Do I Need a Mattress Topper

People often interchange the terms mattress pads and mattress toppers; however, they are not generally the same thing. They are actually two different products with specific functions.

To put things in perspective, pads are generally used to give protection to your mattress and a marginally extra level of comfort or softness.

On the other hand, toppers are designed specifically to enhance the level of comfort of a mattress. So, although they make look like to be the same thing, they are designed for different purposes.

When you buy a mattress topper, you are basically paying for a higher level of comfort. Toppers are relatively expensive while pads are much cheaper. The defining difference is the thickness quotient. Mattress toppers are way thicker than pads. A topper provides only reasonable protection for your mattress while pads are excellent at that job.

Let’s summarize it one last time to make it as clear as possible:

You buy a PAD to simply protect the mattress at a very low price.

You buy a TOPPER to enhance you mattress’ comfort level, at a higher price.

Bring New Life to Your Old Mattress
Over time, mattress can become flattened out and loses out on its comfort quotient. You may forget how comfortable it used to be because you get used to the gradual downgrade over time, one tiny bit every night. It may be become uneven and compacted in some areas more than others (especially if you don’t rotate it of flip it regularly). You may even be at risk of developing back pains over time (if you suffer from chronic back pain, you might want to consider changing mattress altogether, as it’s not worth risking with your health.
This is why a mattress topper is a great investment, as it enhances or even fully restore the comfort level of your old mattress for a tiny fraction of the cost.

Adjust Support and Firmness to Your Needs
A mattress topper is not always used as an accessory to enhance the comfort level of your old mattress. You could also face the scenario where you have bought a new mattress, but you realize you are not comfortable on it because of a different level of firmness than what you expected, or because you changed your weight or you simply want to try something different.

In such a situation, a mattress topper can provide you with just the right level of firmness and comfort, as you can shop around targeting exactly what you need on the top layer.

For example, memory foam mattress toppers or latex toppers can increase the level of supportiveness a lot, while fetherbeds can give you a much softer sensation. This simple effect can help finally reducing a wide range of discomforts and pains.

Customized for Varying Levels of Comfort
Another interesting aspect of having a mattress topper is that you can adjust your mattress for two levels of firmness when two people sleep on the same bed. You can add a topper on just one side of the bed to achieve this. The advantage of having a memory foam topper is that to an extent, you can limit any disturbance caused by the motion of one person as the movement will be restricted to that side only.