Should You Flip Your Mattress?

Your grandparents probably flipped their mattresses so does that mean you should also flip your modern mattress? While many things from our grandparents’ era are worth keeping around (hello, best apple pie recipe ever) the notion that we have to flip our mattresses in order to keep them comfortable, prevent uneven wear, and extend their lifespan probably doesn’t apply to your new mattress.

Instead of flipping your mattress, the Sleep Experts™ now recommend that you rotate your mattress to prolong lifespan and get the most out of your bed. To help us dispel the myths about flipping a mattress, Mattress Firm Sleep Expert™ Bradley Campbell gives us the lowdown on what you should know about flipping your mattress versus rotating your mattress.

Your weekend might involve flipping pancakes, flipping burgers on the barbecue or flipping out over a new season of your favorite show dropping, but should it involve flipping your mattress? Probably not, and here’s why.

In the past, even the best mattresses were made with one layer of coils wrapped in a fabric cover. These were double-sided mattresses, meaning both sides were identical, regardless of which side was touching the box spring and which was the sleeping surface. This meant you got the same support and sleep (or lack thereof), no matter how you flung your mattress onto the box spring. Thankfully, unless you’ve got a really old mattress, construction has seen plenty of advancement since the days of creaky, pokey coils.

Most of today’s mattress manufacturers (including all mattresses sold at Mattress Firm) are one-sided mattresses, meaning have one dedicated side that's meant to be slept on. This applies to all traditional innerspring mattresses as well as other mattress types. That side is constructed with several layers of support. These layers are designed to form a supportive core with at least one comfort layer above this. Flipping a modern mattress would then result in your sleeping on a base, not the layer designed to optimize sleep for your needs and sleep position.

“Most modern mattresses start off softer on top and get firmer as you go down,” Campbell says. “Those top layers absorb that energy so less and less energy actually makes its way to the coil or dense foam. The fact that we don’t flip them anymore actually opens the door to having mattresses that are built to be so much more comfortable and so much more supportive but also last longer.”

Campbell mentions that anyone concerned that not flipping a mattress means it’ll increase wear and tear can rest soundly. Simply sleeping on it puts pressure on both the surface of the mattress and the bottom.

He does point out that while flipping your mattress isn’t the best, it’s likely you can flip a mattress topper or mattress protector. So long as the foam is one layer thick, you’ll get the same sleeping experience on both sides.

• Modern mattresses are designed to be one sided and shouldn’t be flipped
• Flipping won’t prolong the life of your mattress if it’s a modern one and especially if you have a new bed
• It’s recommended to instead rotate your mattress semi-regularly (see below)

While the above applies to all modern innerspring mattresses, is it also the case for other mattress types out there? Here’s a breakdown of a few of the most common types you can find today:

Should You Flip Memory Foam Mattresses?

Even all-foam mattresses are constructed with a correct side to sleep on.

• Memory foam mattresses shouldn’t be flipped
• Flipping a memory foam mattress eliminates the cooling and cushioning effects of the dense lower layer, which you’ll be lying on top of directly

Should you flip hybrid mattresses?

Hybrid mattresses are constructed as one-sided mattresses like innersprings. In fact, hybrids often have more complex combinations of coils and foam (hence the name), which are almost always designed to only provide comfort and support on one side.

• Hybrid mattresses shouldn’t be flipped
• Flipping a hybrid mattress could actually cause adverse effects, like back pain and poor sleep quality

Now that we know flipping a modern mattress is a bad idea, what can be done to prolong the life of your bed? Simply rotating it 180 degrees will do the trick.

“The bulk of our weight is carried in our midsection,” Campbell says. “Most humans are built that way so the most amount of pressure on the mattress is always going to fall in the upper third or the lower third of the mattress, depending on you rotating it.”

Rotating a mattress will help with using the entire surface on the mattress, rather than just a few spots.

While rotating your mattress, Campbell also recommends putting on socks and gently walking around on the ends of the mattress. Since those areas don’t support much weight, it can be helpful to add some pressure so the mattress breaks in evenly on all sections.

If you have a king-size bed, which is 76”x80”, you can even rotate your bed 90 degrees (or a quarter-turn). If done evenly, the long side will only hang off by two inches on either side, which is a small enough overhang that it won't be noticeable for you sleeping on it, and won't diminish the support layers within the mattress itself.

For the first few years of ownership, Campbell says regular rotation on your bed frame once per quarter, as a rule of thumb, will make the most out of the layers of comfort and support. After that you can switch to rotating it twice per year as a general rule.

Before You Rotate Your Mattress

• Rotate once per quarter for first few years of ownership
• Rotate twice per year after those first few years

What to Do When Nothing Feels Comfortable

Rotating your mattress can help keep it comfortable and supportive, but all mattresses have a lifespan. Regardless of the mattress company, the average mattress lasts from 7 to 10 years, so if you’re approaching those years, it could be time to break up with your current mattress. If it’s noticeably sagging, no longer comfortable, or doesn’t feel like it used to, it could be time for an upgrade.

The Sleep Experts™ at Mattress Firm are always available to find the right mattress for your sleeping style, whether you prefer to shop online in your pajamas or in store.