Our first Saatva was a full-size Classic, and it went close to ten years without a dip I noticed. We rotated it whenever I remembered, maybe every six months or so.

The queen we sleep on now is a Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid, delivered in November 2025. It felt much too firm for us that first month, and Saatva sent a free topper the same day I asked. It stayed on close to a year, just because we forgot it was there.

The mattress sits on Saatva’s adjustable base, and its warranty still applies on that base. So if it started to sag tomorrow, I’d file a warranty claim.

How deep is the dip?

Lay something long and straight across the bed, like a level or a string pulled tight. Then measure with a ruler from it down to the lowest point of the dip.

Do it with nobody on the mattress, once it’s had time to spring back. A dip you measure while lying in it isn’t the one the mattress company will look at.

Snap a photo of the straightedge and ruler together. Tempur-Pedic asks for a straightedge shot like that when you file.

Leave the cover on, too. Taking it off can void the warranty at Purple and Nectar.

On a Tempur-Pedic, the warranty itself draws the line at 0.75 in. Tempur-Pedic’s help center puts it at 1.5 in for a quilted top. If yours is quilted, ask which one applies before you file.

Once you’ve got your number, you’ll know whether this is a warranty problem or yours.

Is it the mattress or what’s under it?

If the dip runs right down the middle, look under the bed before you blame the mattress. A frame with no center support is one of the usual causes. Under a queen or bigger, six legs or more help keep the middle from sinking early.

Then look at the slats. They should lie flat and sit no farther apart than your warranty allows.

If your slats are too far apart, Saatva and Helix suggest laying plywood or a bunkie board over them. A bunkie board is a low, flat platform for a mattress. Some brands refuse a board or a box spring under their mattresses, so read your own warranty before you add either.

A foundation or box spring wears out too, and Saatva suggests a new one if yours is over seven years old or starting to sag. If you’re replacing yours anyway, Saatva’s foundation is about $355 for a queen and carries a lifetime warranty.

Checking costs nothing, and it might turn out to be the whole fix. Worth a few minutes on your knees with a flashlight, right?

Is it deep enough for a warranty claim?

Yes, if it measures past your warranty’s line and the bed sits on a base the brand accepts.

Helix and Thuma both take claims with photos, so keep yours with your proof of purchase. Thuma also wants the label stitched to the mattress left on.

Saatva replaces a defective mattress for free in the first two years, then charges $149 to repair and re-cover it.

If yours passes both checks, a few photos might be all it takes.

What if the warranty won’t cover it?

Then start with the free fixes and work up.

Turn it around

Turning the mattress head to foot puts your hips on a part of the bed that hasn’t sunk yet. Read the guide to rotating a mattress before you do, and check your own brand’s advice, since Nectar asks you not to rotate its beds. It’s free, and it might be all you need for a while.

Prop it up from underneath

An insert slides between the mattress and the base, right under the low spot, and lifts it from below. It’s a way to buy time on a mattress you’re not ready to replace.

Mattress ReNew is a thin mat of 12 small air zones that you pump up under the sag. It starts at about $50 at its own site, with a 30-day money-back window.

The company says it works on foam, spring and hybrid beds, but I couldn’t find an independent test of it or of any kit like it.

If your side has sunk and your partner’s hasn’t, the Hombys kit on Amazon could be the one. Its three high-density foam pads stack where one side needs more lift, and you can cut them to fit just the sag.

Skip the pillows under the mattress. They give it uneven support, and that can wear it out faster.

Will a topper fix a sagging mattress?

No. A topper sits on top of the dip, so it can change how the dip feels, but it can’t put back the support underneath.

For a shallow dip you can’t claim, a topper is still a fair stopgap, and a thicker, denser one does more over a sag.

Toppers wear out in a few years too, so think of one as a bridge to your next mattress.

Best for a dip you can’t claimSaatva Graphite Memory Foam Topper

• Saatva about $305
• Amazon see price

Best for: a mattress with a shallow dip that you can’t claim on or can’t replace yet.

If you sleep on your side, your hips and shoulders press hardest into the bed, and that’s often where a dip shows up first. Its 3 in of memory foam should give your hip something to settle into before it reaches the dip.

On a tired mattress, shoppers say it made the whole bed feel like new again, and that’s a lot to ask of a topper!

Specs3 in thick

Thickness

3 in

Foam

Memory foam with graphite

Cover

Organic cotton, spot clean only

Trial

180 nights

Warranty

1-year limited

Want a longer warranty? The Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt has a 10-year one, for about $359 at Tempur-Pedic. Good Housekeeping names it ideal for a bed that’s starting to sag, but there are no returns on it.

For less, the Tuft & Needle topper is about $250 at Tuft & Needle, with 100 nights to try it. At 2 in, it’s the thinnest of the three, so it might not do much over a deep dip.

Next to about $2,150 for a new queen like ours at Saatva, the Tuft & Needle is a much easier bill while you decide what’s next.

Should you get a topper or a new mattress?

Get a topper if the mattress is only a few years old and the dip is shallow. If it’s out of warranty, the dip is deep and the bed’s coming up on a decade, put the topper money toward a new one.

A dip from the materials wearing out is there to stay. Nectar counts a sag over 1.5 in, or waking up in pain, as a sign yours is due. The guide to how long a mattress lasts covers the other signs.

Here’s hoping yours has a few good years left in it.

I sold contract-grade furniture from 2016. More about who runs it.