How Often Should You Flip Your Mattress?

You’ve probably heard before that you should flip your mattress every so often in order to keep it in its best shape.

However, many people don’t know why, or may not even be doing it at all because it feels too difficult!

If you’re one of those people, don’t worry — here’s all the information you need in order to understand why you should flip your mattress, when to flip your mattress, and how to do it most effectively.

Why Is It Suggested That You Flip Your Mattress?

Is this suggestion a wives tale, or does it hold some merit?

The truth is, numerous modern mattresses aren’t actually meant to be flipped.

With the advances in mattress technology that have happened over the last ten years or so, many beds are one-sided. This means they possess a specifically layered structure, where one side is meant to be on top and the other is meant to be on the bottom.

These mattresses should not be flipped over, because it may actually cause harm to your spine and the mattress itself, rather than being good for both.

However, if you have a mattress that was made over ten years ago, or you have a two-sided mattress, then you’ll have to flip yours every so often.

Your bed is likely designed to need flipping on a regular basis, as a part of its design rather than as a general suggestion.

Doing this helps you avoid sagging caused by sleeping in the same position every night, which can result in your spine adjusting out of alignment, while also shortening the lifespan of your bed.

What Are the Types of Mattresses, and When Should I Flip Them?

Depending on the source, you may find differing information on each type of mattress. However, there are generally four different varieties that most beds can be sorted into.

Innerspring Mattress

The innerspring mattress is what most people think of when they envision a bed meant to be flipped regularly.

For a long time, these were the standard mattress design found everywhere. Nowadays, even though they are still manufactured, they are much less common.

However, if you do have an innerspring mattress, you should flip it once every three to six months or so. If you do not like tight schedules, then simply aim to flip your innerspring mattress two to four times per year.

Pillow-Top Innerspring Mattress

While this mattress is an innerspring design like the first type, it has a specific side that should be facing up.

Flipping a pillow-top innerspring mattress can actually harm your back and the bed itself, so be sure to leave this type alone.

Instead, you should rotate it once every other month, or if it is consistently showing signs of wear, then once each month.

Memory Foam Mattress

While several memory foam mattress companies will tell you that their beds require no flipping or rotating, your mattress can still benefit from a rotation every so often.

It is definitely less necessary than other mattress types, however; memory foam mattresses only need to be rotated once or twice a year in order to maintain them.

Some memory foam mattresses are the same on both sides and should be flipped as well as rotated, while some are meant to have one side up and should only be rotated.

Hybrid Memory Foam/Innerspring Mattress

These types are somewhat new, and require more maintenance than just memory foam mattresses. It’s generally recommended that you rotate these mattresses at least four times per year.

Hybrid mattresses are often heavier than traditional beds, so you may need to have someone help you.

How Do I Rotate or Flip My Mattress?

Rotate Mattress

Rotating your mattress means turning it 180 degrees without flipping it over.

To rotate your mattress, you’ll want the head to be where the feet were, and vice versa.

Though both rotating and flipping are relatively easy, rotating may actually be more difficult at times, because of the bulkiness of some mattresses.

Flip Mattress

Flipping your mattress means turning the bottom-side to the top, and vice versa.

Flipping a mattress is usually easy; you’ll want to lift it up, flip it around, then set it back down on the box spring.

If you’re going to flip and rotate it, it’s usually a good idea to flip, then rotate.

Here’s a video showing how to flip and rotate your mattress.

Conclusion

Though many modern-day beds don’t require you to flip them, rotating your mattress can still be a good idea no matter what type or design you have.

It’s also wise to rotate your box spring, for the same reasons; it can help keep your spine aligned and your box spring working well, leading to better, more restful sleep.

Either way, the choice is clear. Regularly rotating your mattress is helpful for you and the mattress both!

How often do you flip or rotate your mattress?