Amanda Prahl
A great mattress is important for a good night’s sleep, but we can’t always afford to upgrade to a new one. Fortunately, there are mattress pads and toppers that can add an extra layer to the base of your bed, and even supplement (or counteract) certain features of your mattress.
If your bed is just a little too firm or soft—or you need a bit more cooling or support—you might not need a brand-new mattress. A mattress topper might do the trick! Take a look at our recommended mattress toppers, all of which address a common issue.
Best Budget: LUCID Zoned Gel Memory Foam
If your mattress is starting to get those dreaded sunken spots or is no longer suiting your needs, but you’re not ready to replace it, a mattress topper can fill the gap. It can counteract common problems, like overheating or lack of support, and extend the life of your bed.
For a cool, supportive fix at an affordable price point, try the LUCID 2-Inch Zoned Gel Memory Foam mattress topper. It offers the sturdy support of memory foam, plus a cooling gel infusion to keep from overheating.
The solid, flexible design helps even out mattresses with saggy spots, although there’s really no topper that can fix the problem permanently. This should get you by in the short-term, though.
Best for Too Soft: Sleep On Latex Pure Green
If your mattress is too soft for you to comfortably sleep on, you’ll want to find a topper that adds some stability and firmness. It’s important to choose a material that’s sturdy enough on its own to not simply sink into the soft mattress beneath. But you also don’t want one that’s uncomfortably rigid or hot.
The Sleep on Latex Pure Green Topper might be the solution. Made from natural latex—one of the firmest materials for mattress toppers—this design can help offset a mattress that’s too soft. It also features small pinprick holes throughout that can help with cooling, and it’s made from certified natural materials.
Best for Too Firm: Pacific Coast Feather Topper
Less common than “too soft,” but equally frustrating, is a mattress that’s too firm. When a mattress is too dense and rigid, it can make for incredibly uncomfortable—not to mention unsupported—sleep.
A feather down mattress topper is one of the softest options out there, so this Pacific Coast Luxe Feather Mattress Topper is a great choice to counteract a mattress that’s too firm. It provides incredible softness and is fairly cool. However, it’s not necessarily the most supportive mattress topper out there, so it might not be the right fit for those dealing with aches or pains.
Best Cooling: Amazon Basics Gel-Infused Memory Foam
It’s all too easy to feel stuffy and overheated when your mattress isn’t breatheable enough. That’s where a cooling mattress topper comes into play. It’s not necessarily about the thickness or density, but the actual materials, as some are hotter or cooler than others.
The Amazon Basics Cooling Gel-Infused Mattress Topper is an affordable option that offers the support of memory foam, which also reduces motion transfer if you share a bed. The great news for hot sleepers is it has cooling gel infused in every inch to help the body stay cool, even though memory foam makes for notoriously hot sleep.
Best for Body Aches: ViscoSoft Memory Foam
Memory foam, with its molding and high-density, is a classic option for anyone prone to body aches and pains. The material provides extra support for sore joints, with a firm, supportive feeling. Because memory foam molds directly to the individual body, it’s also great for reducing pressure points.
The ViscoSoft High-Density Memory Foam mattress topper is a gel-infused, three-inch-thick topper that’s specifically designed to help align your body and relieve pressure on the most common pain points while sleeping.
Plus, it has a ventilation feature to help keep you cooler, because traditional memory foam can become uncomfortably hot.
Best to Reduce Motion Transfer: Sleep Innovations Dual-Layer
Let’s get real, light sleepers don’t necessarily make the best bedfellows. Motion transfer means a restless sleeper might wake you up. A mattress topper made of material that doesn’t transfer motion can be a great solution.
We love the Sleep Innovations 4-Inch Memory Foam dual-layer mattress topper. It’s made with a quilted fill, plus memory foam, with two layers that make it even less likely to transfer motion. Because memory foam already is a low-motion-transfer material, it’s perfect for a mattress topper if you want to reduce the effects of movement.
Best Hypoallergenic: Niagara Sleep Solution Bamboo Topper
Down can be irritating for many people, as can the latex and similar materials used in common mattress toppers made from foam and gel blends. If that’s true for you, an alternative mattress topper is a must-have. Look for natural materials, like bamboo, that are less likely to trigger your allergies while you sleep.
This Niagara Sleep Solution Topper is made from a microfiber blended with bamboo-derived rayon. It’s hypoallergenic and provides all the softness and cooling without the sneezes as bamboo fibers are naturally smoother and rounder, and thus, less likely to cause skin irritation.
It’s not the thickest mattress topper—it’s closer to a particularly pillowy mattress pad—but its natural materials make it well worth your time.
