How To Fix A Sagging Mattress

Written by Mehran Uzair

Last Updated on Mar 01, 2023

In this article:

    Sleeping on an outdated or sagged mattress may bring you some genuine problems regarding your health. 

    What is sagging? 

    The sagging of a mattress occurs when it becomes weaker or forms a dent on one of its sides. The sagging of a mattress has a substantial impact on a bed’s comfort, sleep quality, and overall health. What bothers many is the question, “how to fix a sagging mattress?”

    Read on till the end of this article to know what all you can do to find your way through this pressing issue.

    How to Fix a Sagging Mattress?

    If you are wondering how to fix mattress indentation, you are in for a treat.

     1. Use a Mattress Topper

    If you’re wondering, “do mattress toppers work” the answer is a big yes!

    Mattress toppers are individually sold as accessories, generally with 2 to 5″ of foam, latex, wool, or feathers. Find and lay a thick mattress topper on top of your mattress that fits in with your bed size. This ultimately evens your mattress’ sagginess and improves your sleep quality. The thicker toppers formed from denser materials have higher efficiency in the context of combating mattress sagging. 

    The wisest choice is to use a mattress topper regularly to minimize further sagging. If the topper itself deteriorates, a fresh new one could be used to replace it. Toppers are significantly cheaper than mattresses, allowing you to save a lot of money.

    2. Replace the Mattress Foundation

    How to Fix a Sagging Mattress with Plywood?

    If your mattress has sagged a little, or you find that extra support is needed in some spots, you may correct it with plywood under the mattress in some cases. Plywood is a cheap way to strengthen the structure of your bed, and the DIY factor of the same is straightforward. 

    If you want to have just a little extra support under your mattress, trim your plywood such that your mattress has the same size. Then put the plywood under the bed.

    Using plywood can also aid in preventing your bed from squeezing if there is too much strain on the box.

    You will need to double up the plywood if you don’t have a box spring. This ensures that your mattress remains firm and straight. This also prevents mattress sagging on one side. 

    Take into consideration that your mattress may seem a little bit firmer at first, but eventually, you would become familiar with it. You may also build your mattress “sandwich” using the combination of a topper and plywood to make it return to its natural form.

    3. Rotate Mattress

    How to Fix a Sagging Memory Foam Mattress?

    Flip the mattress if you notice your memory foam mattress sagging. The position of the sagging region is therefore changed, and your problem will hopefully be resolved. The idea is that once you have turned the mattress, you will put pressure on a whole new spot.

    This will even out its form, and in the future, you will have less of a mattress sagging in the middle. When a mattress returns to its original form is difficult to anticipate, but give it a few days or weeks and observe how it works. If the mattress becomes sagging again, twist it and repeat.

    This will ensure your body exerts pressure in various locations. Sometimes even the foam may be removed by weight redistribution.

    How to Fix Pillow Top Mattress Sagging?

    Many times, mattresses can’t be flipped. In such situations, you can try rotating your bed. Otherwise, a board of 1″ thick hardwood can be used to provide under mattress support, where the mattress is sagging. The board is a further support layer for your mattress base, which will presumably level the sunken bed and help in minimizing the slope. Remember, though, that your mattress may feel more firm than before.

    You may even attempt to look for damaged or weak areas in the box spring of your bed. A poor spring that cannot adequately support a mattress that might lead to a downturn. You can simply press your hands to test your box spring, or you can even take your young children and have them move around. If the search yields results, you’d have to fix the bed.

    Use extra pillows

    To minimize mattress sinking temporarily, extra pillows can be used in regions where the mattress sags. Pillows with excellent form retention are ideal for this purpose.

    Some alternative suggestions propose that cushions be placed under the mattress to stabilize mattress sagging on edges. This approach is not recommended; since it might instead speed up the mattress deterioration by blocking uniform support. 

    Alternatively, placing a pillow between your mattress and box spring might work. This modulates the pressure levels and restores the natural form of the mattress. 

    If only a small and soft pillow does not enough, a mix of pillows and blankets should be used. The higher your mattress support, the better.

    4. Buy A New Mattress

    The options as mentioned above are, however, temporary solutions to reverse your mattress sagging. They may make a mattress more stiff and stable, but they will not fully cure the sagging. The only thing that could remedy the damage thoroughly is that you get a new mattress. Here are a few hard and quick principles and signs for buying a new mattress when you’re far overdue:

    1. Your mattress will somehow be damaged, and springs might be visible from holes in the mattress.
    2. Your bed has a dent that is 1.5″ or deeper, which leaves a lasting imprint.
    3. Your mattress is over a decade old and starts to feel uncomfortable and causes backaches.

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    How to Prevent Mattresses from Sagging?

    • Go for a metal box frame – With time, wooden bed frames tend to degrade faster. The mattress sinks into the depression formed by broken pieces of wood and very rapidly develops a hole. You will not have to worry about mattress sagging if you go for a bed with a metal frame. Metal is more resilient than wood and can survive a lifetime, regardless of your body weight. 
    • Often inspect your mattress – Make sure you check your mattress very closely and scan for sags or lumps at least once per month. Use a ruler or anything of the like to look at your mattress’ flatness. You must fix them before they worsen, in case you find deep angles.
    • Equal distribution of pressure – You should try to sleep in different spots in the bed from time to time. The mattress is therefore prevented from growing used to pressure in one area. Make sure your bed frame has adequate support in the center, as most sagging tends to begin there.

    Signs You Need a New Mattress

    • You feel like you are falling – A sloppy mattress does not adequately support your weight; therefore, you will probably have a strange feeling of slipping out from your bed or collapsing into the center of the bed as you sleep.
    • You feel tired even when you wake up – Usually, a sagging mattress impairs sleep quality. That’s because you are aware of the “hole” in the bed, and you’re probably trying to do everything to avert it. This continuous fight all night long prevents you from sleeping peacefully and restoratively, which is why you wake up weary.
    • You wake up with back aches  Because a sagging mattress no longer supports your spine properly, you might suffer mild back aches in the long term. This happens when your weight is unevenly distributed, and certain nerves and muscles face excessive strain.

    Conclusion

    As described in detail, mattress sagging is not at all good for physical health. You need to figure out what has caused the indentation and then fix it accordingly. Buying a new mattress would be the most recommended and permanent solution in such cases.

    Disclaimer: This website does not offer medical advice nor professional medical services; rather, it is provided solely for educational, informational, and/or entertainment purposes. Individuals seeking medical advice should consult a licensed physician. The information provided should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any condition, disease, or injury. When you have a medical condition, you should always talk to licensed doctor or other certified medical professional. You should never delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment based on the contents of this website. Call 911 or immediately go to the nearest emergency room if you think you may have a medical emergency. The contents of this website are provided "as-is", Dreamcloud Sleep and its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, contributors disclaim any warranty of the information contained herein. Please contact support@dreamcloud.com to report any errors, omissions, misinformation, or abuse.
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