So you’ve decided to take the plunge and buy a new mattress. But what kind do you choose? If you’ve been sleeping on a traditional innerspring mattress, you might be reluctant to change. Yet you’re intrigued with the new memory foam mattresses and the way they contour to your body.

There’s another choice! A pillowtop mattress combines the firmness of a coil mattress with the comfort of memory foam, and there are a wide variety of price points available as well. Read on to see why a pillowtop mattress might be the next addition to your bed.

What is a pillowtop mattress?

The core of a pillowtop mattress is an innerspring or coil mattress, not dissimilar to the one you may already be sleeping on, particularly if your mattress is a firm one. However, it’s topped off with several inches of padding. This sewn-on layer (or layers!) adjusts to your body, providing soothing comfort and contouring similar to memory foam mattresses. The padded top may be made of cotton, latex, other fibers or foam. Sometimes that foam is polyurethane, but it also can be the very same type used in memory foam mattresses.

Almost all pillowtop mattresses have the padding on one side only, but there is such a thing as a two-sided pillowtop, which can be flipped for added longevity.

Should I choose a pillowtop mattress?

If these advantages hit home with you, the answer may be “yes.”

• If you’re not quite ready to move away from an innerspring mattress, but want a soft and padded mattress, a pillowtop may be the right fit for you.
• It offers many of the features of a memory foam mattress – the comfort, the contouring, the adjustment to your body – at a competitive cost.
• Some sleepers want to give those memory foam features a try but are unwilling to give up the extra support an innerspring offers.
• A pillowtop is particularly good for side sleepers, relieving pressure on the hips and shoulders.
• It disperses body weight and avoids the formation of ruts and valleys.
• The padding shields your body from the springs.
• They’re available in all sizes. While the pillowtop queen mattress is most popular, you can choose a pillowtop king mattress as well as a twin or a full.

On the other hand, pillowtops aren’t for everyone. Some people who prefer a firm mattress feel may choose a firm innerspring mattress without the extra padding of a pillowtop. There have been reports that, for heavier sleepers, they may sag over time. And some people have found that pillowtops don’t have the longevity of other mattress types.

How do I select the right pillowtop mattress?

Pillowtop mattresses vary in cost, construction, features and size. Here are a few things to bear in mind:

• Remember that the innerspring part of the mattress makes up the majority of what you’ll be taking home and putting on your bed. For a sturdier and longer lasting mattress, look for a more advanced coil system and more coils close to the edge.
• How solid a platform do you like to sleep on? As with other mattresses, pillowtops – the core mattresses plus the padding – come in hard, soft and medium firmness.
• Many pillowtop mattressses have multiple layers in the pad, but more layers don’t necessarily mean better quality and comfort. Not all padding layers are created equal. A single tier of first-rate memory foam can offer more than many layers of quilt-like material. And don’t forget there are several types of foam. Memory foam is the same material whether it’s in a mattress or in a pad, but other cheaper foam layers may compress over time.
• Finally, “test drive” your mattress. Lie on it long enough to see if pressure develops. Note whether it feels the same close to the edges. If the padding includes memory foam, take into account that it’s going to feel better after you’ve slept on it a while.

To sum it up, pillowtop mattresses offer some advantages of innerspring mattresses and some of memory foam and avoid the extremes of both. Check out all the options to decide whether a pillowtop mattress is the right fit for you.