Mattress toppers and pads are increasingly popular for many good reasons. They can have some frustrating downsides, however. Let's look at their most important advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
Revitalize an aging mattress - A topper or pad can often revive an aging bed by making it more comfortable and expanding its life for as long as a few months to perhaps even years.
Inexpensive - New mattresses are expensive, often costing ,000 or more. A mattress topper or pad can provide many of the advantages of a new mattress for much less money.
Different firmness for same mattress - If you share your bed with someone else and have a different firmness preference, a topper can be placed on one side of the bed that will result in different firmness levels for both sides. This avoids the need for two people with different firmness preferences to have to sleep in separate beds.
Try out mattress material - A topper or pad allows you to try out mattress material, such as memory foam or latex, to determine if you will be happy with an entire mattress made from the topper material. Also, sleeping on a topper or pad that's made of material you might purchase in a total mattress allows you to make a smooth and easy transition from your current mattress to the new one.
Disadvantages
Fitting problems - A significant number of topper and pad owners find it hard to fit them properly to their beds. For example, purchasing a king sized topper does not always mean that it will accurately fit the dimensions of a king sized mattress.
Slides out of place - Because the topper or pad is not integrated with the mattress, it can slide or move around on its own, even if secured.
Partial effectiveness - A topper or pad can improve an aging mattresses. However, it does have its limits in what it can achieve. If your mattress is beyond hope with severe sink holes, deep sagging and popping springs, the topper or pad will be of only limited assistance.
