How Often Should I Flip Or Turn My Mattress?

Flipping your mattress is one of those tasks that's easy to forget. But regularly flipping or rotating your mattress can actually add years to its life span.

Making sure you're sleeping in a different spot every few months ensures even wear all over which prevents certain areas from sagging – but you can’t flip or rotate all mattresses.

So how often should you flip your mattress? Do you have a flippable mattress, or does it need rotating? Find out how and when to do it in our helpful guide.

What is the difference between flipping and rotating a mattress?

Each mattress type is different. Most mattresses are built to be rotated rather than flipped, and flipping one that isn’t designed to be can damage it or void its warranty. Doing so could also impact its comfort, too!

Before we get started, here’s the difference between flipping and turning a mattress:

• Rotate your mattress by turning it 180 degrees. Where your feet lay will now be where your head rests.
• Flip your mattress by turning it over to lay on the other side that was facing the floor.

Rotating a mattress

The majority of mattresses are meant to be rotated unless the manufacturer has stated otherwise in the product details, such as a lot of latex mattress, hybrid mattress, pillow top mattress, and memory foam mattress. If you live alone, you’ll be pleased to read that rotating a mattress is much easier than flipping it.

Make sure you rotate your mattress topper too!

Why should I rotate my mattress?

Even the best mattress needs rotating. Turning your mattress regularly allows the memory foam or springs to recover. If you constantly lie in the same spot for months, it will eventually conform to the shape of your body. You’ll end up with dips and lumps that can ruin a good night’s sleep.

Rotating a mattress evens out the wear patterns and allows the foam layers and springs to regain their original shape. This prolongs the lifespan of your mattress. It also ensures that you keep your spine in that all-important neutral position and prevents pressure points from developing – otherwise you can experience back pain, neck aches, and muscle stiffness. If you notice any of these things, make sure to rotate your mattress.

How often should I rotate my mattress?

If you want to avoid those uncomfortable lumps, bumps, and dips, you should turn your mattress every three to six months. This will depend on the type of mattress and its age. The older the mattress, the more often it should be turned.

How do I turn my mattress?

The goal behind rotating your non-turnable mattress is for the mattress to take a 180-degree turn without flipping over. For maximum gain, you can plan out your turns for the year to make sure you're always on time with your rotations.

1. Before you start, make sure to move any furniture away from the bed to avoid any accidents.
2. Use the handles provided on the mattress and test that you can manage the weight. Some mattresses are heavier than they look – if you can, get someone to help you rotate the mattress.
3. To do a 180-degree rotation, simply move the head of the mattress to the foot of the bed.
4. If you have a slatted bed frame, make sure all the slats are in place before laying on the bed. Moving the mattress can sometimes move them out of place.

Which mattresses can’t be rotated?

Some mattresses can’t be rotated because they’ve been designed for a specific purpose with special features. For example, zoned comfort support mattresses provide extra support to certain areas like hips and shoulders while feeling softer in other areas. So if you rotate this type of mattress, your body will be missing out on this feature which can also result in a worse night’s sleep and less comfort.

Flipping a mattress

Most mattresses should not be flipped unless explicitly stated by the manufacturer. If your mattress is double-sided, this can be both rotated and flipped – one side may be firmer than the other, so you have a choice in comfort.

Why should you flip your mattress?

Regularly flipping your mattress prevents a body impression which causes sagging in one area. Instead, the steel coils don’t wear out prematurely as your weight is spread evenly across the mattress.

How often should you flip your mattress?

You should flip your mattress once every six months. However, you should check any information that came with your mattress including labels, which will give guidance on how often you should flip it. If you no longer have the mattress care information, you can look up your mattress online. There should also be information in the mattress’ warranty booklet.

How do I flip my mattress?

If your mattress is double-sided then you can flip it over regularly. Bear in mind that memory foam mattresses are single-sided. They’re known as no-turn mattresses and shouldn’t be flipped, but simply rotated from top to bottom every six months.

1. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations and ensure that your mattress is turnable.
2. Strip the bed and make sure the area around the bed frame is clear. If necessary, move the bed frame away from the wall so it doesn’t damage either the bed or the paintwork/wallpaper.
3. If your mattress has turning handles, use these to position the mattress so that the end is hanging over the bottom of the bed frame. Using the handles, raise the mattress up on its edge, supporting the corners.
4. Flip the mattress over and reposition.
5. Large mattresses can be difficult to move on your own. For doubles, queens, and king-size mattresses it’s best to ask for help to avoid injuring yourself or damaging your mattress.

Which mattress types can’t be flipped?

Before modern mattresses, flipping your mattress was the norm. However, there is a much greater choice of mattresses available today. Options such as a memory foam, latex, hybrid, and pillow-top mattresses have been built with strategically placed layers of foam which means they are one-sided. Flipping one-sided mattresses leads to excess pressure on the comfort layer, causing irreversible damage to the mattress.

Plus, flipping a one-sided mattress means you’ll be sleeping on tough springs which are incredibly uncomfortable. With these styles, it's quite easy to tell that they're one-sided; the bottom layer is usually a different colour, and the mattress won’t have any comfort layers. Check out our guide to no flip mattresses to find out whether you might prefer one.

Can you flip a memory foam mattress?

No, you cannot. Memory foam mattresses only have the foam layer on the top side of your mattress. Flipping it over means that you’ll be lying on the uncomfortable side that hasn’t been designed for being slept on.

Instead, it's usually recommended to rotate it 180 degrees every three to six months to ensure even wear. For more information, you can read our Memory Foam Mattress Buying Guide.

Mattress turning and flipping FAQs

Here, we answer the most common questions about mattress turning and flipping.

Do I need to rotate my Emma mattress?

Yes, rotate your Emma mattress, but do not flip it. The manufacturer recommends that you rotate it once a month for the first six months, then every three months after that.

How often should I turn my mattress if I’m the only person who sleeps on it?

If only one person is sleeping on a mattress, it still needs to be turned regularly to prevent lumps and dips from forming. This should be done every three to six months. 

If you consistently sleep in the same position, rotating the mattress will allow it to recover its original shape. The frequency that you turn your mattress will also depend on other factors including the size and weight of the sleeper, the age of the mattress, and mattress type.

Should I turn my mattress if one person is heavier?

The simple answer is yes. If one partner is heavier, then rotating your mattress more often will help to avoid dips and sagging. If there is a considerable difference in size and weight between the two partners, rotate the mattress every three months rather than every six months.

Should I turn my guest mattress?

If your guest mattress and mattress topper are used sporadically rather than every night like your own, then you could rotate it once a year, depending on how often it is used, or you may want to choose a sofa bed instead.