A few years back, I bought a new mattress for my master bedroom. Our old bed had started to sag in the center and the coils were creaking every time we got into and out of bed. To me, this mattress felt like a marked improvement. So, imagine my surprise when my husband confessed that he'd been waking up with back pain most nights since we bought the new mattress.
I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars and countless hours trying and buying a new mattress that might not even meet my husband's needs. I knew I needed an easy, affordable upgrade to toughen up my soft mattress. That's where the Nolah Mattress Topper comes in. Since we started testing, my husband said his back pain has completely disappeared, which is proof it was never a muscoskeletal issue, but a mattress issue.
As a member of the H&G mattress testing team, I'm part of the search to find the world's best mattress topper. Together, we've tested every type of topper, from plush pillow-tops to more supportive models. For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each topper against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. Scoring top marks across the board, the Nolah Mattress Topper is the best firm mattress topper we've tried.
Nolah Mattress Topper review
I slept on the Nolah Mattress Topper for three months as part of our long-term, at-home testing process. I spent hours scouring the Nolah site for verified customer reviews, so that I could identify common concerns with the mattress topper. I also considered all the practical parts of buying a mattress topper, from the details of delivery to sleep trials and warranties, as well as the all-important price.
Nolah Mattress Topper specifications
Who would suit the Nolah Mattress Topper?
- Anyone who suffers from backache: the Nolah Mattress Topper is filled with memory foam, which is made to contour around your curves and cushion your joints, taking the pressure off your bones. My husband is living proof that the Nolah Mattress Topper can significantly ease and even erase everyday aches and pains.
- Anyone who prefers a firmer surface: the Nolah Mattress Topper comes in two firmnesses to suit different sleep positions. I'd recommend the Plush surface for side sleepers and anyone who needs a mattress with a bit more give. If you sleep on your back or stomach, or you're a heavier sleeper, then I suggest the Luxury Firm option. That's the topper I tried, and I can vouch for its careful balance of comfort and support.
- Hot sleepers: I wouldn't usually recommend a memory foam mattress topper for hot sleepers. There isn't much room for air to flow through such dense foam. That's why Nolah use a special sort of memory foam in their mattress toppers. Their patented AirFoam is perforated with thousands of tiny air pockets to boost breathability throughout the mattress. As a woman of a certain age, I've suffered from night sweats and hot flashes, but I didn't have any issues with the Nolah Mattress Topper.
What's it like to sleep on the Nolah Mattress Topper?
- Pressure relief: when I first laid down on the Nolah Mattress Topper, I felt very supported. Lying on my back, my whole body came into contact with the mattress – my spine was straight against the topper, indicating optimal alignment. As a combination sleeper, I tend to switch between my back and my stomach in the night, and I always felt supported. My husband's testimony speaks for itself. Before we started testing the Nolah Mattress Topper, he was waking up with aches and pains in his lower back. These days, he's waking up pain-free.
- Thermoregulation: as a hot sleeper, I sometimes struggle to sleep on memory foam mattresses. I can confirm that Nolah's AirFoam makes a real difference: between the breathable foam and the cooling cotton cover, I wasn't waking up in a sweat. Still, I wouldn't say that the Nolah Mattress Topper is one of the best cooling mattress toppers on the market. That accolade belongs to the Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Topper. Graphite is highly conductive, which means it can quickly carry thermal energy away from your body and out of the bed. It's the best memory foam mattress topper for hot sleepers. If you suffer from night sweats and hot flashes, but you're keen to shop more sustainably, then I suggest the Avocado Organic Latex Mattress Topper. It's filled with breathable latex and topped with wool and cotton for natural thermoregulation.
- Motion isolation: memory foam is made to minimize motion transfer, so I was expecting the Nolah Mattress Topper to perform well in this test, and it didn't disappoint. I filled with a glass with water and set it in the center of the mattress. Then, I set a 25-pound weight eight inches away from the glass, moving it incrementally closer. The glass didn't move, even when the weight was less than an inch away. When I put the weight right beside the glass, it tipped a little, but not enough for any water to spill. This indicates excellent motion isolation, and that's what I experienced overnight. My husband tends to wake up earlier than I do. On our old mattress, I could feel it when he got into and out of bed. Since we started sleeping with the Nolah Mattress Topper, I haven't been able to feel it as much.
- Edge support: this is where your average memory foam mattress topper usually falls down. The squishy support in the center often extends to the edges. This wasn't the case with the Nolah Mattress Topper. I could comfortably sit on the side of the bed to tie my shoes or apply lotion without sinking more than an inch into the mattress.
- Delivery: the Nolah Mattress Topper comes with free delivery, courtesy of FedEx. My mattress topper arrived in a cardboard box within five days of ordering. The box was light enough for me to carry inside by myself. I opened the box, cut the plastic, and rolled out the mattress topper to inflate. That's when I noticed the smell of the mattress off-gassing. It's a chemical sort of smell − totally harmless, but pretty unpleasant, and par for the course with memory foam products. I opened a window and closed the door to the bedroom to slow the spread of the smell. I decided to leave it overnight to be safe. 24 hours later, the smell had disappeared, and I layered the topper over my mattress.
How does the Nolah Mattress Topper rate online?
The Nolah Mattress Topper boasts a 4.9 average star rating from 143 verified reviews. 'I recently had hip replacement surgery and this topper was a godsend,' exclaims one customer, who goes onto praise the pressure-relieving properties of the Nolah Mattress Topper. 'Perfect amount of firmness and squish,' concludes another. 'I was hesitant to spend so much on a topper but my mattress isn't that old... and I wanted to wait another year or two before replacing it.'
A few customers opted for the Plush topper, and wish they'd bought the Luxury Firm, and vice versa. That's why it's so important to do your research before you buy. Again, I'd recommend the Luxury Firm topper for back and stomach sleepers, like me, and I reckon the Plush topper would be more suitable for side sleepers.
Should I buy the Nolah Mattress Topper?
If you suffer from back ache, like my husband does, or you want to make a firmer surface for your soft or sagging mattress, then I can highly recommend the Nolah Mattress Topper. The thermoregulation is excellent for a memory foam topper, and the edge support is particularly impressive.
A word of warning before you buy: the Nolah Mattress Topper comes with a 30-night mattress sleep trial. That means you only get one month to test the topper before you need to commit to your purchase. Something like the ViscoSoft Active Cooling Mattress Topper offers a very similar look and feel to the Nolah, as well as a 90-night sleep trial.
How we test mattress toppers
Our mattress reviews team comprises dozens of seasoned product testers across the country. Together, we represent a wide range of ages, body types, and sleep styles, so you should be able to find a tester who sleeps like you. We test each topper for at least 30 days in our own homes to give the most accurate indication of long-term performance.
We assess each mattress topper against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. Pressure relief is all about striking the right balance between comfort and support, which feels different for every sleeper. To assess pressure relief, we flip between our backs, stomachs, and sides to see how the topper feels in each position, paying careful attention to our spinal alignment. To assess thermoregulation, we take note of times we woke up in a hot sweat from testing. Where possible, we assign hot sleepers to test cooling mattress toppers. To assess motion isolation, we fill a glass with water and set it in the center of the topper before applying pressure around it, either with our own body weight or a hand-held weight, getting closer to the cup. The more the cup moves and the more water spills, the worse the motion isolation and the less suitable a topper might be for couples or light sleepers. To assess edge support, we sit on the side of the bed and measure how far we fall. The further we fall, the worse the edge support, and the harder it is to sit on the side of the bed to nurse a baby or get dressed.
We also consider all the practical parts of buying a mattress topper, from the details of delivery to the length of the sleep trial and the extent of the mattress warranty. Finally, we bring it all back to the price of the topper to help you determine value for money. To learn more about how we test at Homes & Gardens, you can consult our expert guide.
