The Best Memory Foam Toppers for Your Bed

If you are a sensitive sleeper or you are just unable to find a comfortable position at night, adding a memory foam topper to your mattress may likely be an easy and affordable solution to all your sleeping woes. Even if you just want your mattresses to be more cushiony and more contouring, a memory foam topper is going to be your best bet. 

So, to help you get a move on and start getting a good night’s sleep, we’ve compiled a list of the best memory foam mattress toppers money can buy.

Best Memory Foam Toppers

• Best Cooling Topper for Hot Sleepers – LUCID 3-inch Gel Infused Topper
• Best Price Memory Foam Topper – Linenspa 2-inch Gel Infused Topper
• Best Rated Memory Foam Topper – Sleep Innovations 4-inch Dual Layer Mattress Topper
• Best Luxury Topper – Zinus 4-inch Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress Topper

What is a memory foam mattress topper?

Memory foam toppers are designed to add a layer of support and pressure-relief to your mattress. They conform to your body and distribute your weight evenly, benefiting your spinal alignment and relieving pressure points. 

Memory foam toppers are 1- to 4-inch thick layers of viscoelastic memory foam that sit on top of your existing mattress. They are designed to bring new life to older mattresses and provide more comfort. 

Memory foam toppers can help adjust the firmness of your existing mattress to make it feel firmer or plusher. Or, they can provide certain performance factors, such as pressure point relief at the shoulders and hips, or cooling technology if you’re a hot sleeper. 

Expect your memory foam topper to hug and conform to your body, distribute your body weight, and provide a slightly sinking yet soothing feeling. 

Types of memory foam mattress toppers 

There are currently three types of memory foam available — traditional, gel-infused, and plant-based.

Traditional memory foam

This lightweight and spongy foam is made from petroleum-based products, which may give it a slight odor when first unboxed. The odor usually dissipates within a few hours. Traditional memory foam has an open-cell structure that makes it great at relieving pressure points.

It’s also more affordable than other types of memory foams. Traditional memory foam can sometimes trap body sleep and may not be a good option for people who tend to sleep hot. 

Gel-infused memory foam

This newer version of memory foam was introduced within the past decade as an effort to reduce the body heat absorption of traditional memory foam.

With these memory foams, manufacturers pour gel onto the foam or inject gel or tiny gel beads into the foam during manufacturing, which gives a cooling effect. Gel-infused memory foams can also affect the feel of memory foam, making it more buoyant and bouncier. 

Plant-based memory foam

These so-called bio-foams are newcomers to the market and aim to address the VOC (volatile organic compound) off-gassing of traditional memory foam. (Off-gassing causes that odor you smell after unboxing memory foam products.) These plant-based products, such as green tea and caster seed oil replace some (but not all) of the petrochemicals in the foam.

Some petrochemicals are needed to give foam its bouncy feel. These foams they are considered less harmful than other types of memory foam. Plus, they consist of open cells which improves airflow and helps with responsiveness. 

What to look for in a memory foam mattress topper

When you are shopping for a memory foam mattress topper, there are a few things to consider:

Traditional memory foam vs. gel memory foam

These are the two types of memory foam that you will run into while shopping for a topper – and they both have their strengths and their weaknesses, so it is important to understand which one suits your needs before you purchase. Check out the pros and cons of each type:

Traditional memory foam: a lightweight, spongy foam

Pros:

• Great for alleviating spinal pressure and/or cervical pressure
• More affordable than gel

Cons:

• Not good for people who suffer from night sweats

Gel memory foam: a spongy foam infused with gel beads and ribbing

Pros:

• Promotes cooling
• Ideal for larger adults

Cons:

• If you sleep cold, the gel may be too good at cooling and cause you to get colder
• More expensive than traditional

Density

The denser a memory foam topper, the firmer it is. Whether you want a higher density or lower density topper depends on your preference and sleep style. See the FAQs below to understand how best to decide upon whether you want high, low, or medium density in your memory foam topper.

Cooling properties

If you are a hot sleeper, you will likely want to have some sort of cooling features incorporated into your foam mattress. The gel-infused toppers absorb and disperse body heat to promote a cooler night’s sleep. It is possible to make traditional foam promote air flow as well by ventilating the foam. Overall, these options provide you with enough ventilation and cooling for a more comfortable sleeping environment.

Moisture and odor control

One of the most popular features in modern memory foam mattress toppers is moisture and odor control. To accomplish this, the memory foam is typically infused with some naturally occurring and cleansing properties. For example, green tea extract is incorporated into some toppers because it helps mask odor. On the other hand, an infusion of activated charcoal or bamboo will result in moisture absorption. 

Scent-infused foam 

One of the most recent trends to hit the memory foam toppers is infusing aromatic elements into the foam, leading to the topper being used in a sort of aromatherapy. The most popular aromatic element we see today is lavender, as it has calming and sleep promoting properties. Other scents used include jasmine, which offers sedative and anxiety-relieving properties, and eucalyptus, which improves breathing and reduces pain and inflammation.

FAQs

What do memory foam toppers cost?

The prices of memory foam toppers vary depending on many features, such as thickness, materials used, added cooling technology, infusion of essential oils, moisture control, and so on. In general, the price tier is as follows:

• $40 and below: Budget-friendly; light cushioning and support
• Up to $100: Mid-range; increased support and added features such as cooling
• $100 to $200: High-end; superior pressure-point relief and support

How do I decide on the density?

Density is measured in pounds per cubic foot (PCF) and, in general, you can follow these guidelines:

• Low density – 3 PCF & under
  • Ideal for back sleepers or side sleepers
• Medium density – 4 to 5 PCF
  • Ideal for all sleep positions and combination sleepers
• High density – 6+ PCF
  • Ideal for those who have recently had surgery or need high levels of support due to a medical condition
  • Ideal for those who desire a better posture

How do I decide on the thickness?

The optimal thickness is going to rely on how firm your mattress is and how plush you want it to be. The best range of thicknesses is between 2” and 4”, as anything under 2” is pointless. In general, most people are happy with their 2” memory foam toppers, but only if their mattress is just slightly firmer than they wanted. If you want a plusher feel or your mattress is just way too firm, go with either a 3” or 4” topper. 

How long does it take a memory foam mattress topper to decompress?

Most memory foam toppers take about 24 hours to decompress. And, you can actually speed up the decompression cycle by rolling on or gently walking across the topper.

Why does my new memory foam mattress topper smell weird?

Don’t worry – it’s super common for memory foam to have a chemical smell when they first arrive and you take them out of the box to expand. Just let the topper air out for a couple of days as it expands and before you put it on your mattress. The smell will dissipate and the topper will completely expand, just give it a couple of days.

Summary

Compare the best memory foam mattress toppers below:

Memory foam has gained a lot of interest in recent years for its comfort and pressure relieving properties, which makes it an ideal material for mattresses. Mattress toppers enable you to extend the life of your current mattress, adjust the firmness or plushness of your sleep surface, or add performance factors like pressure relieving qualities to your bed. 

You may also consider a memory foam mattress topper if you sleep on an innerspring bed but want to try out the feel of memory foam to see if you may want to purchase a memory foam mattress in the future. With so many options on the market, it’s easy to find the perfect memory foam mattress topper for your specific needs.