Memory Foam Mattress Topper: A Comparison

It's possible that you don't want to spring for the full expense of a memory foam mattress, but you'd still like to enjoy some of its considerable benefits, such as excellent nights of sleep, body support, and enjoying the way the foam contours itself to you but returns to its own shape in the mornings. If you add a foam mattress topper onto your regular mattress, then you might derive virtually all the same comforts, but at a considerable saving to the pocketbook. You might think of the topper as a mattress enhancer, rather than an entire change of bed.

Keep in mind as well that your own mattress must be absolutely flat. Since the memory foam mattress toppers change shape, if one is placed on top of an already sagging mattress, then this could influence its change of contour, and prevent these changes from being uniform and controlled. You don't want a foam mattress topper to sag into an existing mattress. If this is done, when it starts changing shape under the influence of your body heat, it could actually make the sag worse, and make you less comfortable rather than more. Your pseudo-memory foam bed could do you more harm than good.

You should also realize that your own mattress must not sag in the middle, but is required to be uniformly flat, not to mention firm. Even visco elastic memory foam won't be able to keep from sagging into the underlying mattress if it has dips in it. When your body heats it up, the foam mattress topper will acquire even more of a sag in it as it softens and changes shape. In the end, you might sleep less comfortably than you had expected, and any good effects you might have received from your topper will vanish.

Another crucial factor is that your existing mattress cannot have sags in it, but must be completely flat and firm. A foam mattress topper will rely on the underlying surface for support, and will sag right along with it if it's not firm or flat. Then as your body heat activates the visco elastic memory foam, it will change shape further, perhaps even accentuating the sagging. You may find that your sleep and comfort are made worse rather than better.

If you don't have a good underlying mattress, with the very particular and necessary properties of firmness and a very flat surface, then you'll lose most if not all of the good effects you might have received from the foam mattress topper. So you'll need to evaluate your situation carefully. If you think you'd do better to get a new, firm mattress as a base, then you might want to look at the total expense of doing that, and reevaluate your whole plan. Your best bet might be to buy a complete memory foam bed after all.

Paying attention to your existing bed may cause you to reevaluate your plan to buy a foam mattress topper. You don't want to lose all the good effects you were looking for in the first place. You may discover that the cost of acquiring a firm, flat mattress to provide underlying support for the topper isn't much less than the cost of simply buying a complete memory foam bed. So you might choose to go that route after all, instead of just buying the topper.