Are Flippable Mattresses Better?

Having a flippable mattress means you can extend the bed’s lifespan by giving each side a break from time to time. Flipping means that you enjoy the comfort of your mattress longer. Rotatable mattresses also offer more customizability if both sides have different levels of firmness. Firmness variety allows you to get excellent support, even if your comfort preferences change.

Pros and Cons of a Flippable Mattress

 

Pros of Flippable Mattresses: 

• More Sleeping Options
• Longer-lasting Mattress

 

Cons of Flippable Mattresses:

• More Exclusive Mattress Option
• Remembering to Utilize the Feature

 

Flippable mattresses used to be the norm because most people had an innerspring mattress in the past. It was considered an extra advantage to have the option to flip your mattress. When you can flip your bed, you can more evenly distribute the wear caused by pressure and use over time. Flipping makes the springs in the mattress last longer.

However, over time-reversible mattresses have become more desirable again for their versatility and durability. Many irreversible beds have been associated with a lack of robust support, and offer limited variety and comfort options.

Flippable mattresses haven’t gone out of style; it is just the construction of some mattresses have changed over time. Many of the economy foam mattresses are made by manufacturers using a firm polyurethane base with a soft topper layer such as memory foam or latex.  You could flip this hard base to be the top of the however it would be too firm to be comfortable. Too hard of a bottom base means that these mattresses only have a single firmness level determined by the top layer(s). They are relatively affordable as well because manufacturers make non-reversible beds with cheaper materials.

 

Types of reversible mattresses

An excellent option for a flippable is a natural latex foam mattress. These mattresses are known for being highly comfortable and durable. Natural latex mattresses are possibly the best flippable beds because of the resilient properties of latex foam. Natural latex foam gets its strength as more pressure is applied, and the mattress’s depth. The base layers of natural latex mattresses are slightly firmer but not too hard to be uncomfortable, unlike polyurethane foam. A medium-firm base layer makes them great as reversible beds.

Flippable innerspring mattresses can be hard to find online these days, but you can get them on auction sites or at brick and mortar home furniture shop if you’re a true fan of them. The best flippable innerspring mattress you can buy is a flippable hybrid mattress that utilizes some combination of latex foam or memory foam top and bottom layers along with a core of innerspring or pocketed coils.

 

Are Flippable Mattresses Still Available to Buy?

Flippable mattress manufacturers are more exclusive nowadays, but if you do research, you can find them. As we have mentioned most flippable mattresses in the past were innerspring. However today most of the reversible mattresses available are made of foam (which we would also recommend).

It’s common to find a flippable foam mattress with a medium firmness level on top and a firmer layer on the bottom. These mattresses offer a choice of pressure relief since if you need a firm and long-lasting mattress, it’s an option.

If you want a slightly softer flippable mattress, you can get something called a luxury firm with a mattress topper of soft natural latex. If you need more pressure relief but don’t like the texture of foam, an all-foam flippable pillow top mattress may be your best bet.

 

 

Pros and Cons of a Flippable Mattress

 

 

We’ll address these questions and more in the pros and cons and some common questions: How often should you flip your mattress, anyway? How much do flippable mattresses cost? If I get a reversible bed am I required to flip it? Some even dare to ask: What if I flip a non-flippable mattress?

 

Pros

More Sleeping Options

A two-sided mattress with a different firmness level on each side offers good value. You can have a soft and firm mattress in one. This is more important than many people think since peoples sleeping preferences change over time. For example, if you have been active and getting a lot of exercises, you might prefer the mattress’s soft side to promote recovery. If you have been experiencing back pain, you might want to flip the bed to the medium-firm to firm side to help with pain relief.

Also, since you will have a mattress for many years, your preference may change to either a softer or firmer mattress for comfort. Or if you need back pain relief one day but want to limit motion transfer the next, you can flip it over.  If you have a bed base with an ability to adjust, your sleeping options increase even further. Just tweak the angle a bit and flip it over for a whole new mattress feel.

 

Longer-lasting Mattress

A double-sided mattress’s primary benefit is that it will last longer because you can flip it to distribute the pressure applied more evenly. If you follow a proper flipping schedule, which varies depending on the mattress, this could work to increase the lifespan of your bed dramatically. It would help if you flipped a typical flip mattress every six months.

If you have an innerspring or pocketed coil mattress, flipping maintenance is even essential. You have to make sure that the same springs aren’t taking too much of the weight all the time. If you don’t remember or can’t be bothered to flip your mattress, it could have a shorter lifespan than the average mattress. This is because spring mattresses wear quickly and if you develop a sag in the bed, that sag will be felt on the other side once flipped as well.

However, with durability, the fundamental question for many is, “How Long Does this type of Mattress Last?”. Being able to flip a mattress will improve the durability but how much it helps is determined by the material’s durability. For example, Latex mattresses are very durable with an estimated lifespan of 10-20 years while sprung mattresses have a 3-4 years lifespan. Flipping a sprung mattress will help prolong the bed only an extra year or two while flipping a latex mattress will have a much more significant effect since it is already the more durable material.

 

Flippable Mattress Cons

Reversible Mattresses Can Be More Expensive

Higher quality materials generally mean a higher price tag. It’s as simple as that. Flippable mattresses have comfortable materials on both sides. These materials, such as pillowtop, memory foam, latex comfort foam, and others, are much more expensive than simple base foams or coils within the mattress. Flippable mattresses require more of these higher quality materials.

When it comes to flippable mattresses with different comfort or firmness levels on each side, you technically get two beds in one. So, a flippable mattress can justify a higher price tag.

 

More Limited Mattress Places to Purchase. 

A good reversible mattress can be more challenging to find in a traditional mattress store or home furniture shop where you will probably only find sprung mattresses. This also applies to good mattresses where beds with higher quality materials and advanced features are more commonly found online.

 

To Flip or Not to Flip

This is a one-sided battle. Flippable mattresses offer more variability for people who are serious about their shut-eye. With a double-sided mattress, you have a lot of benefits without any real tangible disadvantage since the increase in higher quality materials also makes the mattress as a whole more comfortable.

You may be able to get “two mattresses in one” with a flippable latex mattress, with both sides offering different levels of support and firmness. Is this compromise worth it in the long run? We think so because people change their preferences and it can be expensive to look for a new mattress.

A one-sided mattress can also cost a lot by way of reduced sleep quality. They don’t allow a degree of customization that other beds do, which can cause a headache (and a backache). However, there has been a reduction in the quality of materials used by many mattress manufacturers. This means there aren’t many brands to choose from these days, which provide flippable mattresses.

 

Do I Need to Rotate or Flip My Mattress

In some cases, you might be required to flip your mattress. This is more commonly true for sprung mattresses that need to be flipped to prolong the bed’s integrity. In general you are not required to flip latex foam mattresses but it is a valuable feature. Another alternative way to prolong your mattress lifespan when you rotate your mattress. By rotating your mattress, you reduce the load on the same bed parts without flipping it.

 

How Should You Rotate Your Mattress? 

First, let’s clarify what we mean by rotating your mattress. Rotating is when you turn the bed entirely around. This makes what was the head of the mattress now the foot of the bed.

 

 

How Should You Flip Your Mattress?

Flipping a mattress means turning it over, so you sleep on the other side of the bed. To do this, you raise the mattress on its edge and lower the bed over so that the other side is now sided face up. You could flip your bed without also rotating your mattress, but in general, it’s always best to do both. By doing flipping and spinning the mattress wears more evenly.

 

 

Rotating And Flipping Mattress

Why Should I Rotate or Flip My Mattress?

You need to flip and rotate your mattress so that you sleep/apply pressure on different areas of your mattress. This over time evens out the pressure on the mattress, which helps to prolong its lifespan and helps you avoid sagging. Rotating and flipping your mattress will also make it feel more comfortable to you, because it ensures that there is no lack of support in areas which you sleep on the most.

 

 

Which Is Better: Flipping or Rotating? 

Flipping the mattress is always better than just rotating it. However, flipping and rotating the bed is the best. Since when you only rotate the mattress, you are only ever sleeping on one of its surfaces. When you flip the bed, you are also using the other side, which increases mattress lifespan even more.

 

 

Beware: Not All Beds Can Be Flipped 

Typically better quality mattresses allow for both rotating and flipping. But beware that not all beds can be reversed, and are sometimes described as “No need to flip” or “No flipping required”.

When you are buying your next mattress, you will get a longer lifespan out of bed you can flip. While you might be tempted to believe that a flippable mattress is an added expense, but it usually doesn’t have a significant impact on the mattress’s price tag as you might think. Additionally, you will probably save money in terms of having a longer lifespan.

Ultimately, you need to be aware that a mattress which you cannot flip is likely of a much lower quality, at least on one side of it than a bed which allows flipping and sleeping on either side. The option for a mattress to be flipped is, in a sense, a mark of its quality.

 

 

How Often Should You Rotate and Flip Your Mattress?

To best care for your mattress, you should rotate and flip your bed an average every six months. This is enough to ensure that you will properly even out the pressure over the mattress.

 

Conclusion

Flippable mattress has many advantages over its non-reversible counterparts. While there are some possible disadvantages, such as forgetting to flip your mattress, the pros greatly outweigh the cons. If you have a flippable mattress, you can extend its life by rotating the sides once in a while. This means you can enjoy the comfort of your mattress for longer(and save money while doing it). Also, a mattress that you can rotate offers greater customizability if both sides have different firmness levels. This allows you to choose the right firmness, even if your comfort preferences change.