If you are entering the market and looking for a new mattress you've more than likely come across those made with memory foam. Memory foam is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds. It is actually catching up, in popularity, with other types of mattresses such as the innerspring, latex, or air mattresses. A problem that most people run into is the cost of the memory foam mattress. The top of a line foam mattresses tend to run anywhere from $1000 to $6000. For most people looking for a new mattress, this is outside of their budget. So there are a few ways to approach this dilemma. If the bed that you currently sleep on is not so old that you have to throw it out you can purchase a memory foam mattress topper to put on top of it. Or, because of the increasing popularity of the memory foam mattress and the increasing amount of manufacturers that produce it, the price of these mattresses is beginning to fall. So you can find a medium to higher quality memory foam mattress for around $500.



Your Current Bed

Deciding whether not you want to purchase an entire mattress or just a mattress pad can be determined by evaluating your current bed. If your current bed still provides solid support and has only lost a little bit of comfort, you could add a memory foam mattress topper to it to greatly increase the comfort level.

If your mattress is at a stage where it's lumpy and uncomfortable it may be too far gone for any mattress pad. The mattress pad will reflect the condition of the mattress beneath it. So if you have a lumpy mattress beneath the mattress pad it will also be lumpy. If there is a sag in the middle of the mattress then you want to replace it anyway. A sag or dip in the middle of the mattress can lead to painful problems for your spine (such as neck and back disorders).

So if your current bed still provides a decent level of support you can simply add a mattress topper to it. Mattress toppers provide an affective amount of comfort and support and a cost just a fraction of what a full size memory foam mattress costs.

If you've made the decision to go with the topper then what you'll need to do next is decide what it is exactly that you need to purchase. There are three things you need to consider when purchasing a topper (the same three things you'd need to consider if buying a mattress) which are thickness, density, and softness.

Depending on the support or nature of your current mattress you may want to choose a topper that offers anywhere from 1 inch to 4 inches of thickness. Keep in mind the size that you choose because standard sheets are not designed to cover a mattress that is more than 10 inches in thickness. A topper that is 2 inches thick should be enough to provide the comfort and support that you need.

So base your decision on whether or not you need to purchase a pad or a mattress on how your current bed offers comfort and support.