Forget buying a new mattress, a mattress pad might be all you need

Mattresses that can give you a good night’s sleep are often times very expensive. As a result, many people end up settling for cheap, hard mattresses or old lumpy mattresses. Neither of these are of any real help at achieving good quality rest. One often overlooked alternative to buying an brand new mattress is to purchase a mattress pad.

Mattress pads are less expensive than brand new mattresses, and all you need to do is simply place them on top of your old mattress to achieve the same level of comfort that an expensive new mattress would likely provide. Keep in mind though, even with a mattress pad, your current mattress might still affect the quality of sleep that you will be able to achieve. Broken springs and other mattress damages will cause uncomfortable lumps or indentations that sadly, even the best mattress pad cannot fix.

That said, there are many different types of mattress pads that are available. A mattress pad is a great investment since it protects those who suffer from allergic reactions to their mattresses, gives additional comfort, eases pesky joint aches and pains, resists moisture, and wards off dust mites.

Here are some types for you to look into when you are ready to buy a mattress pad:

• The first thing that you need to do is to measure your bed, including the depth.

æ The typical mattress is usually 7 to 9 inches thick.

æ An extra deep mattress is usually 15 to 22 inches thick.

æ A pillow top mattress is approximately 10 to 15 inches thick.

• Take note of the typical and specific mattress pad sizes.

æ A typical mattress pad is usually 7 to 15 inches thick.

æ An extra deep mattress pad has a maximum of 22 inches thickness.

• Keep in mind both the thickness of your current mattress and the thickness of the mattress pad that you would like to have. For example, if your current mattress is already quite thick, then you need to know what type of mattress pad you would like to go with it.

• Do some research on the type of mattress pad that you need. The important factors are the material, the thickness, and the fastener. Some mattress pads are made out of polyester, cotton, organic cotton, feathers, silk, synthetic down, wool, and vinyl. Buy the thickest type of mattress pad that your budget will allow.

• The fastener, which will secure the pad to the mattress, is a very important but often overlooked piece of the puzzle. There are four kinds of mattress pads:

æ The Wrap Pad

ª This type of mattress pad is quilted on the sides as well as on top, and it has elastic throughout the edges. It fits securely and is best suited for thick mattresses due to its expandable sidewalls.

æ The Anchor Pad

ª These cover the topmost part of the mattress and are secured by elastic bands at the corners. They are less expensive but are not very stable because they shift on the mattress.

æ The Fitted Pad

ª Works like a fitted bed sheet.

æ The "Guaranteed to Fit" Mattress Pad

• If you want extra luxury especially if you suffer from muscle and joint pain, you can buy a great quality heated mattress pad. A hypoallergenic mattress pad for those who are sensitive may be even better.



E.M. August is the owner of Foam Mattress Topper Blog and a huge fan of foam mattress pads.