Memory Foam Mattress Topper Vs. Down Feather Bed – Which Is Better?

Memory foam certainly has science on its side. There are teams of engineers and chemists from different companies, all across the world, whose primary goal is to make memory foam just a little more comfortable. They are constantly researching new formulas and refining old ones in quest of the ultimate sleep surface.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is certainly some brilliant engineering that goes into down and feathers. The creator of the universe made them. In fact man made fibers still have not been able to surpass the insulation abilities of down. But down and feathers were designed for maximum insulation properties, not pressure relieving properties like memory foam.

The single best thing about memory foam (GOOD memory foam) is that it relieves pressure points better than any other type of material. It is the king of comfort in bedding.

What makes it so good? Memory foam mattress toppers have the ability to compress like other types of foam used in furniture, but it also has the ability to “squish” from side to side. It is visco-elastic. It conforms to your shape and applies a more even pressure across the surface of your body – rather than just on your head, shoulders, and hips.

Reducing pressure points has several health benefits:

• Keeps your spine in proper alignment
• Increases blood circulation
• Prevents the “hammock effect” (curvature of spine)
• Promotes blood circulation to all parts of the body
• Stops tossing and turning
• Encourages long periods of stillness and deep sleep

Down & feather bed toppers just don’t measure up in terms of reducing pressure points. Down and feathers compress when you lie on them, but they don’t really conform to the shape of your body much.

Now having said this, I’ve got to add that many of my customers love their feather beds and we sell feather beds in our store. They are wonderfully comforting bedding that many people love and sleep on every night. That’s hard to argue with.

Feather beds are an all natural product, come from a renewable resource, have a very long usable life, and easily decompose once used. So they are healthy for us and our environment. Plus down and feathers come from cute little birds that we love. So there is a strong emotional element that makes down bedding very appealing.

To sum up the contest between memory foam and down & feather toppers: memory foam is not eco-friendly, but it is the king of reducing pressure points and improving sleep while down & feather toppers are very comfortable, loved by many, and healthy for our environment.