One of the most common reasons for consumer telephone calls or emails to the National Bed Federation is the question of settlement – or body impressions – forming on the surface of the mattress where the user lies.
This usually manifests itself within the first few weeks of use as the mattress fillings ‘mould’ to the user’s body shape, with the areas of most pressure (shoulders and hips) showing the greatest signs of settlement.
This can be particularly evident where mattresses use polyester fibre pads or multiple layers of synthetic fillings to create a ‘high-loft’ appearance. These fillings tend not to recover as well as more luxurious natural materials such as cashmere, mohair, horse hair, silk, wool, cotton etc.
There is no official industry standard for determining whether the settlement is excessive, as there are simply too many variables to consider. Some bed manufacturers, retailers and independent inspection companies use a measuring system based on the type of mattress fillings and the age of the product but this really isn’t based on any scientific evidence and so should only be used as a broad guideline.
Settlement on its own is not an indication that the mattress is failing – on the contrary, a mattress with generous layers of comfort fillings should be expected to demonstrate ‘body impressions’ and is an indication that the mattress is performing correctly. Similar to a good pair of leather shoes, a new mattress will ‘relax’ and take on the shape of the user. There seems to be a misconception amongst some people that a mattress should look and feel as good as new even after months or years of service – despite it supporting your body for around seven to eight hours every night. Of course this simply isn’t the case.
The extent to which the mattress will show signs of settlement depends on a number of factors such as the weight of the user, the amount of fillings, the type of fillings, the firmness of the mattress, whether the mattress is two-sided or single sided. Larger size mattresses such as super king size (180cm wide) and king size (150cm wide) will show signs of settlement more so than a smaller size mattress. This is because there is a wider area in the centre of the mattress that doesn’t get used and the fillings don’t become compacted. This ‘ridge in the middle’ accentuates the sleeping areas either side of it where the fillings will have settled or compacted during the night.
Whilst these body impressions can be quite noticeable, they are not necessarily a sign that the mattress support has failed. A mattress that has collapsed or sagged will be very evident when you lie on it – there will be a distinct lack of support, almost a sensation that you can feel right through to the bottom surface of the mattress.
The NBF recommends that you follow the care instructions supplied with your mattress to prolong its life and minimise the effects of settlement. However, you should expect your mattress to show some signs of settlement and remember that it is not necessarily an indication that the mattress is failing.
How far would you expect settlement to affect a latex topped mattress after about 2 years? It is sprung underneath. Thanks.
Hi Megan
It’s almost impossible to answer your question as there are so many variables to consider.
What is the depth of the latex layer?
If it is springs underneath, what type of springs?
What type of base does the mattress sit on?
What is(are) the weight(s) of the user(s)?
How often is the mattress in use?
All good mattresses will show signs of the comfort fillings ‘settling’ over time as the mattress moulds to the users’ body weight and shape. These ‘body impressions’ are really a normal characteristic of the mattress performing as it should. You wouldn’t expect a mattress that has been used for about 8 hours every day for two years to look exactly as new – just as you wouldn’t with a sofa or even a pair of shoes.
The main thing to consider is whether the mattress is still comfortable or whether the settlement has become so bad that it is more of a dip in the mattress and you find yourself rolling into the middle and unable to get a good night’s sleep.
We bought a cashmere super king matress which is meant to be firm 2 weeks ago.I have turned the matress twice ( told to turn it with each time I changed the sheets) the matress has now developed dips where we lie.
I spent a lot of money on this matress as I have a bad back and need the support.
Should a matress do this after 2 weeks?
I bought a whole new bed from Benson’s for beds just over a year in march 2020 with in 6,weeks my mattress began to sag whether I lie and my husband lies when we went to buy the bed I explained that I had two back operations and needed a good mattress firm for my back this sales man showed us these mattress and said they came in grades and I would be better with grade 5 so we lay down on the mattress in the showroom and it was good and firm with covid 19 I took me to the end of October to get in touch with someone they said that pictures and email them and we did they send out a technician to have a look and he said was nothing wrong it was settlement of the mattress I could have cryed the salesman who sold me the bed and mattress never told me about settlement if he had I never would have bought it is that why Benson’s for beds pulled out of northern Ireland there beds and mattress are rubbish I have not received any information back from them but from reading other people’s reviews I no I have not a chance of getting another mattress it took us ages to save the money up for to buy rubbish I should have kept my old bed and give the money to the the homeless I am absolutely disgusted that they can get away with it the salesman didn’t know what he was talking about I see they still advertise on television but I intend to go to the English papers and tell my story about they treat people it’s a discress .
Vivian
I fully sympathise with your predicament I am having exactly the same problem with Bensons. The customer care (or should I call it don’t care) is absolutely useless.
They sent a technician out after my initial complaint who measured the depression with a cardboard scale and a piece of string then reported their were no manufacturing faults so Bensons refused to go any further.
when do you stop turning your mattress e very six to eight weeks or so you carry on… I’ve had mine nearly 12 months.
If you have any instructions from the manufacturer then we would always advise that you follow those. In general, if you’ve had your mattress for about one year then we would suggest turning it roughly every three months.
I have bought a new double bed with a dreamland cashmere mattress I have only used this bed for two weeks and I have noticed a very noticeable indentation where I lie. I am a small,lightweight person. It hasn’t sprung back into shape it does say rotate every 3 months as only used for two weeks wasn’t expecting such a dip in the mattress should I contact tge shop where I purchased it from.
Hi Gilly
This sounds like normal ‘settlement’ of the fillings. You can read more about this on our blog at https://bedadvice.co.uk/mattress-settlement-body-impressions/.
However, if you are concerned that it could be more than just normal levels of settlement then you should contact your retailer in the first instance.
Regards
Simon
Same for us after 2 weeks, with rotation. Same mattress as yours
Gill, same as me. I bought a mattress with cashmere topper, with in a few weeks I was sliding into the middle of the bed. I am 8.5 stone and sleep in the bed on my own. Bensons tell me it’s settlement, I know they are fobbing us all off. It is so uncomfortable. I am so disappointed and angry
Hi,
I just ought my daughter a brand new firm pocket sprung mattress. The one in the shop was lovely and firm, just what she wanted.
After one night the mattress has dipped in the middle. Should this really happen? The store said it is settlement, but the whole reason for their firmest mattress was not to have dips.
Hi Ali
It doesn’t sound normal to have a visible indentation after just one night of use. Body impressions of the fillings are a sign of the mattress moulding to the shape of the user and should be considered normal. However, for it to happen after one night’s use does sound rather excessive.
Kind regards
Simon
Hi,
We bought a utopia mattress from Benson beds late 2020 during covid costing just short of £1200 as I was always told a decent mattress was an investment especially as my back is a big factor in my work (farrier). When we first got the mattress we noticed it was firmer than the one we tried even though it had same labels, we contacted the company y and they said it would just need a settling in period.
After only a year we are both struggling to sleep and getting aches and pains when we do wake up. There are the obvious signs of body imprints in the mattress but nothing excessive. We have contacted bb and they will advise if a technician will come and see the mattress however judging by most of the comments on here they will just say nothing is wrong with the mattress.
I am annoyed that after spending all that money from the guidance of the staff at bb that we will just be lumbered with a painful mattress. What would be the next steps for us to take to rectify the problem?
Jamie
Hi Jamie
Body impressions are a normal characteristic of mattresses that have plenty of fillings over the springs. However, if you feel that these are excessive and your complaint isn’t resolved to your satisfaction, you could contact The Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman http://www.fhio.org tel 0333 241 3209 to raise a dispute.
hi bought a romantica matrass seperate from the framed bed, 135cm is standard mat size, mine is 137 8 ish, is a divan base better choise?
137/138cm is within tolerance, as long as it fits inside the bed frame.
Purchased a double firm pocket sprung mattress. After 1 night there is an indentation in the middle. I am not heavy and sleep all over the bed by myself. Second and 3rd night I slept on the edges but have woken up with a bigger dip in the middle and no change to either side of the mattress. Seller tells me this is normal but the one in the showroom is flat as a pancake and shows no change of shape. Is this normal?
Hi Andraia
That doesn’t sound great. There shouldn’t be that amount of settlement after such a short period of use. You should request that your seller comes out to inspect the mattress or they may request that the manufacturer’s agent inspects it. Either way, the only way to progress this is to have someone qualified to assess the problem.
Regards
Simon
Hi
I just bought a foam topped spring mattress 4 weeks ago. 5ft. after 2 nights it’s gone flatter in the middle than the sides, I sleep alone. Is this normal? Supplier thinks it’s settlement after coming to see it
Hi Barbara
You wouldn’t normally expect to see this after only two night’s use. Settlement is perfectly normal where the comfort fillings pack down under the weight of the user. However, the degree to which they recover depends on the quality and type of fillings, combined with the weight of the sleeper and also the type of base the mattress sits on. I would suggest keeping an eye on the amount of settlement. If it gets excessive (more than 3-4cm) and starts to cause sleepless nights, then go back to your retailer.
Regards
Simon
would a mattress that dips in places where you sleep, and i now know its called settlement. would it be good to put a good quality mattress topper on it to correct to a firmer bed and so my back would hurt so much with this mattress i only had for a month …
Hi Deb
It would only be a short term measure as the topper would quickly take the shape of the dip below it. Generally, people buy a mattress topper to soften a mattress that they find too firm. Have you tried turning the mattress from head to toe to even up the settlement? Or if your mattress is the type that you can turn over completely, then do that on a regular basis so that the fillings have time to recover.
We purchased a sealy super king mattress for £1600 after 3 years the “settlement” is so bad it’s causing me back issues. Bensons sent someone who said there is nothing wrong with it ? If your suggesting even the most expensive buys are going to end up like this am I better off buying a cheap one every few years! They told me to rotate every 2 weeks ! It can’t be turned so rotating it means our body is still in exactly the same position !
My light weight elderly (88-84 ) parents bought a mattress that after 2 weeks has dipped considerably , after long waits for Bensons to contact them Covid arrived .This has caused the problem to just be parked but we have now been told that an inspector must come into their bedroom examin their own divan and amongst other things lay on the mattress !!! They have been isolating since late february and haven’t been out shopping etc as they both have health issues relating to their lungs and know that should they contract Covid they will die , especially as our local hospital is under special measures as so many patients didn’t survive their care .Obviously they are assessing their own risk as high and not feeling able to allow someone in their home let alone lay on the bed ! ,we are not being unreasonable surely but Bensons are insisting that they run this risk .My parents are really worried .Can you point us in a sensible direction without them feeling bullied into having a stranger outside of the government guidelines of a 2 families bubble laying on this mattress .Their bedroom is not a show room and certainly no sales person warns of this procedure if you have an issue with the mattress
We bought an ASC Sorrento Natural Pocket mattress with cashmere (super King) and within a few days there are unsightly dents where we lie. We are having to turn the mattress daily however after 3 weeks the turning is not helping and when sleeping on the mattress if I go too near the edge I feel like I am falling off. when the bed is made during the day there are these clear indents which I do not like. Is this normal? I am worried that in a few months there will be big problems.
How can bed retailers send out an independent company armed with a weighted piece of string in order to access the settlement of a mattress, surely any measurement should be taken from the horizontal as all mattresses start off flat. The industry should take responsibility and have a proper test to confirm if the sagging is excessive.
This setttlement issue is a cop out in my opinion . The manufacturers do not mention it when they advertise their products . Why is this ? Its because people would probably walk away . this is why its an issue that doesnt make a product work well or provide a decent nights sleep . thank you .
We have a double mattress with a memory foam pad in it. As a couple the mattress has sagged both sides and turning top to tail has no effect as the sagging is just duplicated. Because the memory foam is on the top of the mattress you cannot turn the mattress. I now have a bad back and cannot wriggle myself to new positions because of the ridge in the middle where neither of us sleeps. We would never buy such a mattress again. My advice would be to buy a normal mattress that you can turn over and have a separate memory foam topper that gives you flexibility. TBH I wouldn’t even touch memory foam again. I slept well for over 60 years on a normal mattress and think it’s just a millennium must have selling gimmick – the emperors clothes – to make a mattress more expensive.
We weren’t either told that we would have to air our mattress for what turned out to be a month (laid on a spare bed with the windows open) to get rid of the smell of the fire retardancy.
Thank you for your comment. Memory foam is the most popular comfort layer used in mattresses nowadays – mainly for its pressure relieving properties. Of course, as with most products, there are better quality ones and poorer quality ones so it really does depend on the quality and density of the foam as well as the quality of the springs underneath the foam. Most higher quality sprung mattresses are made double-sided which require regular turning so that the fillings settle evenly. However, the vast majority of mattresses on the market are now single-sided use which obviously saves the user having to turn them over. In general, the technology used in producing comfort layers – whether that’s memory foam, latex foam, gel foam, natural fillings or even fibres made from recycled plastic bottles has meant that single-sided mattresses provide sufficient support and longevity. There will always be exceptions though.
Regards
Simon
Thankyou Simon. We have a decent mattress with a one side memory foam pad installed so we can’t turn the mattress over to spread the wear and allow the pad to rejuvenate. That’s why I would recommend having a mattress plus a removable pad that can be rejuvenated and then added to either side when turned, What disadvantages are there to this option.
Of course the major issue is that all the problems arise after you have tested only by buying first. We did actually have a 30 days exchange agreement but the sagging arose a while after that – as per normal
There’s no disadvantage to your suggestion. There have also been some innovations over the last couple of years whereby the mattress is made of two distinct components. The bottom two thirds contains the ‘engine’ or core support – usually a spring unit and the top third can be made from different comfort components (foam, fibre, natural filings etc). The two parts can be separated by use of a zip and the top element can be turned over. The beauty of this is when the top element needs replacing, you can just buy that element as the ‘engine’ is still in good condition.
Thanks once again, Simon. That could be a good route and I note a number of manufacturers have these dual mattresses/toppers available
Excellent forum!
Philip
A month old king mattress 2000 pocket springs & wool filling from a well known UK brand. User – a medium weight woman. Been sleeping on alternating sides and rotating the mattress weekly as per instructions. Brand new John Lewis bed frame.
Issue – a significant mattress sagging in the middle about 2-2.5 inches deep. Is this a normal settlement bearing in mind nobody sleeps in the middle?
Hi Maria
If no-one is sleeping in the middle of the mattress, there shouldn’t be any signs of settlement there, especially in one that is only one month old. If anything, there would be signs of settlement on the left and right where you have been sleeping and a slight ridge in the centre of the mattress where the fillings haven’t been compressed down.
Is the mattress properly supported in the middle?
We would advise you to contact your retailer to discuss your complaint.
regards
Simon
Hi there
I bought an expensive pocket sprung mattress from John Lewis, medium firmness, as advised by the sales assistant. I have had it for just over 3 months, but even after 2 weeks I experienced sag of up to 5cm at worse, so I am experiencing problems getting out of the bed, because of the lip.
I have read the comments above and I am concerned as this appears to be normal. There was no indication when I purchased the mattress that this would be the case. I tried it out it the store and experienced none of these issues.
Is this a normal/ acceptable sag for this type of mattress?
Regards, Maggie
Hello Maggie
We would advise you to contact John Lewis with your concerns.
I bought a Hypnos Orthos Elite Alpaca Firm mattress hoping to relieve the back pain experienced by my husband. Only 4 months old and despite weekly turning, rotating, flipping, the depressions appear. His side deeper than my side. I am sorely disappointed that the guy who came out to do the plump line test said it was (only) 2 cm and to be considered a fault within 0 to 4 months, it should be more than (and he did stress this point) 2.5cm. So if it was exactly 2.5 cm, it is still NOT a fault. Must be more – so we’re talking 2.6 cm and above. This whole topic of acceptable level of “settlement” sucks. Are they saying it doesn’t matter what pocket spring mattress you buy – whether it is a cheap £100 one or an expensive £1737 one (yup that what I paid) the measurement is standard. I am sorry but honestly, there should be some kind of class action to sort this problem out. FYI, I bought a mattress in Singapore in 1998 and it has lasted till today – not a cm of so called “settlement”. My Singapore mattress was expensive too which was why I thought it best to spend the money for the back. But really, this whole “settlement” thing is too much.
Very useful information, Thanks for sharing.
My parents have had the same issue with Bensons, they bought a king size mattress and after only a few nights it had dipped significantly (more than 2 inches). Bensons sent out the independent Homeserve agent to look at it and they were told there’s nothing wrong with it and the dipping isn’t bad enough to be classed as defective , but it’s given my mum such a bad back that she’s now been sleeping in the spare room! She complained to the Ombudsman and they said that, because the ‘independent’ agent had inspected it and deemed it not to be faulty, then they can’t do anything.
However, you only have to read the comments here, or google Bensons to see the thousands of complaints, forum posts, news articles and watchdog investigations to see that they are clearly ripping people off and getting away with it!
Why are they still allowed to trade?
This forum seems to be a complete waste of time. My M&S mattress has sagged over 2.5cm and yet this is settlement! At least a JL lady said they were made better years ago with firmer padding & springs. I think old horsehair & old hand made springs were just better – our mattress from 1978 lasted intil 2006 =28 years Hypnos and NO DIP. M&S £1,399 sags after 12 months= LOUSY – they wash thair hands of it & this forum is useless. We consumers are being ripped off. umm? action ? ? I dont know – just DONT buy a no turn mattress – its only got adding on one side so simply doesnt last so long.
Absolutely agree Joanne N: this forum just defends the manufacturers. I can’t believe we were tricked into buying a no turn mattress. Despite regular rotation, plus five weeks completely turned over, during which we were away and not using the bed, we have a bed with two dips in. Very uncomfortable