We’ve all been in this situation: sleeping on a fully inflated air mattress at night, only to find ourselves much lower to the ground in the morning!
Unfortunately, you can’t always stop this from happening. But it depends on the reason why air is escaping in the first place. Here are a few reasons why your air mattress is deflating suddenly and some ideas on what you can do about it.
6 Reasons Why Your Air Mattress is Deflating
You can spend a lot of money on finding the best air mattress, only to find it starts losing air at night. Why does this occur, and can it be prevented?
Here are a few reasons why your air mattress is losing air all of a sudden:
Temperature
One surprising reason why air mattresses deflate is the changing temperature. In colder temperatures, the air inside a mattress condenses, which makes the bed deflate. (This also means that your air mattress may be more vulnerable to small holes or damage.)
As the temperature tends to drop overnight, it’s not surprising that you wake up sometimes with a much flatter inflatable mattress than you went to sleep with!
Unfortunately, you cannot do much about that – you’ll need to top it up with more air daily. If you can control the room’s temperature, ensure it stays fairly consistent during the day and night to prevent that sudden temperature drop at night.
If not, don’t worry – it won’t permanently damage your air bed. It just means you need to keep the pump handy.
Heavy Use
No air mattress lasts forever. They will eventually degrade over time and develop small holes in the seams that will let air out.
Proper storage can help, but air mattresses have a life span of around 5-10 years. Eventually, it’ll give out, and it will be time to buy a new one.
Improper Storage
Improper storage is another issue. Store your air mattress in a cool, dry place. It’s easy to throw it in your garage or attic and forget about it. But if left uncovered, you’re leaving your air mattress vulnerable to damage from damp or (if you’re very unlikely) critters that can invade these dark spaces!
Plus, leaving an air bed in a sunny space may cause sun damage, which will reduce the effectiveness of the materials.
Pets and Kids
Pets can cause a problem with air mattresses! Sharp claws and air beds don’t mix, after all.
You may not have even noticed your pets climbing on your air mattress. Cats are notorious for finding interesting places to sleep, and their sharp claws can create tiny little punctures that are hard to detect.
Plus, if you’ve got a kid who loves to jump on beds, this can cause a problem, too. A lot of jumping can create pressure on the seams, and small holes or splits can emerge. Plus, jumping will wear down the material of the air mattress, reducing its lifespan.
Pump Difficulties
If your electric pump doesn’t fit properly, it may not be fully inflating your air mattress in the first place. Not having a smug fit can cause air to escape around the pump’s nozzle, which means you can lose a bit of air even if you’re inflating it.
Making sure that the pump fits the air valve properly will create a properly inflated air mattress.
Holes
Holes in an air mattress can be caused by anything – from pets and kids to sharp objects to general use.
Sometimes, seeing holes in an air mattress can be hard. They can be tiny, making them difficult to spot (therefore, patch them up with materials like a glue gun, a patch kit, or duct tape).
To find holes and stop an air leak, I’d recommend doing the following:
- Fully inflate the air mattress.
- Lay down on it gently. You should be able to hear a soft hissing sound – this is air escaping from somewhere!
- You can also prop the mattress on its side and push on it, which may reveal the location more easily.
- Once you’ve found it, draw a circle around it so you don’t lose it.
You may find that there are several holes in one area. Such a thing happened to me when my air mattress developed very small holes in the seams. So pay attention to check the seam!
Once you’ve located the hole (or holes), you can patch it up. Check out our guide on how to fix an air mattress without a patch for some ideas.
It’s always worth fixing your air mattress before throwing it away, even if it just gives you a little more usage. You may be able to prevent at least some of the air loss by patching it up.
How to Prevent Air Mattress Deflation?
There are a few ways you can prevent your air mattress from deflating.
While you can stop every hole from forming and can’t control the temperature of the room you sleep in, you can at least try to mitigate some potential damage.
I’d recommend the following:
- Store your airbed in a sealed container, away from pets.
- Don’t allow kids to jump on them. (I know how hard this is in practice!)
- When camping, ensure you have placed a tarp or waterproof material underneath your air mattress to stop sharp stones or clumps of dirt from damaging it – one sharp object can cause a big puncture!
- Try not to overload your air mattress – trying to squash two adults on a twin bed, for example, will cause a lot of pressure on the seams, which can create holes and cause an air mattress leak.
- Keep your air bed away from direct sunlight, which can damage the material and cause an air leak.
- Clean your air mattress using soapy water after camping to remove any dirt.
- Make sure the air pump for your airbed fits correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few questions you may be interested in:
How long should an air mattress hold air?
Air mattresses can hold air for a couple of weeks if left undisturbed! However, most air mattresses will leak air at some stage, so even if it’s still standing after two weeks, it probably won’t have as much air as it had in the first place.
What is the weight limit for an air mattress?
Twin-size air mattresses usually support up to 300lb, and full-size air mattresses can support up to 450lb. Queen-sized air mattresses can hold up to 600lb, but checking the packaging for weight limits is always a good idea.
How do I know if my air mattress has enough air?
It takes a bit of practice using your air pump. The mattress should be firm enough to support you but not rock solid; if it’s too hard, it won’t feel comfortable to lie on, and you’ll put a lot of pressure on the seams.
Can I get an air mattress that is guaranteed not to leak?
Nope! There are no air mattresses that are guaranteed not to leak, unfortunately.
Summary
There are a few reasons why this happens. Unfortunately, not all of it can be avoided. If you can care for your air bed properly, you may be able to prevent your air mattress from deflating – but some of it is unavoidable!
