The Four Primary Types of Foam Toppers for Mattresses That You Should Consider

Written by: Carlo Badalamenti

Whether you’re plagued by back problems or suffer from insomnia, you can eliminate or at least alleviate those woes to a great extent with memory foam. Mattress toppers composed of memory foam provide a perfect combination of pressure relief and support for individuals of all sizes. The superior sleep provided by memory foam toppers can have many health benefits. According to Canada Foam by Mail, there are basically four types of memory foam to consider when purchasing a mattress topper.

Traditional Memory Foam

The memory foam that most consumers are familiar with is made from visco-elastic polyurethane. Originally formulated by NASA, memory foam can remember the shapes of people that use it. The main difference between different brands and models of memory foam is density. All memory foam toppers excel at reducing motion by allowing sleepers to sink in to them to varying degrees. The material itself is anti-microbial and provides excellent protection against dust mites.

Gel Memory Foam

If you’re looking for the same pressure relief found in flexible polyurethane foam but with a greater degree of support, gel memory foam is a safe bet. It’s essentially traditional memory foam impregnated with gel beads. Though they may cost a bit more up front, gel memory foam toppers have a number of important advantages. For starters, they’re more responsive and don’t feature the quicksand-like feel of traditional foam bedding products. In addition, they boast superior heat dissipation thanks to improved air flow.

AirCool/NXG Memory Foam

Like gel-based memory foam, AirCool is quite responsive and tends to dissipate heat efficiently. In addition, it lasts a lot longer than competing foam options. In terms of overall feel, AirCool falls somewhere between traditional memory foam and gel-based memory foam when it comes to support. Thanks to its unique cell structure, AirCool toppers snap back much like gel-based models. Long story short, AirCool is one of the softest memory foam choices available.

Plant-Derived “Green” Foam

One of the fastest-growing segments of the memory foam market is the green mattress niche. A typical queen foam memory mattress is constructed from bamboo, castor oil, green tea or some other plant-based material. Green mattresses and toppers replace some or all of the synthetic materials found in traditional memory foam with natural substitutes. The biggest advantages of green memory foam are unbeatable heat dissipation and the absence of the off-gassing of VOCs.

The Foam Topper for You

Your choice of memory foam topper depends on a number of factors, each of which must be considered carefully before making the final call. Ultimately, no one memory foam can be all things to all people. You’ll need to decide what you want to get out of your topper in terms of firmness and durability. Knowing the basic upsides and downsides of each foam type makes the decision far easier.