In the world of sleep, there’s a whole range of products designed to turn your bedroom into a dreamy oasis. This includes everything from cozy soft bedding to remote-controlled bedframes. But one secret ought-to-be-essential is the mattress topper. But what is a mattress topper, anyway?
A mattress topper is a pad, usually between 2–4 inches thick, that lays on top of your current mattress. It provides extra plushness, comfort, and support to a mattress on its own. They can range from very soft to extra firm mattress toppers, and some even provide temperature regulation.
Here’s everything you need to know about mattress toppers today: their materials, types, benefits, and their favorite sleep companions. We’ll have your bedroom up-to-snuff with sleep trends in no time.
Mattress Toppers 101
If you’ve never seen a mattress topper before, it’s time to lift the fitted sheet and reveal what’s underneath.
Mattress toppers are often confused with mattress protectors —but look closely. As you get familiar with the difference between a mattress pad vs. mattress protectors you’ll notice a mattress pad is usually only 1–2 inches thick, while a topper is thicker and provides extra comfort. On the other hand, a mattress protector completely protects your mattress from stains and grime. However, it does not offer any additional cushioning.
They’re also an inexpensive way to save a worn-out existing mattress. When you don’t want to shell out the savings for a brand new bed, mattress toppers can extend the life of your existing mattress by several years.
There are a lot of mattress toppers out there today, all primmed and puffed to fit unique purposes and pain points.
Some of the most common mattress topper types are:
- Memory foam topper
- Down feather mattress topper
- Latex topper
- Microfiber topper
- Wool mattress topper
The memory foam and down feather variety are typically designed to add soft support, while microfiber and cotton can be found in the hypoallergenic aisle.
Types of Mattress Toppers
Mattress toppers can be a sigh of relief for stiff joints or a full-body marshmallow cuddle (if you’re into that kind of thing). The experience you’ll get from a mattress topper depends largely on its primary material.
- Memory foam – Memory foam mattress toppers, like memory foam mattresses, are beloved for their unmatched ability to contour to the body, providing support and pressure relief throughout the night.
- Down feathers – A down mattress topper is going to add more plush cushioning to your sleep. If you’re looking to dream while sleeping on the closest thing to a cloud, down feathers might be for you.
- Latex – Latex mattress toppers provide a layer of additional support for the body while allowing it to breathe. Hot sleepers often choose latex for its cooling ability—but be weary of latex allergies.
- Microfiber – A lesser-expensive synthetic polyester blend that can add softness to mattress tops, though it’s not quite as supportive as memory foam or latex and can lose plushness over time.
- Wool – Wool mattress toppers aren’t as common, but they’re known for their temperature regulating powers, keeping cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They’re typically on the softer end and not as supportive for joint pain.
6 Dreamy Benefits of a Mattress Topper
The added comfort of a mattress topper is just the first layer of benefits. Look closer and you’ll find an entire quilt of well-stitched advantages to tossing a topper on your mattress.
#1 They Add Softness
Are you dealing with a 10-year-old springy mattress from Sagville? Been there. Add softness to dull springboards with a mattress topper. If you like sinking into plush bedding that envelops you like a nighttime hug, a soft mattress topper can lend an arm or two. Yes to 5-star hotel luxury at home.
#2 They Add Support
Your 30’s creep in and suddenly you have back, knee, or joint pain when you sleep. We’ve definitely been there. One of the greatest benefits of mattress toppers is the added support they deliver to aching areas. Even when the aches don’t bark during the day, supportive mattress toppers can help you sleep more soundly and comfortably, too.
#3 They Cool You Down
For the times you don’t want the sheets to be hot, mattress toppers can help things stay perfectly chill. Cooling toppers are specially designed to increase airflow and carry body heat out.
Science says a cooler sleep is better sleep, too. Sleeping cold:1
- Helps you fall asleep faster
- Helps you sleep more soundly
- Boosts melatonin levels
- Promotes healthy metabolism
- Keeps insomnia at bay
#4 They Cozy You Up
Sometimes there’s just something off about your mattress. It doesn’t quite zig when you zag, it’s harder than your grandma’s guest bed, or it’s squeakier than a nocturnal hamster training for the wheel decathlon. Smooth things over with a cozy mattress topper.
The thick 3–4 inches on a mattress topper (compared to the not-so-plush 1–2 inches of a mattress pad) is enough to fluff a dull mattress just right. Goldilocks would approve.
#5 They Protect Your Mattress
Maybe your mattress is looking weathered and worn, but we’re willing to bet you paid a pretty penny for it at some point. And you know what they say: protect your investments. Properly protecting your mattress with an extra layer between you and helps keep your mattress clean and can also add years to its life.
Protecting your mattress:
- Reduces bed bugs and dust mites
- Protects against allergens
- Prevents stains
- Helps keep your sheets clean
#6 They Save You Money
Cushion your body and your wallet. Mattress toppers can save you hundreds of dollars compared to purchasing a new mattress, which can put you back thousands. You can find a topper on the cheap for a hundred bucks or a spring for high-quality comfort for $300–$400.
That’s right—you can sleep better and see Dua Lipa next month. You can have it all.
Who Needs a Mattress Topper
We’ve been around the sleep cycle a couple of times, so we know that not all sleepers are created equal. Your sleep is about as unique to you as your fingerprint. Mattress toppers can be a helpful way to personalize sleep to your needs.
What kinds of sleepers can benefit from a mattress topper? Let’s toss it over and take a look:
- Stomach sleepers – Arm tucker-inners of the world unite. There’s nothing like wrapping into a blanket burrito on your belly and fading off to Dreamville. If you’re a stomach sleeper, you know that this style requires a certain blend of firm and softness that contours without caving in completely. A mattress topper can add that extra bit of firm support to balance a stomach sleeper’s sanctuary.
- Achy sleepers – For achy sleepers—or achy wakers—supportive memory foam toppers can offer support in the places you need it most. Soothe back, neck, or knee pain with an around-the-clock contouring cushion. Mattress toppers can also help ease pain in pregnant sleepers or sore athletes.
- Tossers and turners – Tossing til dawn? Mattress toppers can absorb shock from wiggling limbs to stabilize movement and support your body, so you can toss less and rest more. You’ll wake up feeling like you didn’t move an inch—even if the birds’ nest of blankets in the corner suggests otherwise.
- Co-sleepers – To the hot and cold sleepers claiming the same cloud, we salute you. But why suffer more than you have to? A temperature-regulating mattress topper might be just what you need to turn that hot-cold thunderstorm into easy, breezy, brighter mornings. The good-mood breakfast in bed the next day is just an added bonus.
- Guest sleepers – Mattress toppers—saving couch surfers and guest sleepers everywhere. We’ve all been the guest curled up on dusty cushion creakers as your joints croak in detest. Don’t put your guests through that nightmare. Add a cozy topper to their stay and they’ll tell everyone how well they slept—and not a thing about the dry pork.
Top Your Best Sleep with Coop Home Goods
Your decent sleep is about to get good, and your best sleep is on its way to even better. The benefits of a mattress topper simply can’t be topped. Now that you’re an expert on the topic, you can go forth and impress your partner with the most luxurious sleep of her life.
We’re Coop Sleep Goods, your revolutionary pioneers in all things sleep. And if you don’t mind, we’ll take that crusty old mattress pad off your hands and trade you for Retreat, our mattress topper with ultra-plush pockets of our exclusive Oomph™ memory foam that is breathable, hypoallergenic, and free of harmful chemicals. Ooooh. Fluffy.
One morning, we woke up sore for the last time and set out to design better sleep products. It started with our game-changing original pillow. Everybody loved it so much that we kept throwing more onto the bed: toppers, pads, mattress protectors, and even pet beds.
Our secret isn’t so secret: we care about your sleep, but we care more about the all-day wellness good sleep provides. And we think you should, too. Level up your sleep—and your wake—with us today.
Sources:
- Sleep Advisor. Is It Really Better To Sleep In A Cold Room? https://www.sleepadvisor.org/sleeping-in-a-cold-room/
- Sleep Foundation. Mattress Pad vs. Mattress Topper: What Are They, and What’s the Difference? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedding-information/mattress-pad-vs-mattress-topper
- The Spruce. Pros and Cons of Different Types of Mattress Toppers. https://www.thespruce.com/whats-the-best-mattress-topper-350741
- Mattressnut. Mattress Topper Types: The Ultimate Guide. https://www.mattressnut.com/mattress-topper-types/
- Which? Best mattress toppers. https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mattress-toppers/article/choosing-the-best-type-of-mattress-topper-awRRS5f5gyKs#:~:text=guide%20for%20advice.-,Types%20of%20mattress%20toppers,and%20down%2C%20microfibre%20and%20latex.