Is the Mattress Topper That Went Viral on Dorm-Haul TikTok Worth It?
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Earlier this summer, my colleagueBella Druckmantipped me off to amattress topperfrom Sleepyhead that she was seeing again and again in college students’ dorm-haul videos. As the Strategist’s sleep writer, I’ve tested dozens of mattresses toppers, but I wasn’t familiar with the brand, which makes two mattress toppers, the Gel Topper andSuper Topper. (The difference between the two is that the Super Topper has copper infusions for additional cooling and antimicrobial effects.) They looked like pretty basic toppers to me, so I didn’t think much of them until I saw their high price tags: $299 or $419 for a two- or three-inch twin XL Gel Topper, and $379 or $499 for a two- or three-inch twin XL Super Topper. For comparison, my favorite mattress topper, theTempur-Adapt, costs $359 for a queen size, and $268 for a twin XL. I consider the Tempur-Adapt to be a pretty pricey and luxurious topper. So naturally I was curiousjusthow nice a mattress topper could be to justify such high prices — especially one so heavily marketed toward college students.
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The Sleepyhead topper is definitely comfortable with premium features
I tested athree-inch twin-size Sleepyhead Super Topperon my guest daybed, partly because I am testing other products on my own queen bed right now and partly because I wanted to more closely emulate a college student’s experience. I took several lengthy naps on the Sleepyhead topper on the daybed and also had a friend sleep on it while visiting me one weekend.
Right off the bat, I thought the topper was quite comfortable. The daybed has a thin, inexpensive Ikea mattress on it, and the Sleepyhead topper made an immediate improvement. The topper is pressure-relieving and cushioning, with plenty of room for me to sink in but without feeling unpleasantly enveloped by foam. I think it would easily upgrade any thin and firmdorm mattress. I was quite comfortable sleeping on both my back and side with a good level of support in both positions. My friend who spent a weekend sleeping on the topper also said he slept very comfortably.
In addition to being comfortable, the Sleepyhead topper has features that I associate with a more premium topper. First and foremost, it has a cover. The cheapest mattress toppers are generallyjustan uncovered slab of foam. A cover is ideal for memory-foam products because the foam itself cannot be washed; the Sleepyhead topper’s cover zips off and can go in the washing machine, a nice bonus.
The cover is made from a blend of polyester and polyethylene — the latter has a cooling effect, which could be useful in dorms without A/C. The foam also has copper andgel infusionsfor additional cooling. I also appreciate that the Sleepyhead topper has elastic straps in all four corners to keep it in place.
But the price seems too high, especially when there are comparable (or better) toppers available for cheaper
Even though I liked the Sleepyhead topper, I don’t see a very compelling reason to choose it over other toppers.
On Sleepyhead’s website, the brand describes its foam ashigh density, though it doesn’t list a specific density. Based on feel, it’s not as light and airy as extremely cheap foam, but it’s not quite as dense as Tempur-Pedic’s foam, which is my touchstone for excellent foam. It is common for high-density foam toppers to be expensive, as they require more material to make. High-density foam is also more durable in the long run, and I find it generally offers better support, along with more of a slow-sinking-in and conforming feel. So I can understand a high price for high-density foam. However, Sleepyhead is charging higher prices than both Tempur-Pedic and ViscoSoft — two of my favorite mattress-topper manufacturers who use high-density foams.
Sleepyhead’s foam is manufactured in the U.S., so that could affect the price, compared to products made with imported foam. But with that said, it’s not unusual to use made-in-the-USA foam — all the mattress companies under the3Z Brands umbrellado and, according to itslaw tags, some of Tempur-Pedic’s foams are made domestically. And ultimately I don’t think the Sleepyhead foam feels considerably more comfortable or premium than the foam in many of the toppers I’ve recommended on the Strategist.
As for other features, while I appreciate the cooling effect of the polyester-polyethylene cover, it’s not a strong enough effect that I’d find the higher cost worth it; there are plenty ofother mattress toppersthat offer a similar level of cooling.
Overall the Sleepyhead is a perfectly nice mattress topper. It’s definitely comfortable and seems to be decently good quality. I wouldn’t adviseagainstbuying it, but there are many similar or better options that are less expensive. Particularly for college students looking for a mattress topper to use in theirdorm, it’s hard to justify spending $300 or more on a twin XL topper. Even for those who’ve graduated from college and the twin XL, the Sleepyhead is generally overpriced at $499 to $599 for a queen and $599 to $649 for a king, depending on which model you buy. Prices that steep are more understandable for toppers made with very expensive materials like latex or down — but even then, I’d typically advise putting $600toward a new mattressinstead of a topper. (Mytop-pick latex topperfrom Avocado costs $399 for a queen, andmy favorite down topperfrom Parachute costs $450 for a queen.)
If you are willing to spend some coin on a memory-foam topper, I’d recommend aTempur-Pedic Tempur-Adaptinstead, as I think you’re getting more bang for your buck. It costs $269 for a three-inch twin XL, which is still quite pricey and honestly more luxurious than what many college students will need. And if you don’t want to spend quite so much, there are plenty of less-expensive options available.
Less-expensive toppers I’d recommend for college students
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An extremely comfortable high-density foam topper with a removable cover and straps.
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I also like this topper, which has a plush cover for a pillow-top feel; it comes in two thicknesses.
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Tempur-Pedic’s less-expensive two-inch mattress topper, which is nearly as good the Tempur-Adapt.
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If you’re interested in latex, this topper is reasonably priced and comes in two firmnesses.
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Linenspa makes a nice basic topper, with gel infusions and perforations for airflow, for under $100.
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For just about 50 bucks, Lucid also has a decent basic topper.
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