How Often Should You Flip Your Mattress

Helen Skeates
Helen Skeates
18 min read

You should flip your mattress at different intervals depending on the model you have. It can be as frequent as once a year or as infrequent as once every six months. However, you should make turning your mattress a regular part of your upkeep to avoid sagging.

Our mattress, like the pillows we sleep on, will eventually break in and become more comfortable as we use it. The pressure will be distributed more uniformly if you turn it over. You may learn more about this method down below.

5 Benefits of A Good Mattress

1. Achieve Adequate, Quality Nighttime Sleep

The major benefit of a good mattress over a bad one is that you always get a decent night’s sleep or nap. Depending on the mattress kind, you may either experience blissful pressure alleviation, well-supported spinal alignment, or both!

How Often Should You Flip Or Rotate Your Mattress? - Amerisleep

An excellent mattress will enhance your slumber rather than disrupt it. Signs that it’s time to replace your mattress include nightly discomfort, trouble falling asleep, and waking up in pain. If you suffer from persistent back discomfort, click here to read about the best mattresses for your condition.

2. Promote Good Form and Posture

It’s possible that people don’t even realize how frequently they switch sleeping positions throughout the night. Maintaining or enhancing one’s shape and posture is possible with the help of the correct mattress. If you sleep in the same position night after night, you need a mattress that supports that position.

When you sleep on your side, like a baby, you put a lot of pressure on your neck and back, which can lead to pain in those areas. Since it will be forced against the mattress, it may also impede blood flow to the arms and shoulders. Sleeping on your right side, in particular, puts extra strain on your internal organs.

Memory foam mattresses, thankfully, have side sleepers covered. Because of the material’s reactivity, the spine can be supported and pressure spots can be cushioned. However, if you choose a mattress that isn’t designed for side sleepers, you may end up putting unnecessary strain on your spine and joints. Thus, when looking for a mattress, it is important to consider your preferred sleeping posture.

3. Keep Your Mental and Emotional Health in Check

It’s true that a subpar mattress can disrupt your zzz’s. Constantly sleeping on a poor quality mattress may cause sleeplessness at first, but in the long run, it may cause you to become sleep deprived. The mental and emotional health of an individual can take a severe hit from chronic sleep deprivation, which has been related to a variety of negative outcomes both immediately and over time.

Some of the most prevalent psychological and emotional side effects of insufficient sleep are as follows:

  • Inability to think clearly and attentively.
  • Brings on sleepiness and yawning during the day.
  • Induces a state of emotional instability and agitation.
  • Mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and ADD/ADHD are exacerbated (ADHD).
  • Creates an environment where thinking and performance suffer.

If you invest in a high-quality mattress, you’ll reduce your risk of developing any of the aforementioned health problems while you snooze. Keep in mind that even with the most comfortable bed, you probably won’t get the finest sleep possible.

4. Develop an Inclination to Your Sleeping

Unfortunately, a terrible mattress is just one of the numerous individual factors that can cause people to dislike sleeping. Another issue is that some people are so busy working, studying, and socializing that they neglect to get enough rest. You may be able to get your sleep back to normal with a high-quality mattress.

If you’re not feeling rested after a night in bed, your mattress could be to blame. Creating a relaxing bedroom setting can also help you get more shut-eye.

Make sure you give yourself the luxury of a good night’s sleep. Find out how to make your bedroom more conducive to restful sleep:

  • Only sleep or have personal moments in bed.
  • Lessen the amount of background noise and other interruptions.
  • Bring the temperature down to a comfortable level, preferably around 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18.3 degrees Celsius.
  • Put all electronics out of children’s reach.
  • Keep everything as clean and simple as possible
  • Color your bedroom with warmer tones.

5. Get the Most Out of Your Purchase

The current market price of mattresses is not funny. It’s not easy to put up money for a mattress, even the cheapest option, especially if you’re already juggling a lot of other bills.

A high-quality bed is an investment that will last a lifetime. If you take good care of your mattress, it should last you at least a few years.

You should compare the typical lifespans of various mattress types.

  • 5–6.5 years for an innerspring
  • Approximately 6–7 years for foam
  • Age range for latex: 5-8.5 years
  • Five to seven and a half years for hybrids

How Often Should You Flip Or Rotate Your Mattress?

The frequency with which you must rotate your mattress depends on the type of material it is made from. You should turn your innerspring, latex, or memory foam mattress at least twice yearly for optimal use. However, older innerspring models need to be rotated more frequently, up to five times a year.

The most important thing you can do for your mattress is to stick to your regularly scheduled rotations and flips. This will prevent any one spot on your mattress from sagging or denting by distributing the weight of your body evenly throughout its surface. Some mattresses, however, should not be rotated or flipped.

Since the bottom of a Tempurpedic, for example, is always intended to be flat, flipping the mattress is useless. The support you get from some products is designed to be provided in a particular zone, and rotating them will eliminate that zone. Therefore, it is imperative that you constantly check the care instructions included with your mattress.

How to flip or rotate your mattress

When you have someone hold the opposite end of the mattress, it’s much simpler to rotate or flip it. When you rotate a mattress, its foot becomes its head, and vice versa when you alter its top and bottom sides. It is possible to perform both the rotation and the flip simultaneously.

How Often Should You Flip Or Rotate Your Mattress? (+ VIDEO!)

Is It Good To Flip Your Mattress?

Because we’ve been talking more about rotation than flipping in the preceding paragraphs, you might be a little lost. This is due to the fact that while rotating a mattress is beneficial for the vast majority of mattresses, flipping them is not. However, flipping is acceptable for a compatible mattress if done properly.

Using both sides simultaneously will increase its useful life, as well as its comfort and support. However, keep in mind that there are some things you simply cannot resell. Turning the mattress over will negate the benefits of its many layers, which are designed to be experienced only when lying on their intended sides. To avoid problems, you should only flip innerspring and old mattresses.

Because of the different materials used in each layer, multilayered mattresses do not require regular flipping. The top is where you will always want to lie, yet the foundation is still necessary. Checking the product’s labeling for instructions is another option.

Non-flippable vs flippable mattresses

Mattresses with a support core and comfort system can’t be flipped. The bottom is the most important layer since it provides stability and is made of dense foam or springs. However, turning a mattress might be harmful because the top layer typically contains softer materials.

When the cushioning material shifts to the underside, comfort and support are also compromised. You run the risk of indenting the mattress since the top is excessively stiff and the softer layers are underneath. On the other hand, if your mattress is double-sided and equally comfortable on both sides, you can flip it to get twice as much use out of it.

Is It Good To Rotate Your Mattress?

Assuming your mattress isn’t designated for certain comfort levels, rotating it regularly can help distribute your body’s weight and reduce uneven wear. Always remember that the sections of the mattress where your hips and shoulders rest are the most susceptible to sinking due to persistent pressure, and rotate the mattress often to prevent this. Mattresses of all varieties (latex, memory foam, innerspring, and hybrids) can be rotated if the manufacturer permits it.

How Often Should You Switch Out Your Mattress?

If you rotate or flip your mattress often, you can keep it from sagging or denting before its time. Because you are spreading the weight across the mattress, the flat surface will continue to provide you with optimal support even as it wears. Flipping and turning your mattress can help extend its life, but it won’t last forever if you only do that.

It is recommended that you replace your mattress every six years, although this number might vary widely depending on the sort of mattress you have and how often you sleep on it. It could be whenever you start to experience a reduction in the quality of your sleep, whether that’s later or sooner. Damages, stains, odors, and discoloration of the mattress are all possible after so much use.

As a mattress matures, you may start to feel clumps or hear noises. Due to the buildup of allergens, it may also cause an increase in sneezing and scratching. A worn-out mattress can’t be revitalized by just being flipped or rotated.

How to Keep Your Mattress in Good Shape Longer

We’ve compiled ten of the most effective strategies for taking care of your mattress and avoiding potential catastrophes.

1. Make sure your mattress is properly supported.

It’s important to make sure your mattress has the correct amount of support, even though you don’t always need to buy the matching box spring or foundation with a new mattress. This aids in maintaining materials and delaying wear.

For suggestions, you can either contact the maker or read the guarantee. Memory foam mattresses and other speciality mattresses typically demand strong, stable support, hence box springs are typically exclusively utilized with spring mattresses.

Bed frames should be sturdy enough to hold the mattress and occupants; for this reason, queen and king sizes should have center support bars. A mattress of a certain type and weight on a platform bed with wide slats may necessitate the use of supplemental slats.

Every year or so, you should inspect the slats and springs supporting your bed to make sure they are in good working order and not causing damage to your mattress.

2. Use a mattress protector from the beginning.

One of the finest and simplest ways to extend the life of your bed is to use a mattress protector, the advantages of which we have discussed in the past.

Waterproof protection against mishaps is just one of the many benefits of a high-quality mattress protector, which also helps keep your bed free of allergens and other nasties.

In addition to preventing allergens like mildew and dust mites from accumulating on your bed, this also helps preserve the life of the materials within your mattress. Many modern protectors are as comfortable as a fitted sheet while also being easy to wipe up after mishaps.

3. Wash bed linens regularly.

Sweat, oils, hair, and dead skin cells are all shed during sleep. Crumbs from breakfast in bed and cat fur are just two examples of the mess that can be tracked into the bedroom. All of this, in addition to being gross, can permeate a mattress, providing a fertile environment for bacteria and dust mites.

Most housekeeping guides recommend washing bedding once every week to twice every two weeks. The use of a mattress protector does not excuse the necessity of regularly washing bed sheets and pillowcases. It is also recommended that the mattress protector be washed on a regular basis as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

4. Get pets separate beds to snuggle in.

Instead than letting pets sleep on your bed, it’s best to buy them a bed of their own.

Just like people, even the cleanest of pets go outdoors, drool, and lose hair and cells, and all of that ends up on your bed. It’s not uncommon for pets to have accidents, either, which can seriously damage a mattress.

5. Rotate the mattress regularly.

Regularly rotating a mattress of any size or material is recommended. Although not all manufacturers recommend it, rotating can help ensure your tires wear evenly and prevent depressions or soft spots.

Turn it from head to foot 180 degrees every 2-4 months. This is especially crucial during the first two years, while you are “breaking in” the mattress.

6. No jumping on the bed!

Your mother’s warnings about not jumping on the bed were sound advice. Although spring, water, and air mattresses may be the most susceptible to harm from rigorous usage, foundations, frames, and foams will all wear out more quickly under heavy use.

7. Take care when moving your mattress.

Avoid creases and tears by encasing your mattress in plastic before you move. The mattress can be protected from dust, water, and scratches by using a heavy-duty mattress bag, which can be purchased at most moving and box stores and sealed shut with tape.

It is recommended that mattresses be moved while standing on their sides to prevent folding or sagging. Manufacturers of mattress covers with handles often advise against utilizing the handles for the purpose of dragging or transporting the mattress.

8. Don’t bring home unwanted hitchhikers.

One of the quickest ways to damage a mattress is by infesting it with bedbugs, which can be tough to get rid of once they’ve set up shop.

Keep your luggage off the floor and check the bed for symptoms of bed bugs whenever you stay somewhere other than your own house. You may avoid getting bedbugs back into your house by following these recommendations from Texas A&M University.

Using a mattress encasement designed to prevent bedbugs is a good idea if you live in an apartment or in a portion of the country where these pests are abundant. These are superior than mattress protectors since they completely encase the mattress and have locking zippers to keep bugs out.

9. Let the light in occasionally.

If you can, take your mattress out into the sun and open the windows for a few hours once every two months (though if bedbugs are possible, leave the cover on).

According to research conducted at Kingston University, this helps eliminate moisture problems caused by both sleepers and humidity, and it also has the potential to reduce the prevalence of dust mites.

10. Follow manufacturer cleaning directions.

Regular cleaning of any mattress is recommended for both the health of the sleeper and the mattress itself.

Most mattresses may be cleaned with a hose attachment vacuum to get rid of surface dust and most manufacturers will give cleaning instructions for stains and regular maintenance.

Mild water and soap can be used to spot treat stains, but you should wait until they are dry before changing the bed. Harsh chemical cleansers should be avoided on foams since they can compromise the durability of the foam.

Should You Flip or Rotate Your Mattress? | Sleep Foundation

Vacuuming should be done once every one to three months, and stains should be cleaned as needed, depending on dust levels, allergies, or personal taste.

The fundamentals of mattress care and maintenance are same across mattress kinds and manufacturers. In short, make sure the bed is always clean, safe, well-supported, and rotated to achieve uniform wear.

There are a lot of variables that affect how long a mattress will last, but following these guidelines will help you get the most out of your investment and sleep soundly for years to come. Know that a 10-year guarantee on your mattress is regarded industry standard, whether you’re shopping at a traditional brick-and-mortar store or one of the new bed-in-a-box mattress providers.

Conclusion

Is it your goal to provide your mattress a longer useful life? Do you know how often you should flip your mattress? The answer is conditional on the nature of the mattress’s construction and the availability of such features.

Before flipping or rotating a mattress, it’s a good idea to double-check the label to see whether special sections or edges shouldn’t be disturbed. Other than that, rotating or flipping your mattress once a year should be sufficient to even out the wear.

Helen Skeates

Helen Skeates

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