How Often You Should Flip or Rotate Your Mattress? Pros Weigh In

Your mattress needs rest, too. Manufacturers recommend either flipping or rotating it periodically to keep it in tip-top shape—every 6 months is perfect.

Flipping/rotating a mattress allows the mattress to wear evenly, according to Robert Schuster of Verlo Mattress. When a mattress is worn evenly, it extends the life of the mattress.

According to the Sleep Foundation, a mattress can last between seven and 10 years, on average. If you want yours to get you through as many sweet dreams as possible, here’s what you need to know about maintaining it.

How Often Should You Flip Your Mattress?

In general, Golub recommends rotating your mattress after six months, then yearly after. 
Check your mattress manufacturer’s guidelines to see what the recommended rotation schedule is, then make sure you get on it.

Interior designer and lifestyle blogger Chantelle Hartman Malarkey finds that flipping or rotating a mattress every six months will avoid those uneven spots that could lead to sleepless nights.

Schuster says Verlo customers are encouraged to flip or rotate their mattresses with every change in season. 

“If you don’t rotate your mattress, you risk the bed sagging where you lay, which will eventually begin to cause discomfort, back pain, and even poor-quality sleep,” Golub says.

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Should You Flip or Rotate Your Mattress?

Flipping and rotating are two different practices that can help extend the life of your mattress.

• Rotate: Turn the mattress 180 degrees so that the foot becomes the top and vice-versa. 
• Flip: Turn the mattress over like a large pancake so that the bottom becomes the top and vice-versa.

Mattresses to Rotate

These days, nearly all mattress types can benefit from a periodic rotation, in particular:

• Memory foam
• Latex
• Innerspring
• Hybrid

Mattresses to Flip  

Only mattresses with a two-sided design should be flipped. Byron Golub, the vice president of product and merchandising at Saatva, notes that flippable mattresses often feature two distinct designs on each side that alter the comfort level—the side you prefer is the side you should keep it on. 

“You should, however, rotate your mattress regularly to distribute the wear,” he explains.

Mattresses to Leave Alone

There’s a third category of mattresses that shouldn’t budge. Those designed with a “zoned comfort system” should stay put, according to the Sleep Foundation. A Sleep Number or other types of smart mattress would be a good example of one that you neither flip nor rotate.

Signs You Should Flip or Rotate Your Mattress

Malarkey says flipping or rotating your mattress accordingly prevents the “natural sag” in your mattress.

“This happens when you are sleeping in the same spot over and over again and applying pressure to that spot with your body,” she says. “Uneven spots on your mattress may lead to bad sleep since it may become uneven and uncomfortable.”

While Malarkey’s preferred mattress rotation schedule is once every six months, she says that if you start to feel a sag in your mattress sooner, it’s time to flip.