Will A Memory Foam Topper Solve Your Sleep Problems?
Do you have trouble sleeping? Would you like to sleep better? I think that there is no one who would answer “No” to those questions. Some people have trouble falling asleep. Others have trouble staying asleep. For example, I used to wake up after just two to five hours. What helped me the most were a combination of mental relaxation techniques and physical stretching exercises. When I could do this, sleeping for five hours at a stretch was no longer a problem. The trouble was, this was still not good enough. I found that sleeping in a better bed with better pillows helped a lot. I could sleep longer, better. And the best beds and best pillows were made from memory foam. So, sleep problem solved, right? Unfortunately, not quite …
You see, memory foam adjustable beds are the best of the best, and priced accordingly. If you can afford one, good for you! But for me, even now that I have been working so many years, they remain out of my reach … family to feed, bills to pay, retirement account to fund … all those troublesome and not so little tasks that fall into your lap once you grow up.
How about plain old visco elastic memory foam mattresses? You know, just the mattress without the adjustable bed. Does it sound like I was getting just a little bit desperate? Heck, yes! For one brief moment, it was almost within my grasp. Then the dotcom crash happened. Then 9/11. And now the recent mortgage bust.
Some of you may wonder why I did not just go for a cheaper latex memory foam mattress. Besides the lower price, it does have some safety advantages over a mattress made from the visco elastic polyurethane foam developed by NASA and used by Tempurpedic and Serta. Well, the thing is, ever since I was a student I have been using a Tempurpedic memory foam pillow. I had to save up for it, and it was worth all the hardship I went through, too. But nothing lasts forever, not even memory foam (even though the Tempur salesman said otherwise). Fortunately, by that time, there were other brands of memory foam contour pillows that were cheaper. Some were a lot cheaper. I should have known better – they did not work! Maybe the pillow I bought was not really made from real memory foam (i.e. visco elastic polyurethane foam). After all, it’s not like these things are regulated. So after one week of waking up with a stiff neck, I saved up for an original Tempur memory foam pillow and tossed the fake.
So what’s my point? While I have heard good things about mattresses made from latex memory foam, I have also learned my lesson. Tempur Pedic memory foam works for me, so I am going to stick with Tempur Pedic memory foam products from now on. Even if natural latex memory foam is cheaper. Even if Serta Ultimate memory foam is cheaper. But you know what? My luck isn’t all bad. There was a memory foam clearance sale recently. I got myself a Tempurpedic memory foam topper. It’s nowhere nearly as good as a real memory foam mattress, but placed on top of my regular mattress, it still helps me to sleep a whole lot better. Together with some stretching exercises to loosen my body, together with some autogenics to relax my mind, my new (sorta) Tempur memory foam mattress topper helps me sleep deeper, sleep better and sleep longer. Will doing the same things as me also help you to sleep better? Probably.
Must it be a Tempurpedic memory foam mattress pad? For me, the answer is yes. I can’t help it – I have an emotional attachment to the Tempur Pedic brand. But I have been told that the Serta memory foam mattress pad is just as good while being more affordable. If you feel that a memory foam topper is a memory foam topper, then any (real) memory foam mattress pad will do.