Confirm Mattress Size and Type A new memory foam mattress topper should fit the dimensions of your existing mattress perfectly to ensure it functions as intended. Determine the exact size of your mattress before you begin shopping for a topper, and take the mattress type into consideration to help select the right thickness. Mattresses with a pillow top or a quilted top may not require a topper with the same thickness as those with standard tops due to the extra cushioning afforded by these designs. Also, mattresses with specialized tops may have special requirements for rotation. Remove Any Pads or Toppers Be sure to remove any existing pads or toppers. Mattress pads are typically far thinner than toppers, and serve to protect a mattress top rather than cushion it. If you already have a removable topper, replacing it with a memory foam topper can make for a more tailored and comfortable sleep experience. For best results, use only one topper of the appropriate thickness per mattress.
Inspect Your Mattress for Signs of Wear It's important to inspect your bare mattress top for obvious signs of wear. Look for areas worn smooth by constant turning or indentations from poor weight distribution. If your mattress shows this kind of wear, you'll want a mattress topper that is thicker than 3 inches. These toppers provide greater levels of cushioning and support along with enhanced protection for the underlying mattresses. Mattresses with little signs of wear may work best with a 2-inch topper or less, especially if you prefer a firmer mattress for a good night's sleep. Select the Right Topper Thickness Take into account your mattress type and condition when deciding on a mattress topper thickness. For mattresses that already have decent padding or a built-in pillow top, a memory foam mattress topper of 2 inches is recommended. If your mattress is particularly firm or worn, then a thickness of 3 to 4 inches should provide an appropriate level of comfort. Consider Memory Foam Density
A final consideration that can be as important as your topper's thickness is the memory foam density. When it comes to memory foam, denser material offers greater support for sleepers while less dense memory foam makes for a plusher sleep surface. Those who toss and turn frequently at night can benefit from a denser foam. For mattress density to make a noticeable difference, a minimum thickness of 2 inches is recommended for most sleepers.Finding the right bed sheets and buying a mattress that works for you are important to a good night's sleep. However, sometimes a well-appointed bed is not quite restful enough. Enter: The mattress pad. Also called mattress toppers, these can range from a thin padded protective sheet to thicker slabs that are almost like a small mattress. Moreover, mattress pads are great for providing extra cushion to a firm mattress and they can often help guard against dust mites. The style, thickness and size of a mattress pad will depend on your personal sleeping habits and your bed.
But, if you're looking for one in the market, here are some very general things you should keep in mind.Cotton, latex and wool are commonly used for mattress pads. Cotton ones are usually thinner and quilted, but they are machine washable. Latex and wool pads are dust mite and mold-resistant, which makes them more durable than cotton. Almost counterintuitively, wool pads can work for the warmer months -- since they're absorbant, which helps keep you cool. However, natural latex will stand up to the test of time (20 years or more!) because it's derived from rubber trees.Another alternative to materials for mattress pads is memory foam, which molds to your body. Although it's lightweight and comes thicker than the other options, this option absorbs heat and can sometimes get too hot during the night. However, because of memory foam's thickness, some thicker pads can actually be a good alternative to buying a completely new mattress when you need one. Good to know: If you're often hot when you sleep, the perfect temperature to sleep in is about 65 degrees.
In that case, a wool or cotton pad will definitely be a better option than memory foam. Keep featherbeds in mind. These are extremely soft and great alternatives to mattress pads if you're looking for something that's more lightweight and soft. Filled with down, they're great at regulating body heat when you're sleeping, keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you're looking for one, go for one with about 200 thread counts, which makes it more durable but still soft. Go for the extra features. If your mattress is not hypoallergenic, a mattress pad that is can make for a simple, affordable add-on. More recently, odor-eliminating mattress pads that act as a protective layer between you and your mattress have also hit the market. Flip through the slideshow below to see some of our picks for mattress pads in the marketplace now. And, let us know in comments below what are other important things that you look for in mattress pads and featherbeds.Be sure to check out Stylelist Home on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
What It Is, Why It Works, And The 5 Key Things To Look For When Buying A Memory Foam Bed Or Topper. While memory foam was developed for NASA in the 1970's, it didn't hit the consumer market until the early 1990's - first as memory foam mattress topper pads, and later used in memory foam mattresses. Since then, memory foam mattresses have become the fastest growing segment in the mattress industry. With every year, you see more and more companies selling memory foam mattresses and topper pads, and it is very difficult, even for those of us in the industry, to keep up with all the new memory foam products being introduced. What is a consumer to do? 1. Brief History Of Memory Foam And Why Not All Memory Foam Created Equal - Some Just More Comfortable And Sleeps Cooler Than Others 2. How To Choose Between Different Memory Foams 3. What To Look For In A Memory Foam Mattress Or Topper, And When You Might Need To Get A New Mattress In this guide, I'm going to do my best to give you the straight story on what memory foam is, how it works, and what to look for in memory foam (density and quality, memory foam toppers versus memory foam mattresses, etc.).
Armed with the information, I hope you are able to find just the right memory foam mattress, topper pad, or other product that fits your needs. Where the mattress industry so often sells on hype about latest greatest technology, I wanted to concentrate on actual, verifiable information when putting together this guide. So before we go into the details about memory foam, I thought it was important to first look at the bottom line -- how does memory foam compare to standard innerspring mattresses for comfort. And what is great about the internet is that these days you can cut through the hype to see the actual data on this -- real reviews, by real folks, trying out the mattresses in their own homes. And while it was hard to get this kind of objective information back in '94 when I was first starting out selling memory foam after it helped me with my back pain, in 2014 all this information is now at your fingertips, literally. While comfort is subjective, what is no longer subjective is that certain types of mattress are just more comfortable than others.
And you don't have to take my word for it, or any other mattress retailer. The numbers don't lie. Based on over 22,000 real people's mattress experiences, the meta site Sleep Like the Dead found that in analyzing this information that memory foam mattresses received the highest level of customer satisfaction of any mattress type at 81%. In contrast, only 64% of innerspring owners said they were satisfied. That is a huge difference, and shows the simple reason why memory foam has gained such popularity -- it delivers comfort in a way that far surpasses the standard innerspring mattress. Where did memory foam come from and what gives memory foam its unique comfort properties? It is an interesting story and starts with the space program. But these days there are lots of different foamers making memory foam, and while they are all referred to as "memory foam", they have different formulations and in terms of comfort and sleeping cool memory foams are definitely not created equal -- which I will cover in our next section.