Have you ever gotten to your fully inflated and firm airbed only to wake up a soggy and soft bed the next morning?
If this is a common occurrence for you, you might be wondering why your mattress would deflate overnight.
To be honest, it’s normal for mattresses to deflate a bit overnight, and it’s all due to three reasons – its design (no air mattress is airtight), the temperature changes throughout the night, and the pressure put on it (a.k.a. your bodyweight).
But if your mattress deflates a lot overnight, there might be other reasons why it does.
So why does air mattress deflate overnight?
Let’s find out the answer in this article!
Do air Mattresses Deflate Overnight? (and the Reasons Why)
Do air mattresses lose air overnight? Yes, but only a bit.
If your air mattress deflates overnight to the point that it goes soft, here might be some of the reasons why:
Hole or Puncture
If the hole or puncture in the mattress is a bit big, your mattress will deflate fast.
The good news is you can easily confirm this since you’ll hear the air escaping from the said hole.
But if the hole or puncture is just a small one, finding it can be a big challenge.
Lucky for you, there are plenty of ways to find the hole in your air mattress. (1)
To avoid this, make sure to keep sharp objects away from your mattress.
Pump Leak
When you pump air into the bed, the air pressure might compromise the integrity of the connection between the bed and the internal pump.
It may weaken that area and eventually a tiny leak that may become bigger as time goes by.
Leak in the Seams
As mentioned, no air bed, no matter how smart its design is.
If you can’t find any holes in the body of your mattress, the problem will most likely be a leak at its seams since these parts of the beds are subject to constant stretching.
Unfortunately, fixing the leaks in the seams is not as easy as patching up air holes in the body of the bed.
This is because the patches won’t stay in place due to many stretching that the seams are subjected to.
Temperature Changes
Temperature changes can and will affect the amount of air pressure inside your mattress.
For example, at night, when the temperature is a lot lower, condensation may occur inside the mattress and cause it to sag.
Misuse
You must make sure that you follow all the instructions on how to inflate the mattress properly.
Unfortunately, we tend to carry out the process at times based on how we think it should be done.
Unfortunately, we skip out some of the essential instructions to ensure that the mattress will stay inflated at all times.
To avoid this, always check out the instructions manual before you start inflating your bed.
Weight Overload
When there’s too much pressure on the bed, the PVC material might stretch too much to the point that it will lose its pressure, leading to deflation.
This is why mattresses come with weight limits, so it’s essential to make sure that you use a mattress that can accommodate your body weight.
Loss of Air from Pump
If you’re using an external pump for your mattress, the mattress will lose air every time you detach the pump.
It’s a given, and you can’t do anything about it.
The best way to address this is to replace your air mattress with one that has a built-in pump.
Nozzle Damage
Here’s another issue you might encounter when using an external pump. The nozzle or the area where you attach your external pump may get damaged over time due to its consistent pressure.
Additionally, the nozzle might become loose since it’s opened and closed regularly.
You must check the nozzle regularly, and if you detect a leak, you should address it immediately by placing duct tape over it.
How to Keep Air Mattress from Deflating?
No one wants to wake up on a deflated, soggy, and soft air bed.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why it happens.
The good news is there are plenty of ways on how to prevent your mattress from deflating. Here are some of them:
Fold the bed carefully.
Most of the holes and punctures in the body of the bed are caused by the improper storage and folding of the mattress.
The good news is most mattresses include folding instructions in their manuals to help you prolong the life and protect the quality of your mattress.
When it comes to folding air beds, the rule of thumb is to avoid folding the mattress on its ridges to prevent tears and punctures.
If there’s enough storage space in your home, you can also try rolling the mattress instead.
Lie flat on your air bed.
This may sound like a weird advice since most people find lying flat to be uncomfortable.
However, this sleeping position will prevent you from applying too much pressure on one spot of the bed, causing it to weaken and may lead to punctures and holes over time.
When you lie flat, the amount of pressure you put on the mattress will be evenly spread on a wider and larger area, minimizing the risk of tears.
Inflate your bed in the right place.
Before inflating your bed, you should inspect the area first.
Then, make sure that the area is large enough to accommodate the mattress.
But more than that, you should look out for any sharp objects that may poke holes at your mattress.
If you plan on using the mattress outdoors, make sure to clear the ground of any sharp stones.
Air your mattress out for a few days.
During the first few days, your air bed will expand and stretch slightly and slowly.
After a few nights, it will be able to stretch to its maximum capacity.
To avoid significant deflation, it’s recommended that you avoid sleeping in your fully inflated bed so there will be no pressure that will prevent it from expanding to its full capacity.
Additionally, airing out the mattress for a few days will also allow the chemical odors to dissipate, so it will be odor-free once you start sleeping on it.
Go for a mattress with a dual-pump system.
One of the best features that you can ever find in high-end mattress models is the dual-pump system.
This innovative feature is designed to keep your mattress fully inflated throughout the night.
The mattresses come with a second pump that can detect air loss and automatically add air as needed.
Maintain constant temperature inside your room.
As mentioned, cold temperatures promote condensation, and condensation leads to air loss.
With that said, any change in temperature (from hot to cold) may lead to a slight loss of air.
To avoid this, it’s best that you place a portable heater near your bed but not too close as heat might damage the PVC cover of the bed.
Another great option is to inflate your air mattress a few hours before bedtime so it can adjust accordingly to the room temperature.
Patch up the holes.
If you detect any holes or punctures in the body of your bed, you need to patch it right away before it gets even bigger.
You can do this by using the patch repair kit that is included in most mattresses.
If your mattress doesn’t have one, you can use a bike tire patch kit instead.
If you have already detected the presence of holes but don’t have a patch kit on hand, avoid sleeping on the bed because the pressure from your body weight will cause the hole to become bigger.
It’s a must that you fix the hole first before using the bed.
Final Words
Why do air mattresses inflate overnight? It’s normal for a mattress to deflate overnight because of the amount of pressure it receives when you lay down on it.
But if the overnight air loss is significant, there might be other issues that you need to address right away.
To prevent your air mattress from deflating, proper care and maintenance are needed.
You also have to pay extra attention to your surroundings and the storage and handling of the mattress.
Keep in mind that air mattresses are more fragile than other types of mattresses.
The good news is you can prevent it from deflating and even prolong its life by following all the tips we’ve shared with you.
