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What is a topper?

Basically, a memory foam topper is a layer of memory foam that you can put on top of your existing mattress, to give the effect of a memory foam mattress at a fraction of the price. You keep the bed, box spring, and furniture you already own and ad the pressure-relieving, restorative properties to the top.

Essentially, your bed acts as the base support, and the memory foam provides the pressure relief, improved circulation, spinal alignment and overall improved sleep.

The GreenBeds.com Twilight 4lb topper is a great marriage of durability and affordability. Anything less than 3lb simply will not last long enough to be worth the price. 4lb is warranteed for By comparison, most of the "memory foam" products you see in major chain wholesalers is actually 2 (or lower) density, which may retain that visco-elastic feel for only a few months.

Thickness

The Thickness of your memory foam topper also determines how good it's going to feel, and how much support it can provide. Each inch of Elation Memory Foam increases the support and performance of your mattress.

2 Inches

A 2" layer will provide a minimum level of support, and will have a basic Memory Foam feel. 2" is enough to change the surface feel of your mattress, but most people will "bottom out" and feel the existing mattress underneath.

3 Inches

In our experience, we have found 3" to be a "sweet spot" for memory foam toppers, regardless of the state of your mattress or the density of the memory foam. Most memory foam mattresses contain a 3" comfort layer. It's enough for most people to get the benefits of memory foam if they sleep on their stomach or back.

4 Inches

If you have a very hard mattress and you are looking to totally transform it to a memory foam feel, or, if you are predonimately a side sleeper, then you probably need a 4" topper, for maximum support and comfort.

Density

What is it?

Simply put, density measures how much "stuff" is in your memory foam. If you have 2 peices of foam that are the same size but different weight, the heavier peice has a higher density than the lighter peice. It's got more "stuff" crammed into the same space.

You can determine density by weighing a cubic foot of memory foam (a block of foam that measures 12" x 12" x 12"). This actual weight is your density rating. So when you see a 5lb memory foam product, you know that a cubic foot block of this foam will weigh 5lbs.

Simple, right?

Density is one of the most important factors in purchasing memory foam, because it directly affects 2 key areas: Support and Longevity.

Higher Density = Better Support

The title says it all: the higher the density of your foam, the better it will support. Think about it...if you take a peice of standard egg-crate foam, which is typically 1.8lb density, you can push your hand all the way down to the bottom, no problem. There's just nothing in the foam that can support the weight of your hand. Not enough "stuff."

Now if you take a 5lb density topper, it takes much more weight to push down to the bottom. Density is the reason why.

The result is better support and spinal alignment without bottoming out. If you buy low-density memory foam, you can bottom out and feel the surface beneath you. Bottoming out can lead to the pressure points and circulation problems you were trying to fix when you bought a topper to begin with.

Obviously, the denser the foam, or the more material used to produce it, the more material there is in the cushion to provide support for weight.

Higher Density = Longer Life

Density also is a primary factor in foam durability. The more polymer material used to produce the foam, the better foam tends to retain its original properties.

In flex fatigue tests, higher density is proven to lessen flex fatigue over time. This means that a higher density memory foam will keep it's original shape and feel for longer than lower densities.

Lower density foam tends to break down and leave a permanent impression where you sleep, and it loses the restorative properties that memory foam offers.

Free Cover!

We recommend that all our memory foam be covered, in order to:

* Protect the foam from damage - Foam is delicate since it's not a permanent part of the bed it's designed to be removed from time to time. The constant flipping and pulling can rip the foam. Remember this stuff is not light especially when you order the 3 - 4 inch toppers.

* Protect the foam from moisture and body oils. - You want to treat this foam just like your mattress...there is no way to deep-clean your memory foam topper, so you will need a barrier between you and the foam to prevent any odor from building up.

* Keep the foam from spreading - Since the foam is not a permanent layer of your bed it will tend to "spread" on the top surface of your bed. This happens just from sleeping on the bed. Over time the foam will spread so far that it will reach it's tearing point and those tears are not covered under warranty. Remember these toppers were meant to be sewn inside of very expensive mattresses where the foam couldn't spread nor was it exposed to air and light. We're saving you money by offering the memory foam without the mattress but we shouldn't forget to protect our investment.

For your convenience, we offer the topper uncovered or covered in a fitted, anti-microbial, hypo-allergenic, stretchable cover. This is the same type of cover used on our memory foam sleep systems. This is a very nice cover and a much better alternative than the covers that most companies make out of sheets or terry cloth.