* Is the new mattress you bought recently too hard and therefore not as comfortable as you had hoped it would be?



* Is your mattress good for you but you feel that you want just a little bit of additional comfort to make it easier for you to relax?

Many people that I've spoken to tell me that when they changed their mattress for a memory foam type, their quality of sleep improved considerably. Memory foam mattress construction is now pretty close to the state of the art in terms of constructing the ultimate in bedtime comfort. The market leader in memory foam products still appears to be Tempur-Pedic (R) and most people seem to respect the quality of their products. They are however very expensive products, especially those produced by the market leaders. It has to be said also that a memory foam mattress will not suit everyone so it's wise to try out some cheaper alternatives first.

The closest alternative to a memory foam mattress is a memory foam topper. A memory foam topper consists of a sheet of foam that you simply lay on top of your existing mattress. To use a topper your existing mattress must be of firm construction. If it is too soft for you already then the memory foam will only make things softer and possibly less comfortable for you. If your mattress is firm enough the foam will make it softer to lie on and more comfortable as it moulds itself to your body shape just like a memory foam mattress would. Remember that for maximum comfort your bed should be just the right softness for you.

If your mattress is okay, but your shoulders and neck ache when you wake up in the morning, it could be that your pillows are not as supportive as they might be. There are two types of memory foam pillow available that might help you with this. One is a pre-formed shape that is used on its own. The shape is such that it fits into the curve of your neck and supports your head. It usually comes with its own fitted cover but will also fit into standard pillowcases.

My mother suffers from cervical spondilitis that causes her a lot of pain in the base of her neck and shoulder. My sister bought her a shaped memory foam pillow to try and help her out. It took my mother quite a while to get used to the pillow but she now finds that it helps her to sleep comfortably. She won't sleep with anything else now.

Only buy one memory foam pillow because that is all you need to give you the correct amount of support. You can buy memory foam pillows with a more traditional shape if you want but you might find that they are a bit more expensive than the newer shaped ones and they probably won't give you the same high level of support either.

Memory foam toppers and pillows are made from the same high density visco-elastic foam that the tops of the mattresses are made from. Density makes a difference to how soft the foam is - 4lbs per cubic foot is softer than 5lbs (Tempur Pedic (R) use 5.34lbs density foam). The toppers come in varying depths but the standard is 2 to 3 inches, the same amount as would be found in full mattress construction, over a harder supportive layer of foam.

Memory foam is too soft to be used on its own in a mattress so a firm supportive core is always used. As for cost, the less dense the foam, the cheaper it is, but to get the best benefit, it is recommended to not use a density of less than 4lbs per cubic foot.