Tips for Selecting Your Mattress Topper Thickness
When it comes to buying a mattress topper, two questions arise: what material to use and how thick? To pick the topper that gives you the best night’s sleep, you need to answer the first question before you can answer the second. Many materials are used today to create mattress toppers, and knowing the traits of each will impact how thick you want your topper to be.
The most popular style of bed pads are memory toppers. The unique, temperature-sensitive formulation of memory foam is what makes it so popular, as it alleviates pressure and creates a cloud-like cushion. But at the same time, temperature-sensitivity can become a problem for mattress toppers of a certain thickness. Generally, the thicker a memory foam topper gets, the softer it gets. As you sink deeper into the material, you continue to heat and soften deeper areas of the mattress. This makes a 7-inch topper softer than a 3-inch memory foam topper on a base that isn’t temperature-sensitive.
Conventional materials have more predictable behavior due to their non-reactive structure. Depending on the quality and firmness of the foam, there is a certain point where maximum softness is reached, and going any thicker doesn’t add anything but an increase of bed sizes in inches. To know how the particular foam you’re considering will act, it is best to discuss its performance with your retailer to give you the most insight before your purchase.
No matter the type of foam you select, there are still a couple universal rules that apply. DIY cushion toppers that are less than two inches thick are not strong enough to support an adult’s weight and will bottom out, effectively not providing any benefit. In a common-sense fashion, body weight also plays a role. The larger the individual, the more they will sink into the topper. Because of this, larger people are typically suggested to use thicker and firmer materials, like high quality 4 inch foam toppers. Lighter people can use thinner materials and generally should use softer foam to prevent a topper that is too firm.