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Over their lifetime, the average American spends nearly 36 years in bed, according to a recent survey from Slumber Cloud.

That number includes the 6.93 hours average spent asleep at night, as well as the four hours the average American spends in bed whether they’re watching Netflix or just lounging about.

Eleven hours a day is a pretty high estimate, but even if you’re the type who is only in bed to catch your nightly Zzzs, it’s tough to dispute the importance of a quality mattress.

The Fourth of July holiday, as Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at RetailMeNot notes, rivals Labor Day and Memorial Day as the best time of the year to save on a mattress. How can you ensure you’re getting the most for your money? What should you know before buying, and which ones are really the best Fourth of July sales right now?

Do you really need a new mattress? Time can tell.

First, consumers should evaluate if they really even need a new mattress. In all the excitement of deals and amped up marketing, it’s easy to be tempted.

One of the best indicators is time.

As NBC News Better previously reported, referencing research from Consumer Reports, if your mattress is more than 10 years old, it's time to replace it. Life spans tend to be shorter with latex mattresses, memory foam or inner spring mattresses.