Top Mattresses For Comfort and Style
Maybe you’re not quite ready for a new mattress, or maybe your old one has lost its comfort. The right top mattress can bring a new life to your bed.
Pillow top mattresses have extra padding sewn to the top of the mattress cover. They’re typically comfortable but not suited for every sleeping style.
Support
A mattress topper is an inexpensive way to give your bed a comfortable makeover. It sits right on top of your mattress, held in place by straps. They can vary in thickness from about an inch or two to as thick as eight inches or more. The thinner ones are not as supportive or cushioning but can hide lumps and bumps on your mattress.
Memory foam conforms to the body, providing comfort and pressure point relief. It also provides good motion isolation, meaning partners won’t disturb each other as much when changing positions in bed.
This topper is available in six bed sizes and is made in the U.S. using natural latex that’s sustainably farmed. It’s breathable, helping to keep the sleep surface cool and dry. It’s encased in a cotton cover that looks and feels luxurious. It is hypoallergenic and washable, and resists mildew and mites. It comes with a generous warranty.
Comfort
This mattress is made with foams which create a plush feeling and a medium amount of body contouring. It provides a solid support that can promote spinal alignment and relieve back pain. It’s a great choice for back, stomach, or side sleepers.
It’s also flippable, so you can choose between a soft or firm side of the bed. It has a layer made of softer latex and a layer made of memory foam.
Comfort varies by person and can be hard to quantify, but this mattress has plenty of positive feedback from our team, including anecdotal evidence like waking up without back pain or never sweating through sheets. It is also affordable and comes a generous 30-day trial period. It doesn’t provide the same comfort as an all-foam mattress and tends towards compression around the edges. You’ll also need a deep fitted sheet to properly cover it.
Durability
A pillow top mattress has a thick layer of soft material that is glued or stitched to the mattress cover. It’s usually between 2 and 4 inches thick and can be made of many different materials.
The cushioned top helps to reduce pressure at key points such as the hips and shoulders. It also distributes weight evenly for a better night’s sleep. This is particularly important for those with shoulder, back or hip pain.
Unfortunately, pillow top mattresses have a tendency to sag over time. It is difficult to avoid this, but rotating your mattress every few months will help extend its life. Also, pillow top mattresses tend to be deeper than standard mattresses, so it’s important to select sheets that can accommodate the additional cushioning.
Value
The Allswell is the latest mattress-in-a-box from Walmart, and it offers great value at $699 for a queen. It’s a hybrid bed with layers of temperature-regulating foam and copper-gel-infused memory foam. It isn’t as plush as the top ten mattresses but is still comfortable enough for most people.
It also has a very good edge support for a foam mattress. It is available in a wide range of sizes, including California king and a huge 80 x 76-inch king for heavyweight couples.
As Tom’s Guide’s mattress expert, Claire is responsible for all sleep product testing for the site. She has years of experience in product testing and is a certified Sleep Coach to help readers find their perfect bed. She has written for The Spruce and Apartment Therapy as well as Livingetc. She loves helping readers solve their sleep problems and wind down well at night. Her favorite mattress is Nest Bedding Alexander medium firm.