• Although a mattress topper isn’t a must-have for your bed, it’s one of the easiest ways to up your sleep quality and comfort.
  • We researched dozens of mattress toppers and determined that the DreamFoam Bedding Gel Swirl Memory Foam Mattress Topper is the one likeliest to send you off to dreamland with a smile on your face.

A mattress topper has the power to take your night’s sleep from, “If only I had another hour,” to “Wow, I feel refreshed and ready to rock!”

Along with a layer of additional comfort, the right mattress topper also adds extra support, relief from pressure on your joints and spine, a new lease on life for an aging mattress, and allows for the customization of a mattress that is too firm or too soft for your liking.

While the terms “mattress topper” and “mattress pad” are often used interchangeably, they are actually slightly different. A mattress topper is purely for comfort, while a mattress protector is a thin covering that protects the mattress from fluids, dust mites, allergens, and other intruders.

A mattress pad is somewhere between the two. It helps protect your mattress and also adds some comfort to the bed, but is generally not as thick or as dense as a mattress topper.

Because there are so many mattress toppers on the market, we’ve made buying one easier. Here are the four mattress toppers we feel are the best.

Here are the best mattress toppers you can buy:

Updated on 6/1/2020 by Emily Hochberg: Updated prices and links.

The best mattress topper overall

You'll sleep like a baby on the DreamFoam Bedding Gel Swirl Memory Foam Mattress Topper, thanks to its excellent support, soft comfort, and great price.

Memory foam was originally developed by NASA to protect astronauts from the rigors of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. While you're not hitting G-forces when you hit the hay, you'll still benefit from the cushioning and support memory foam offers.

It's an especially good choice if you have a hard time sleeping due to aches and pains in your hips, back, or upper body.

The DreamFoam Bedding Gel Swirl Memory Foam Mattress Topper is a two-inch-thick pad of gel-infused memory foam. The gel, which gives the mattress topper a tie-dyed appearance, helps prevent your body heat from building up in the memory foam. It's a welcome innovation, considering that "sleeping hot" is the number one complaint about memory foam bed products in general.

This isn't the densest memory foam on the market, but it's not super-soft, either. It's just right. It hits the sweet spot of just enough support to keep your spine, body, and pressure points comfortable, without too much of the "sinking in" feeling that can be a problem with overly soft memory foam.

The topper is made in the US and has CertiPUR-US certification, meaning, it doesn't contain harmful chemicals such as ozone depleters, heavy metals, formaldehyde, lead, or phthalates.

Pros: Great price, excellent support, not too hot, an extensive range of sizes

Cons: A few buyers complained the topper was too soft

The best featherbed mattress topper

Foto: Source: Super Snooze

You'll feel like you're sleeping in the clouds with the dreamy-soft Super Snooze Baffled Featherbed Set.

The Super Snooze Baffled Featherbed Set is a lofty five inches thick and has baffles to help keep the feathers in place with no clumping or shifting.

It's a thickly stuffed, heavy featherbed, so you'll sink in a bit more than you would with a lighter topper. The 100 percent cotton, 230-thread count shell is tightly woven, so a stray feather quill won't poke you, and the featherbed comes with an additional cover to protect it from body oils, moisture, and allergens.

Despite the name, a featherbed is not actually a bed. It's a mattress topper stuffed with feathers from ducks or geese. The downy filling gives the featherbed a billowy, cloud-like feel, but also means that you aren't going to get the firm support or cushioning for sore joints that memory foam provides.

Most people who love featherbeds simply enjoy the supreme softness, which can provide welcome relief from a mattress that is too firm. A featherbed is also a great choice for people who tend to sleep hot, as the topper is comfortably warm in the winter, yet remains cool in the summer. Keep in mind, however, that if you have feather allergies, this isn't the topper for you.

We did come across a few customer reviews complaining of the need to fluff the featherbed daily - or at least a few times per week - to keep the loft. This is a common issue with all featherbeds, however, not just this one. Some customers also mentioned the sound of feathers shifting inside the topper, and others felt the topper wasn't as thick or supportive as they had hoped.

Pros: Reasonable price, thickly stuffed with feathers, well baffled

Cons: Must be fluffed frequently, you'll need extra-deep sheets to fit over the featherbed and mattress

The best wool mattress topper

Foto: Source: Lambswool

No more lying awake counting sheep when you're cozied up on this soft and comfortable Lambswool Mattress Pad.

Fleece mattress pads are not the easiest type to find, but for those who sleep hot, they are worth the search.

Natural fleece is surprisingly cool to sleep on because it has excellent breathability and doesn't hang onto your body heat the way memory foam or similar materials do. It's cozy, plush, and soft as well.

But if lots of support is a must, this isn't the right type of mattress topper for you. While a wool topper offers more support than a featherbed, it's less supportive than memory foam.

Overstock's Lambswool Mattress Pad is a very thick, soft, and high-quality mattress topper, with an inch-thick layer of oh-so-cozy wool atop a polyester backing. A poly/cotton skirt wraps securely around the sides of your mattress to keep the pad in place. The wool is thick enough to cradle you comfortably, but you won't experience the "sinking in" sensation you'd feel with foam or feathers. Instead, you'll have just enough light support for a good night's sleep, and will be able to extend the use of a mattress that's past its best days. The wool is safe for machine washing, which is an additional bonus.

I owned and enjoyed this mattress pad for several years before finally switching to memory foam due to arthritic pain. The lambswool topper was indeed much cooler than traditional memory foam and added a very nice layer of comfort to my bed. On the downside, the wool flattened out under my body weight and required a quick finger-fluff to restore the loft each time I changed the sheets.

Pros: Not as hot as other mattress toppers, cozy, durable, and easy to cover with a fitted sheet

Cons: Requires periodic fluffing, slight wool odor initially, expensive

The best combination mattress topper

Foto: Source: Sleep Innovations

The Sleep Innovations Dual Layer Mattress Topper Set doubles up the support and the softness with its two-for-one mattress topper set.

What if you could get a two-inch, gel-infused memory foam topper to provide heavenly support for your spine, joints, and upper body; plus a two-inch fiberfill topper for dreamy, soft comfort, all in one? Well, you can, because that's just what Sleep Innovations offers with its Dual Layer Mattress Topper Set.

First, you'll lay the gel-infused memory foam topper on your mattress. The gel helps keep the memory foam from holding onto body heat, so you'll sleep cool and comfortable. As with all memory foam, the topper will mold slightly around your body's contours, providing excellent support with a slight "sinking in" sensation.

Next, you'll cover the memory foam topper with a separate thick, fluffy fiberfill topper, which provides cloud-like softness and a bit more support. The fiberfill topper's skirt wraps around the memory foam topper and tucks under the edges of your mattress, so there is no need to worry about the two toppers shifting or sliding during the night.

Of course, as with all products, there are a few naysayers. Some previous buyer reviews complain that the set is softer than they would like, or that it sleeps hot.

While the Sleep Innovations Dual Layer Mattress Topper Set is a bit of a splurge, it's actually rather reasonably priced considering that you get two quality toppers for not much more than you would pay for one.

Pros: Two comfortable and supportive toppers in one, gel-infused memory foam stays reasonably cool

Cons: Expensive, may be softer than you'd like

Check out our other bedding guides

Foto: Source: Brooklinen

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