Now that you know what memory foam is, the differences between memory foams, and some possible issues, it’s time to select a memory foam top layer for the bed. All of this wouldn’t be much good if they didn’t sell memory foam by itself. Luckily enough, they do – as mattress toppers. We know we’re looking for open-cell viscoelastic polyurethane foam, with a minimum density of 5lb/ft3 (80 kg/m3) . It should be reviewed well for comfort, as well as come with a wicking cover to ensure comfort in humid or warmer conditions. The only thing left to decide is size and thickness. Mattress size is completely up to you, but I suggest getting as much quality memory foam as you can afford. A thickness of 4 inches appears to be the sweet spot in terms of cost versus benefit. Anything beyond that provides little benefit, and cost increases drastically. I’ll save you the research trouble, and just tell you who I found that satisfies our conditions. That’s not to say there aren’t a ton of vendors out there with great products – this is simply one I’ve used personally and can vouch for.
Finding the best deal at any given time is going to be a little bit of work – prices and products change rapidly, but at least your evaluation method will not. In 1Q 2008 when I built my bed, Bergad Inc’s Isoform mattress division provided a very high quality, well reviewed memory foam for a very reasonable price. I purchased a 4″ queen mattress topper with a wicking (“CoolMax”) cover for approximately 215 USD. The price has increased since that time, but remains a very good value. As of the time I ordered, shipping was free to the US and Ontario. I cannot vouch for any other provinces as I live in Ontario, but to be frank I cannot believe I was not charged extra (or anything!) for cross-border shipping. I would not recommend Ebay or other assorted sites. The deals present can be matched easily by careful shopping with more established merchants, and any deals “too good to be true” usually are. The advantage of having a company you can phone up and contact for issues such as warranty is invaluable.
Here are some major manufacturers to get you started. There are actually very few companies manufacturing their own memory foam, and even fewer who do it domestically. Foam is rebranded and resold, and it can be very difficult to trace where your memory foam product really came from. If you’re aware of other companies that actually make their own foam as opposed to brokering it through other sources, please leave a comment! There are a few things you should be aware of. One, the thing is going to be heavy. Remember our density calculations in the differences between memory foams section? A 4″ queen topper will be almost 60 pounds! Make sure you’re home the day of delivery so you don’t have to go pick it up yourself, and let the delivery guy drop it in your bedroom, not your front door. This isn’t a major issue for younger people, but if you have difficulty lifting and moving heavy awkward objects, recruit a helper! Additionally, memory foam, due to it’s open-cell foam structure, can be compressed quite compactly.
This saves on shipping, but often causes people to get confused when they see a compressed shrinkwrapped thing that looks more like a Pilsbury roll than a mattress cover. It will take several hours for the topper to unroll itself and expand. Don’t attempt to “stretch” it back into shape, you could damage it. Just let it be. As the pictures show, it can take a while, especially if delivered in the cold which will cause the memory foam to stiffen up significantly. The mattress topper cover can be a pain to put on too. Easiest way I found way to lay out the cover flat, put the mattress topper on one side of it, then fold the cover over and zip it up. The weight of the mattress topper makes typical approaches to zipping it up very awkward. Remember there will be a mild odor to start. My mattress topper had no appreciable odor after 2 days.The ProblemIn recent months I’ve suffered from pain in my right hip and mid to lower back. I attribute this to age, having a sedentary job (writing), having put on some pounds and lack of exercise to lubricate my joints.
I sit on a high density cell foam donut as I write this. The donut relieves pressure from the coccyx, something I learned when I was pregnant many moons ago. I’ve learned to contort my body to the left when I rise from a sitting position in order for the pain in my hip to not bring me to my knees. Having this condition checked out by a doctor is out of the question. When I retired from the corporate world I also relinquished my rights to company paid health insurance. So I make do. However, sitting is not my only uncomfortable position. Although I bought a new mattress recently, I awaken with a sore back and my right hip screams with every movement. Do I need to tell you I’ve not been sleeping well? Oh, I guess I just did. The fact is I sleep in 3-hour shifts because my body wakes me up. Oh, what I would give for just one night of uninterrupted sleep! Something had to be done. I can’t afford medical diagnosis or treatment. Going through Advil like candy is not good for my innards and doesn’t fix the problem anyway.
Buying one of those high end mattresses that “have your number” is also out of the question. So, what does a not-so-young-but-not-so-old struggling writer do to alleviate the pain? Ingenuity is the answer, my friends; that and watching the paper for sales on mattress toppers. The SolutionSometimes commercialism comes in handy. It seems everything under the sun goes on sale just before holidays. Memorial day is one of those holidays. My local Big Lots had a flyer in Sunday’s paper. They advertised a ‘famous maker’ 3” gel memory foam mattress topper for queen beds at a doable $99.99. The next day I went to Big Lots in hopes I wasn’t too late. Sure enough, they had plenty in stock and the ‘famous maker’ turned out to be Serta. Well, shoot, if the sheep on TV fear Serta because the public no longer has need to count them (the sheep) in order to go to sleep, that’s enough reason for this little girl to give the brand a shot. Not only did I make the purchase, but I treated myself to a new set of sheets (in my favorite color, although it doesn’t match my bedding!).
I came home excited that, perhaps, I can now get a good night’s sleep. I rolled out the Serta Rest 3” gel memory foam topper and encapsulated it in the accompanying fitted cover (thank you Serta!). I spent the rest of the day washing bedding, including my comforter. I was really looking forward to bedtime! Although, by the looks of my freshly-made bed, I’d need a step stool to get my 5’2” body up on the bed and under the covers! FeaturesUpon reading the instructions (yes, I read the instructions. My name is Shauna, not Shaun!) I was a little disconcerted to discover it may take up to 72 hours for the mattress topper to conform to my bed. I was absolutely delighted when it rolled out flat and fit my bed perfectly! The comfort gods were definitely on my side. In addition to that, I was elated when I read that the gel in the foam is formulated to be cool and regulates itself to your body temperature. As a post-menopausal woman, I still suffer from night sweats. Well, not really night sweats so much anymore as night heat.
That’s another reason I don’t sleep comfortably. I need to have my bedding cold in order to sleep well. It’s a good damn thing I sleep alone; my queen size bed allows me to switch sides when I become too hot – which is another reason I don’t sleep well. By the way, when does that shit end?? Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this product is made in the USA. Way to go, Serta! My rating of this product Do you suffer from back pain? What do you do to alleviate back pain? I take drugs, man! I suffer with it. I exercise and never sit for too long. Nothing yet, but I'm going to try a gel memory foam mattress topper. I prefer to bitch about it. The ResultI’ve only spent two nights on my new set up, but I am tickled to death with the results. I have awakened just once each night - which is a blessing - and I’ve been able to go right back to sleep. Unfortunately, my body puts out some heat when I’m trying to sleep. Nevertheless, the gel memory foam topper is living up to its promise.