Emma Mattress Topper Review
A competent memory foam topper doing the one thing memory foam toppers do well. Whether you should buy it depends on a measurement you can take in thirty seconds.
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Verdict
A competent memory foam topper that does the one thing memory foam toppers do well, which is soften a mattress that is too firm. Whether you should buy it depends almost entirely on a measurement you can take in thirty seconds, and most people buying a topper have not taken it.
Buy it if
Your mattress is structurally sound, too firm, and you want a softer surface without replacing it.
Avoid it if
Your mattress has dipped. A topper will follow the dip and you will have wasted the money.
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| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Memory foam topper |
| What it changes | Surface firmness and feel |
| What it does not change | Support, or a sagging mattress |
| Best paired with | A mattress under about five years old that is firmer than you want |
The scores
Does its job well. The job is narrower than most buyers assume.
Emma bundles these with mattresses, which is usually better value than buying separately.
Takes the edge off a firm mattress without remaking it.
Adding memory foam to a mattress makes it warmer, not cooler.
A topper does not provide support. Scoring it otherwise would be misleading.
Expect several years before it compresses into the mattress beneath.
Emma's standard terms apply.
Before you buy any topper
The rule that decides whether a topper will work
A topper changes firmness. It does not change support.
If your mattress has developed a dip of more than about 25 millimetres, a topper will follow that dip within a few weeks and you will have spent the money for nothing. Lay a straight edge across the mattress and measure the gap at its deepest point before buying anything.
Toppers are for a mattress that is structurally sound and simply too firm, or for changing the surface feel. They are not a repair.
A memory foam topper will make you warmer
This is the trade nobody mentions, and it catches people who are already borderline.
Memory foam works by responding to body heat, which means it is designed to retain warmth at the surface. Adding a layer of it to your bed adds insulation between you and whatever airflow the mattress underneath provides.
If you already sleep warm, a memory foam topper will make it worse. If your mattress is a hybrid whose spring layer was doing the cooling, a foam topper sits above the springs and cuts them off from you.
If heat is a factor, look at a wool or latex topper instead. Both soften a mattress without the insulating effect, and wool additionally manages moisture, which is what makes the difference between warm and clammy.
When a topper is the right answer, and when it is not
Right answer: your mattress is a couple of years old, structurally fine, and firmer than you want. You have just moved into a rented flat with a mattress you cannot replace. You are preparing a spare room and want an existing mattress to feel more welcoming.
Wrong answer: your mattress has a visible dip. You are trying to extend the life of an eight year old mattress. Your back hurts and you are hoping a topper fixes it, which it will not if the problem is support rather than surface.
In the wrong-answer cases, the money is better spent toward a replacement. A 150 pound topper on a failed mattress is 150 pounds toward a new one that you no longer have.
A correction worth making
Commonly repeated, and wrong
Mattress toppers are widely recommended as a way to extend the life of a sagging mattress, and they cannot do that. A topper conforms to the surface beneath it, so a dip of more than about 25 millimetres reappears through the topper within weeks. Toppers change firmness and surface feel on a structurally sound mattress. Where sagging is the problem, the only real solution is replacement, and a topper delays it at the cost of the money that would have contributed to it.
Should you buy it?
Yes if your mattress is sound and too firm, and you do not already sleep hot.
If you sleep warm, look for wool or latex instead of memory foam. If your mattress has dipped, put the money toward a replacement: the Origin Hybrid at 265 pounds is not much more than a premium topper.
Questions people ask
Will a mattress topper fix a sagging mattress?
No. A topper conforms to the surface beneath it, so a dip of more than about 25 millimetres reappears through the topper within weeks. Lay a straight edge across the mattress and measure the gap at its deepest point before buying anything.
Do memory foam toppers make you hot?
Yes. Memory foam responds to body heat and is designed to retain warmth at the surface, so adding a layer adds insulation between you and whatever airflow the mattress provides. If you sleep warm, look at wool or latex instead.