A mattress topper is a 2–3 inch layer of memory foam placed on top of a mattress to boost softness or support. Unlike a mattress pad (a thin, protective layer), a topper reshapes sleep comfort by relieving pressure on the back, hips, shoulders, and neck—helping reduce tossing and improve REM sleep quality.
There is more to decorating your house than throwing some new paint on the walls or rearranging the furniture for the fifth or tenth or twentieth time. Generally speaking, furnishing means you make something more attractive or pleasing to the eyes by adding ornamentation or color. But sometimes decoration means that sense of ease and comfort you feel when you look at something and know how much you’ll enjoy using it.
A favorite old recliner, broken in just right, could be your ideal decoration for the whole house because you know how comfortable it will be when you sit down and relax. Even if it is old or worn around the edges, simply looking at it makes you feel better. That’s a decoration.
Knowing you can sleep in comfort in 2019 is a decoration too. Only this kind of decoration will come from a mattress topper.
What Is A Mattress Topper?
A mattress topper is not a mattress pad, although some people use the two terms interchangeably. A mattress pad is usually a thin pad that attaches to your mattress, almost like a fitted sheet. Mattress pads are often waterproof or water-resistant and marketed to draw attention to those features. It is good to say that a mattress pad is mainly a mattress protector.
A mattress topper is a two or three-inch thick rectangle of memory foam that sits on top of your mattress to add more support to it or increase the softness of it. In years past, mattress toppers were made of “egg crate” foam. Occasionally they were just thin feather mattresses laid on top of a regular bed.
Memory foam is popular today because it adjusts to your position as you sleep, helping to relieve pressure on your back, hips, shoulders, and neck. Because it cradles you, it helps reduce the amount of tossing and turning you do during the night.
The best available mattress toppers are made of foam because it is more durable than foam rubber, and it provides more support than goose down. Moreover, there aren’t any allergy problems with memory foam.
Good Sleep
The comfier you are in bed, the better you’ll sleep throughout the whole night. Better sleep is one of the seven ways you can improve your REM sleep. REM sleep is rapid eye movement and is indicative of dreaming. Since we only imagine after we’ve been comfortably asleep for several hours, a mattress topper can help you achieve that type of sleep regularly.
Psychologists have studied sleep and its effects on people for years, and they’ve found that the more we sleep, the more we dream and the better our mental health is. We’ll be mentally alert, have better memory recall, enjoy a positive attitude, and feel refreshed upon awakening—just because we slept and dreamed.
Bad Sleep
Bad sleep patterns and lack of proper dreaming will do just the opposite. You’ll wake up groggy and disoriented. It will be difficult to “collect your thoughts” for several hours after waking up. People describe being fuzzy-headed or feeling like their head is full of cotton. They are also irritable, grouchy, and emotional. When someone says they got up on the wrong side of the bed, it’s a sure sign they didn’t get a good night’s sleep.
If you continuously toss and turn at night, your body won’t get the physical rest it needs either. Test subjects in sleep studies had reported feeling more tired in the morning than when they went to bed the night before after a night of tossing and turning. This produces feelings of exhaustion, low energy, reduced libido, and lethargy.
Sleep, whether you get too little or too much or just the right amount, will have a profound effect on you the next day. In extreme cases, the results can last for several days.
A Good Mattress Topper Equals Good Sleep
When you have the right mattress topper on your bed, the difference will be immediately apparent to you and everyone around you. They’ll notice the change in your attitude and appearance almost as fast as you will. You’ll start hearing remarks about how good you look today or jokes about how you must have eaten your Wheaties this morning because you’ve got so much energy.
Once you try a mattress topper and see the results for yourself, how good you feel, and how good you look, you’ll never go back to sleeping without one.
FAQs: Choosing the Right Mattress Topper for Better Sleep
What is the difference between a mattress topper and a mattress pad?
A mattress pad is a thin, protective layer that fits over your mattress like a fitted sheet, often designed to be water-resistant. A mattress topper is thicker—usually two to three inches of memory foam—and is meant to change the feel of your mattress by adding extra softness or support.
Why is memory foam the preferred material for mattress toppers?
Memory foam molds to your body as you sleep, easing pressure on the back, hips, shoulders, and neck. It’s more durable than foam rubber, offers better support than goose down, and doesn’t carry the allergy concerns associated with some other filling materials.
Can a mattress topper actually improve REM sleep?
Yes. By cradling your body and reducing tossing and turning, a mattress topper helps you stay comfortably asleep longer, which supports deeper REM cycles. Better REM sleep is linked to sharper memory, improved mood, and feeling more refreshed on waking.
What happens if I don’t get enough restful sleep?
Poor sleep leads to grogginess, irritability, low energy, and difficulty concentrating the next day. Over time, restless nights caused by an unsupportive mattress can leave you feeling consistently fatigued and mentally foggy.
How do I know if a mattress topper is right for my bed?
If your current mattress feels too firm, too worn, or leaves you tossing at night, a topper is a low-cost way to restore comfort without replacing the entire mattress. A noticeable improvement in sleep quality and daytime energy is usually the clearest sign it’s working.
