There’s a lot that goes into caring for your bedding. You might have heard that flipping your mattress is part of that maintenance, but could that just be an old wives’ tale?

While this rule does have some merit, flipping your mattress is actually no longer necessary. However, there is something you can do to prevent wear and tear.

Instead of flipping your mattress, rotate it. The Sleep Foundation acknowledged that flipping your mattress used to be a common practice to prevent excess wear. Modern mattresses, however, are one-sided so they already avoid that sort of damage.

If you flip these types of mattresses, you’ll likely end up with dense foam or metal springs closer to your body when you sleep instead of the cushy topping you’re actually designed to sleep on. Not only does this make your sleep less comfortable, but it could also make your bed less supportive.

So, why rotate a mattress?

Well, when you sleep, heavy pressure is applied to your mattress in the areas around your shoulders and hips. Over time, this could cause the mattress to sag in those areas, shortening its lifespan. Rotating your mattress changes those pressure points and could extend its life by up to a year.

But how often should you rotate it? This depends on the type of mattress you have. A memory foam, latex, or newer innerspring mattress should be rotated once or twice a year. Those who have older innerspring mattresses should rotate them 2-5 times per year. The key is to be consistent.

If you’ve been flipping your mattress this whole time, you’re probably happy to find out you can knock it off and just spin it around a couple times per year instead.