good Night's Sleep Matters

Getting a decent night's rest is essential to how we function as humans. Just one sleepless night can leave us feeling sub-par and functioning far below our usual abilities; causing clumsiness, poor concentration, irritability, stress, forgetfulness - and that's just for starters.

If our sleeplessness becomes worse, with regular sleepless nights or even insomnia, we can build up a sleep deficit which can have serious health consequences as well as significant impact on our daily performance, mood and health.

Poor Sleep, Premature Ageing

Poor quality sleep can even cause our bodies and brains to age prematurely, triggering metabolic and endocrine hormonal changes which mimic the effects of ageing. These changes can speed up the onset of age-related health problems and can even worsen their effects. Diseases and ailments such as diabetes, obesity, memory loss and hypertension can be accelerated and worsened.

The bad news for sleep-deprived individuals doesn't end there. While your daily life and ageing process are negatively impacted by lack of quality sleep, you may also start to look older. A recent study revealed that a lack of sleep can double the appearance of signs of ageing on the skin, significantly worsening lines and sun damage.

Is Your Mattress to Blame?

A huge array of factors can contribute to sleeplessness, from your mental health and bed partner, to your diet, exercise habits, local noise levels and bedtime routine. All of these factors and more can either make it difficult for you to drop off or affect your sleep patterns, which need to cycle through different stages six to eight times a night to leave us feeling truly refreshed.

Read up on how sleep cycles work here and find out why it's important for humans to reach the “deep sleep” phase.

At virtually any point in the five stages of the human sleep cycle, your mattress could be preventing you from getting the sleep you need. From uncomfortable springs which make it impossible to get comfortable, unsupportive surfaces which worsen your aches and pains preventing you dropping off into stage one, heat-retaining mattresses which cause you to wake up sweating before you've entered deep sleep, and old mattresses which jiggle every time your partner rolls over – choosing the right mattress for your body and sleeping habits could help you get the sleep you need to reduce stress and prevent premature ageing.

Ready to find your dream mattress that will help you sleep (and live!) better? Explore the extensive Bedco range in our online shop.