Best Mattress That Won’t Sag
Sagging. It happens to everyone and everything, and your mattress is no exception. Eventually, all mattresses will sag due to the normal aging process. It’s inevitable. However, there’s a huge range of possibilities when it comes to the time it takes your mattress to start sagging.
Some mattresses take just a few years. Some mattresses can maintain their shape for several decades. It all depends on:
- What your mattress is made of
- What it’s sitting on
- The steps you take to slow the aging process
Below, we’ll talk about a couple of the most affordable and comfortable anti-sag mattresses on the market. We’ll also go over some strategies you can employ to make your existing mattress last a lot longer.
Best Memory Foam Mattress That Won’t Sag: Zoma Mattress
One of the best anti-sag memory foam mattresses around is the Zoma Mattress. The Zoma has it all, from a fantastic price to fit any budget to excellent durability to amazing cozy comfort.
On top of the mattress, you’ll find the AirCloth mattress cover. This breathable cover helps keep air circulating around your body to move body heat away from you. Hot sleepers will love that! They’ll also love the gel-infused memory foam that helps conduct even more heat away and disperse it out of the mattress.
In addition to all this cooling comfort, the memory foam also features a tri-zoned Triangulex™ design. This design offers different pressure relief to different areas of the body. This targeted pressure relief can help ease pressure points and prevent joint pain.
Below, the Reactiv™ transition layer puts the bounce in the Zoma and gives it close to the responsiveness you’d expect from a latex bed. Underneath all this comfort is the high-density Support+ layer. This is the layer that helps the Zoma mattress remain sag-free for a full decade.
The Zoma features a great balance of cushioning and support. That means it can accommodate most sleep positions. Back sleepers will appreciate the contouring, while stomach sleepers may find the Zoma’s Support+ core offers enough lift to protect them from back pain.
Best of all, you can get all three layers of comfort for a great price point: less than $1000 for even the largest sizes! Don’t let the price fool you. The Zoma still comes with all the bells and whistles, including free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year manufacturer warranty.
Best Hybrid Mattress That Won’t Sag: Zoma Hybrid
Hybrids tend to start sagging sooner than all-foam mattresses. Not so with the Zoma Hybrid! You can expect as many years of use from it as the Zoma memory foam mattress.
The main difference between the Zoma Mattress and the Zoma Hybrid is the Hybrid’s pocketed coil support layer. Instead of durable polyfoam, the Zoma Hybrid features hundreds of individually wrapped steel coils. These coils make the Zoma Hybrid highly adaptable for side sleepers and highly responsive for active sleepers.
Hot sleepers will also appreciate the added circulation in the Zoma Hybrid. While the Zoma Mattress circulates air throughout the comfort and transition layers, the Zoma Hybrid circulates air throughout the whole mattress. So this bed may be a good choice for you if you find yourself waking up in a sweat all the time.
Just like the Zoma Mattress, the first layer of the Zoma Hybrid features a cooling gel memory foam comfort layer for added temperature regulation. It also features Zoma’s proprietary Reactiv™ technology for even more bounce than that provided by the coils.
Finally, the Zoma Hybrid maintains all the perks the Zoma Mattress offers. It still has a risk-free 100-night sleep trial. It still comes with free shipping. And it still features a 10-year manufacturer warranty.
Best Cooling Mattress That Won’t Sag: Zoma Boost
While all of our sag-resilient mattresses feature cooling features for better comfort, the Zoma Boost has special features for further coolness.
What most sleepers first notice is the surface fabric. Woven for a cool and light feel, the cover feels like lying down in a powdery snow drift. It’s gentle on delicate skin and is quick to relax the body.
The quilted hypersoft foam sewn into the cover, followed by a layer of graphite-infused memory foam, and Reactiv™ foam, work together to provide plush comfort while reducing unnecessary sinkage that can leave sleepers feeling stuck.
The sag-free support comes from the Zoma Boost’s pocketed coil core. These coils stand straight and strong, with wrappings to deter motion transfer.
Plus, like all Zoma mattresses, the Zoma Boost comes with free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty.
Best Affordable Mattress That Won’t Sag: Zoma Start
The Zoma Start is essentially an updated version of the original Zoma mattress, compacting the classic design to increase its affordability for budget shoppers. Plus as a memory foam mattress, the Zoma Start mattress excels in motion isolation. The mattress minimizes motion transfer, ensuring that any movements on one side of the bed do not disturb the other person’s sleep. This makes it an ideal choice for couples or individuals who share a bed.
Durability is another notable aspect of the Zoma Start mattress. It is constructed using high-quality foams and features sturdy construction, designed to withstand regular use without compromising its performance and comfort.
The top layer features gel-infused memory foam, which not only conforms to your body but also helps regulate temperature by dissipating heat, ensuring a cool and comfortable sleep surface. Completing the surface is a ventilated cover of AirCloth fabric for breathable comfort as you sleep.
The second layer incorporates Reactiv™ foam, a responsive material that adds a touch of bounce while providing optimal support. This layer prevents excessive sinkage, ensuring healthy spinal alignment throughout the night.
The base layer of the mattress is made of durable foam, offering stability and structural integrity.
The mattress’s foam layers are also CertiPUR-US® certified, meaning they are free from harmful chemicals and emissions, making the bed safe for both you and the environment. This is also true of any foam layers inside any Zoma mattress, but it’s especially notable in our most budget-friendly model. Making it easier for people to afford isn’t an excuse to skimp on their sleep quality, after all.
What Causes Sagging In Mattresses
There are many different things that could make your mattress sag. Some of them you can’t really do anything about, but some of them you can.
Poor Construction
Poorly made mattresses will sag much sooner than well-constructed ones. Mattresses can have poor construction in several different ways. They might be made of cheap materials. They might be shoddily put together. Or they might have insufficient support.
Insufficient support puts you at an especially increased risk of experiencing sagging. Your mattress needs a support core that’s at least 50 percent of its construction. If it doesn’t have that, it will wear out much faster.
Improper Base
If you have your mattress sitting on the wrong base, it could sag. This is particularly true of heavier mattresses sitting on box springs. Hybrid or all-foam mattresses will certainly experience premature sagging if they’re laid on a box spring set.
This is because box springs were designed to support innerspring mattresses. These bed bases predate more modern mattress constructions like hybrids and memory foam mattresses. As a result, box springs are weak and will collapse underneath the weight of these heavy mattress types.
Inadequate Maintenance
Not flipping or rotating your mattress can cause it to experience an uneven load. Night after night of having much more weight on one side of the bed can cause that side to develop sagging and soft spots.
This particular issue will likely impact one side of your bed more than the middle. It may also reduce your mattress’s edge support to sleep on the same side every night without ever rotating or flipping the bed.
Internal Damage
Not properly treating your mattress can also cause sagging due to damage. Letting kids jump on the bed, flopping down onto the bed, or laying heavy items that aren’t meant for a mattress on the bed are all things that can lead to sagging. Storing or moving your mattress on its side can also lead to sag-inducing internal damage.
Coil mattresses are particularly susceptible to damage from being laid on their sides. High-density support foam can handle gravity comparatively well. But coils can bend and break. When it comes to hybrid coil mattresses, pocketed springs may also start to bunch up and fall out of their neat rows. If that happens, you’ll wind up with a sagging mattress.
Normal Aging
All mattresses will eventually sag. The trick is to delay that as long as possible. So be aware of the maintenance needs and durability of your mattress. Some materials can be expected to age much slower than others.
For instance, the open coil networks found in innerspring mattresses will sag and wear out much faster than the individually wrapped coils found in hybrids. And synthetic flexible polyurethane foam (otherwise known as memory foam) will break down much faster than natural latex foam.
How to Prevent Mattress Sagging
You can take steps to preserve your existing mattress, no matter what it’s made of or how it’s constructed. If you’re buying a new bed, you can also be aware of more durable materials that will fight sagging longer.
Buy a Quality Product
There’s no substitute for getting a mattress built to last. Material is one big predictor of how long a mattress will fight sagging. Innerspring mattresses with a traditional open-coil setup have the shortest lifespan. They’ll start sagging in five to 10 years.
Memory foam and hybrid mattresses fall somewhere in the middle. They can be expected to last between 10 and 20 years. Finally, latex mattresses are the most durable beds on the market. They’ll last a minimum of 20 years before they start sagging—maybe even longer!
For more information on these mattresses’ pros and cons, including how long the mattress should last, we recommend our mattress comparison guides:
- Memory Foam vs. Latex Mattresses: What’s the Best?
- Memory Foam vs. Hybrid Mattresses: What’s the Best?
- Hybrid vs. Latex Mattress: What’s The Difference?
- Hybrid vs. Innerspring Mattresses: What’s the Difference?
Another way to tell how long your new mattress will last is its warranty. For example, a 10-year warranty means the manufacturer is willing to guarantee your mattress will not sag for 10 years. However long the warranty endures is a good indicator of how long the manufacturer expects the mattress to last.
Flip and Rotate
No matter what type of mattress you have, you’ll need to flip it or rotate it to maintain a sag-free mattress. However, many mattresses are made with irreversible construction. That means their top layer has to stay on top. If this is the case, you’ll need to make sure you’re still rotating your mattress even if you can’t flip it upside down.
You should be flipping and rotating flippable mattresses OR just rotating unflippable ones every six months. Flipping and rotating your matters often will ensure that each side of your mattress takes roughly the same amount of weight for the same amount of time.
Avoid Damage
Everyone knows you shouldn’t be jumping on the bed, but there are less obvious things you can do to damage your mattress. One big way people damage their mattresses is by putting them on their sides. When you’re moving or storing your bed, you might be tempted to flip it on its side to save space. Avoid this.
When mattresses are put on their sides, gravity pulls their internal structure out of whack. Spending a few minutes on its side while you’re moving it probably won’t hurt your mattress, but several hours or days of being on its side can permanently damage its internal structure. That’s why it’s best to keep your mattress flat, even in the moving van or storage unit.
Use the Right Bed Base
Most newer mattress types need a sturdy base. Virtually all mattress types other than innerspring ones are too heavy for box springs. If you’re putting hybrid or memory foam beds on box springs, you’re guaranteeing they will sag early—if not break outright.
Laying your heavier mattress on a sturdy base like a mattress foundation or platform bed will help it keep its shape longer. These bed bases have rigid slats instead of springs. So they will not give under the weight of sleepers or a mattress.
They can even be a good option for innerspring mattresses because they provide better support than box springs. See our platform bed vs box spring guide.
The Effects of a Saggy Mattress
Saggy mattresses aren’t just annoying. They can directly cause several different health issues and also indirectly put you at a higher risk for others.
Back Pain
Back pain is probably the most obvious effect of a saggy mattress. One of a mattress’s main jobs is to evenly distribute your body weight to provide pressure relief and encourage spinal alignment. Saggy mattresses can’t distribute your body weight, so they let your spine fall out of alignment. This can lead to severe pain in just about any part of your back imaginable.
Spinal Issues
Sleeping night after night with your back out of alignment can actually put you at higher risk of developing issues related to stress on the spinal column. One big issue that could develop from sleeping on a bad mattress is spinal stenosis.
Sleeping with your spine misaligned night after night could contribute to the narrowing of the canal through which the spinal cord runs. This can cause symptoms ranging from neck and lower back pain to numbness and tingling to even weakness in your limbs.
Disrupted Sleep
This might be the most serious issue caused by a saggy mattress because poor sleep has such a significant impact on every aspect of your life. Saggy mattresses that cause you to experience pain and discomfort can reduce the quality and quantity of your sleep.
Poor sleep can lead to everything from cardiovascular problems to mental health issues to diabetes to cognitive decline. While a saggy mattress won’t directly cause all these issues, it indirectly puts you at higher risk for these dangerous health problems if it interrupts your sleep.
Mattress Firmness and Sagging
The firmness level of a mattress affects how it distributes weight and supports the body. A mattress that is too soft for your body weight and sleeping position may lead to excessive sinkage and increased sagging than a firmer mattress.
On the other hand, a mattress that is overly firm may not contour to your body properly, resulting in uncomfortable pressure points. It’s important to find the right balance of firmness that provides sufficient support and alignment while still offering comfortable pressure relief.
By selecting a mattress that suits your sleeping position and body weight, you can minimize the risk of sagging. Additionally, proper mattress maintenance, such as regular rotation, using a supportive bed frame, and following the manufacturer’s care instructions, can also contribute to prolonging the mattress’s lifespan and reducing sagging.
The best mattress firmness for each sleeping position can vary based on individual preferences and body types. However, in our experience, there are general guidelines to consider.
Side Sleepers
Side sleepers typically benefit from a mattress with a medium, medium-soft, or soft firmness. This level of firmness allows the mattress to contour to the curves of the body. Such mattresses for side sleeping provide adequate pressure relief for the hips and shoulders. It helps prevent discomfort and keeps the spine properly aligned. A mattress that is too firm can create pressure points, while one that is too soft may lack the necessary support.
Back Sleepers
Back sleepers generally require a medium to medium-firm mattress. This firmness level offers a balance of support and contouring. These mattresses for back sleeping keep the spine aligned and prevent sinking too deeply into the mattress, which can lead to discomfort or misalignment. The mattress should provide enough support to maintain the natural curvature of the spine while still allowing some sinkage for pressure relief.
Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers usually benefit from a medium-firm to firm mattress. This firmness level helps prevent excessive sinkage, particularly in the midsection, which can cause the spine to curve unnaturally. A firmer mattress provides better support, helping to maintain proper alignment and reducing the risk of lower back pain.
Combination Sleepers
Combination sleepers who frequently change positions throughout the night may find a medium mattress to be a good option. A medium firmness accommodates the different sleeping positions of combo sleepers, offering a balance of support and pressure relief. Such mattresses for combination sleepers allow for comfortable transitions between positions and ensure proper spinal alignment in various sleeping postures.
FrequentlyAsked Questions
Which type of mattress will fight sagging the longest?
Natural latex takes the cake in the durability department. This is mostly due to the fact that latex is a natural foam instead of a synthetic foam. Natural latex foam is made by processing liquid rubber tree sap rather than using petroleum products like those found in memory foam.
That means latex maintains its structure longer and breaks down much slower than traditional memory foam. Coils also lose their tension faster than a latex foam support core loses its firmness. That means latex mattresses will outlast any mattress with any kind of coil support structure as well.
Expect pure latex foam beds to last no fewer than two decades. A few well-maintained Dunlop latex mattresses have been known to last up to 40 years.
Do soft mattresses sag faster than firm ones?
Yes. Softer mattresses tend to age faster than firm mattresses. However, this difference is not significant. Material and construction have a much more significant impact on your mattress’s rate of deterioration than its firmness level. So stick to the best firmness option for your sleeping position and body type, and try not to worry about how it will impact your mattress’s lifespan.
Can a mattress topper help fix a saggy mattress?
In a word, no. A mattress’s support comes from its internal structure, which will either be high-density foam or coils. If this structure has started to break down, there’s nothing you can put on top of the mattress to fix it.
A little extra support underneath in the form of a bunkie board or sturdier base might help counter mild sagging. But there’s nothing you can do with a severely saggy mattress except replace it.
How often will I need to replace my mattress?
The main reason your mattress ages on a certain timetable is the material it’s made of. Different mattress types will need to be replaced on different schedules. The spring coil bases in innerspring mattresses sag the fastest. So you can expect to replace coil mattresses every five to 10 years.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have natural latex. You won’t need to replace a latex mattress for at least 20 years, possibly much longer. Memory foam and hybrid mattresses can both be expected to last from 10 to 20 years. So you’ll likely be replacing your hybrid or memory foam mattress around the 15-year mark.
Will the mattress warranty cover sagging?
If your mattress sags prematurely, most mattress warranties will cover it. Premature aging is typically considered a manufacturer defect. So if your mattress sags within the warranty’s time limit, you should be able to call it in. However, you’ll need to read the fine print with any mattress you purchase to ensure no loopholes can be used to deny coverage.
On the other hand, you can’t expect a warranty to cover your mattress if it sags after the warranty has ended. Typically, the warranty’s timeframe is an indicator of when you can expect your mattress to start sagging. That means a 10-year warranty is an indication that your mattress will start to sag after its tenth birthday.
Do all memory foam mattresses sag?
While memory foam mattresses are known for their contouring and pressure-relieving properties, not all memory foam mattresses sag. The likelihood of sagging depends on the quality and density of the memory foam used in the mattress, as well as the overall construction and design. High-density memory foam mattresses with a supportive core are less likely to sag compared to lower-density or poorly constructed memory foam mattresses.
What can I do to stop my mattress from sagging?
To prevent your mattress from sagging, there are several steps you can take. Firstly, make sure to rotate your mattress regularly, around 180 degrees every three to six months. This helps distribute the wear and tear more evenly across the mattress. Secondly, ensure your mattress has proper support by using a supportive bed frame or foundation designed for your mattress type. Avoid placing excessive weight on the mattress, such as heavy objects or sitting on the same spot repeatedly.
Additionally, consider using a mattress topper for extra cushioning and support. Finally, following the manufacturer's care instructions is crucial to maintain your mattress properly. By implementing these measures, you can minimize the risk of sagging and prolong the lifespan of your mattress.
Bottom Line
Avoiding a sagging mattress for as long as possible is a vital part of getting a restful night’s sleep. A mattress that evenly distributes your body weight to keep your spine aligned is essential to your overall health and wellbeing. The good news is with a little research, you can find one of the best mattresses that will fight sagging and give you tons of comfort for many years.
This article is for informational purposes and should not replace advice from your doctor or other medical professional.
Andrew Russell, Wellness Writer
Andrew Russell is a part-time writer and full-time sleep enthusiast. At Zoma, Andrew lends his sleep expertise and writes many of our “better sleep” guides. Outside of Zoma, Andrew puts his advice to the test, always trying new ways to get deeper, more restorative sleep. We appreciate Andrew because he doesn’t give advice that he doesn’t follow himself, so you can feel confident his solutions for better sleep really do the trick. Andrew's work has been featured on Ladders, Bright Side, and several other publications.
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