Did you have another bad night? Feel tired, lethargic or achy? A memory foam mattress topper could quite literally change your life – and that really isn’t an exaggeration. The truth is that we spend around a third of our lives in bed, and yet over two thirds of us have serious problems sleeping caused by having a poor quality, unsupportive or uncomfortable mattress. Having a poor night’s sleep means we feel less energetic, and more likely to either make mistakes at work or experience an accident.

The problem with most mattresses is that they contain a large number of steel springs which push against your body all night. This constant pressure can cause problems with circulation, nerve damage and discomfort, and so your body compensates for this by regularly relieving the pressure on certain parts of your body by getting you to roll over or move about. But this disrupts your sleep, and can result in you either drifting out of deep sleep, or waking up altogether.

When was the last time you woke up in the night, or found yourself unable to get off to sleep quickly because you were tossing and turning trying to get comfortable? When did you last wake up feeling stiff, aching and as though you could have done with a couple more hours of sleep? With a memory foam mattress topper you could well find yourself saying goodbye to such experiences – but how do they work, and how can memory foam make such a difference to the quality of your sleep?

Memory foam is a material originally developed as part of NASA’s space programme, and is comprised of millions of tiny, porous cells made from polyurethane. Memory foam reacts to both pressure and heat, so that when you lie on a memory foam mattress the material conforms to your particular body shape. The heat of your body, and the pressure of it pushing against the mattress results in an incredible feeling that some have described as being like lying on air.

Yet while memory foam conforms and adapts to your body shape, it still provides perfect support. Traditional mattresses using springs only provide resistance or pressure – not support. A memory foam mattress provides an even support across every inch of your body, holding it in a comfortable, ergonomic position. This means that there are no pressure points pushing against you, minimizing the need for you to shift about or toss or turn during the night.

While a full memory foam mattress may be a little too expensive for some people, a memory foam mattress topper represents an extremely affordable solution, and a way to drastically improve the quality of your sleep at a relatively low cost. There is no need to replace your existing mattress, unless it has become woefully saggy of course. Simply unroll the mattress topper out across your existing mattress, and look forward to the best night’s sleep you’ve had since you were a baby!

Memory foam is available in a number of difference densities, and this can provide a greater or lesser support – a matter largely for personal preference. Perhaps the most popular density for memory foam is around 5lbs, which provides the greatest level of support, although there is no feeling of pressure. Memory foam is all about providing support without pressure, whereas traditional steel spring coiled mattresses provide pressure, and often little, or uneven, support. Clearly for a good night’s sleep it is important to feel comfortable.

If you have any form of back complaint, either stiff joints, a lack of suppleness that can result in pain or discomfort, or any other back injury, you may frequently find yourself waking up feeling stiff, aching and perhaps even in pain. It can take several hours to loosen up and feel comfortable again – and you may even have become so used to this routine that you have actually accepted it as your due.

However, this needn’t be the case, and many hospitals, nursing homes and recovery wards are now using memory foam mattress toppers to assist in patient comfort. If you have ever woken up feeling stiff or uncomfortable, then memory foam could put an end to such suffering. It’s astonishing just what a couple of inches of foam can achieve – but from the moment you unroll it across your existing mattress, your disrupted sleep and physical discomfort will become things of  the past.

With a good quality memory foam mattress topper you can find yourself physically more comfortable, enjoying fantasticnights’ sleep, and feeling more energetic and alive. It’s hard to appreciate just how much difference a good night’s sleepcan make, increasing vitality, health and happiness. There’s only one thing between you and a renewed life – and it’s just acouple of inches thick.