Mattress Settlement and Turning: Your Complete Guide (2026)

Your new mattress will dip where you sleep. That isn't a fault. It's the mattress doing its job. Here's how to keep it even, and when to stop worrying.

Mattress settlement is the natural process of your bed moulding to your body, and turning your mattress regularly keeps it even. Every handmade mattress settles. After more than 40 years in beds, I can tell you that most people who phone us about a 'faulty' mattress are really looking at settlement. In this guide, I'll explain why it happens, how often to turn a natural mattress, how to turn a heavy one, and when a dip really needs a look. By the end you'll know whether your bed needs turning, a new topper, or a visit from us.

The short answer

• Dips in a new natural mattress are normal. The fillings are shaping to you.
• Turn it once a month for the first year, then four times a year.
• Top to tail one month, flip it over the next, so you use all four sleeping areas.
• Check your topper first. The dip is often in the topper, not the mattress.
• Feel the springs? Then the fillings have gone, and it's time to act.

Why Has My New Mattress Got Dips in It?

Quick answer: Because natural fillings settle and mould to your body. Horsehair, wool and cotton compact as you sleep on them. Foam and latex don't, which is why foam owners never see it.

When a handmade mattress arrives, it has incredible loft. There's air in it, it's fluffy, and it feels great. As you use it, those loose fillings compact, and the bed starts to bed in. It moulds to your body shape.

That's what natural fillings are designed to do. They keep you in one spot for as long as possible and get you to deep sleep as quickly as possible.

How fast it happens depends on you. Someone light won't see much settlement. A heavier person, say 100 to 130kg, will see it sooner because the fillings work harder.

Most people think they've got a faulty mattress when they've got settlement.

Brent Cooper

Is Mattress Settlement a Fault or Normal Wear?

Quick answer: Normal. A mattress that shapes to you lets your muscles switch off, and that's how you reach deep sleep. The British habit of wanting a mattress flat as a pancake is a preference, not a need.

When I first sold Hästens, the owner asked me a question. 'You English are crazy,' he said. 'We make this bed so it will shape to your body. The minute it starts shaping to your body, you think you've got a fault, and you turn it over.'

He never turned his own bed. It fitted him perfectly, so why would he?

He had a point. If a mattress isn't moulding to you, parts of your body go unsupported, your muscle groups can't shut down and you keep turning over. You won't hit deep sleep. (I go into this more in How Mattress Quality Affects Deep Sleep and Recovery.)

So why do we still tell you to turn? Partly because people like it looking flat. And partly because it keeps a heavily filled mattress even for longer. Do you need to turn it all the time? Probably not. Should you? I'd say yes.

How Often Should I Turn a Natural Mattress?

Quick answer: Once a month for the first year, then seasonally: four times a year. Every Marshall and Stewart mattress needs turning, not just rotating.

• Year one: monthly. The fillings are still compacting, so this is when turning matters most.
• After year one: every two to three months. The fillings have settled enough that you won't make a new impression.
• Heavier sleepers: turn more often, as the fillings compact quicker.

Most handmade beds at this level follow the same pattern. Further down the market the advice changes. A mass-produced mattress usually carries a label saying 'seasonal' from day one, because there's far less filling in it to compact.

You may also hear about 'no turn' mattresses that you only rotate. Those have all their filling on one side, so there's nothing underneath to turn onto. They can feel good for the price, but the real price you pay is longevity. Expect them to stay comfortable for maybe five or six years.

How Do I Turn a Heavy Mattress Properly?

Quick answer: Turn it top to tail one month, then flip it over the next. Always use two people. A Koh-I-Noor weighs about 120kg.

• Month one: top to tail. Swing it round so your feet are where your head was.
• Month two: flip it over. Now you're sleeping on the other side.
• Repeat. Over four months you'll have used all four sleeping areas.

Your weight sits between your hip and shoulder, so you use only the top half of the bed. Turning spreads that across the whole mattress. And something clever happens: once the indentations are underneath, the weight of the mattress and two people on it flattens them back out. You do the repair work underneath while you sleep on top.

Most people manage with family. I always joke with customers: when you invite people round for dinner, don't give them anything to eat or drink until they've helped you turn your mattress.

The bed is for sleeping on, not sitting on.

Brent Cooper

One habit to avoid: sitting up in bed for hours. We've seen a teenager sit against the headboard gaming on his laptop and put a big dent in a new mattress within months.

Can Someone Turn My Mattress for Me?

Yes. If you can't manage it, our team will come out and service it for you. Douglas takes photographs first, then stands the mattress on its side, shakes it, massages it, and works the fillings through the cover to get air back in. Then he turns it and photographs it again, so you can see the before and after. One customer has had us out every six months since 2011.

When Is a Dip in My Mattress a Real Problem?

Quick answer: When you can feel the tops of the springs. That means the fillings have gone, and you need either a new topper or a new mattress. Before that, it's settlement.

Ask yourself two questions first.

1. Do you have a topper, and when did you last change it? When we go out to see a dip, we often take the topper off and the mattress underneath is flat. The topper has been doing the heavy lifting of holding and shaping you. Toppers last three to five years. Think of them like the tyres on a car: after 20,000 or 30,000 miles you check the tread and change them. A new mattress topper makes your bed feel newer and more luxurious, not softer. The firmness is set by the spring.

2. Has it ever been turned? A mattress that's never turned keeps compacting and starts to feel slightly firmer than it did when it was new. The fillings still regulate temperature and wick away moisture, but you lose loft. Our servicing can often recover it. If it's gone too far, we leave it and put a proper topper on top.

When you can feel the tops of the springs, the fillings are gone.

Brent Cooper

Is Mattress Settlement Covered by the Guarantee?

No. Our guarantees cover the frame and the spring. Nobody in the industry guarantees the fillings, because they will always compact. The good news is the spring usually outlasts its guarantee, often 20 to 25 years, so a new topper on a good spring is like having a new mattress.

Looking after a bed properly is part of why it lasts. It's this kind of care that saw Marshall and Stewart named Best Bespoke Luxury Bed Manufacturer 2026 by SME News.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you turn a handmade mattress?

Once a month for the first year, while the natural fillings are bedding in. After that, turn it seasonally, about four times a year. Heavier sleepers should turn it more often.

What is the difference between turning and rotating a mattress?

Rotating swings the mattress top to tail. Turning flips it over onto the other side. A double-sided handmade mattress needs both. A one-sided 'no turn' mattress can only be rotated.

Is a dip in a new mattress a fault?

Usually not. Natural fillings compact and mould to your body, which is what helps you reach deep sleep. It becomes a problem when you can feel the tops of the springs.

Does a mattress guarantee cover settlement?

No. Guarantees cover the frame and the spring. Nobody in the industry guarantees the fillings, because natural fillings always compact with use.

Does a topper mean I don't need to turn my mattress?

No. A topper takes much of the wear, so the dip is often in the topper. The mattress underneath still needs turning to keep its fillings even.