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 will breathe new life into your bed.
Pillow top mattresses are padded mattresses with extra padding sewn on top of the mattress cover. They are usually comfortable, but not suitable for all sleeping styles.
Support
A mattress topper can be an inexpensive way to make your bed more comfortable. It is placed directly on top of the mattress and is held in place with 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 offers good motion isolation so that partners will not be disturbed as much by each other when changing positions in bed.
This topper comes in six sizes and is made from sustainably cultivated natural latex in the U.S. 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’s also affordable and comes with a generous trial period. However, it doesn’t have the same cradling feel as an all-foam model and tends to compress around the edges more than some other mattresses. You’ll also need a deep fitted sheet to properly cover it.
Durability
A pillow top mattress is one with a thick, soft layer that is stitched or glued to the mattress’ outer cover. It is usually between 2 and four inches thick and made from a variety of materials.
The cushioned top helps to reduce pressure at key points such as the hips and shoulders. It also evenly distributes weight for a better 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’s not as plush as top ten mattresses, but it is still comfortable for most people.
It has excellent edge support for a mattress made of foam. It is available in a wide range of sizes, including California king and a huge 80 x 76-inch king for heavyweight couples.
Claire is Tom’s Guide’s expert on mattresses. She is responsible for testing all sleep products for the website. She has years of product-testing experience and is a certified sleep coach to help readers find the best beds for them. 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 the Nest Bedding Alexander Medium Firm.