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Mattress Toppers and PadsMattress pads and toppers have been available in many materials for years and some people still prefer a natural filling such as feather down, natural latex or wool. More recently synthetic fillings have become more sophisticated and hence more popular. The real boom has been in the use of visco-elastic memory foam as an affordable overlay material and it's the memory foam topper that I'll be concentrating on here. There are many brands of memory foam on the market today of which the best known are probably Serta, TempurPedic and Therapedic.
What is a Mattress Pad or Topper?What's The Difference?A mattress pad is simply a thin pad which lays on top of - overlays - your existing mattress to provide increased support and comfort. The terms "topper" and "pad" are often used interchangeably. However whilst toppers are always used to increase comfort, there are other sorts of pad. These are thinner pads which are normally used for reasons of hygene or allergy.For this reason I personally prefer to use the term "mattress topper" when referring to a product you buy for strictly domestic use. However you should be aware that different people use the terms in different ways. Mattress toppers are available in all standard bed sizes, but do double check the exact measurements: different people sometimes have different opinions as to what is meant by "double", "king" etc. The "standards" aren't totally standard so check before you buy!
Memory Foam ToppersMany suppliers and their customers will tell you that a memory foam mattress is the ultimate sleep experience. However there is no denying that this is an expensive option.If you're buying a new bed or a new mattress anyway, this investment is certainly worth considering. However if you already have a decent mattress then adding a memory foam topper or pad is a more affordable alternative that could be the best choice for some people. A memory foam topper is a piece of visco-elastic foam, usually an inch or two thick, that is placed on top of your existing mattress. It gives you many of the support and comfort advantages of memory foam without the need to invest in a full scale mattress. Be aware that when new memory foam emits a strong, chemical smell. When you first buy your mattress topper/pad you'll probably want to "air" it for a couple of days. Some people find that they are still sensitive to the smell even after that - personally I haven't found it a problem. After a while memory foam does tend to lose some of its "bounce". For this reason I recommend turning the pad occasionally as you would a conventional mattress.
Additional InformationAdding a topper, memory foam or not, will probably improve the performance of almost any mattress. However it can't save a really old one. If your mattress is thirty years old, sagging and with springs poking through... don't bother. Buy a new mattress rather than trying to make the old one last.On the other hand, if you own a perfectly good mattress already and would like to experience the feeling of sleeping on memory foam then buying a topper is certainly an alternative worth considering. That's the option that I've taken. I already had a perfectly good mattress so for me it made no sense to buy a new one. Instead I bought a memory foam topper to go with it. I consider one of the best purchases I ever made.
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