This Mattress Topper Made My Mattress Feel Brand New (and Stopped My Back Pain)

I love a firm mattress. I associate firm mattresses with supportive mattresses—though I know that's not always the case—and know that supportive mattresses help keep my back pain-free. But even good, firm mattresses fade, as I've learned in the last few months while my years-old mattress slowly loses its supportiveness.

You're supposed to replace your mattress every few years, I know, and my mattress is certainly getting close to the end of its life. Until last summer, I'd been hoping that my mattress would last just another year or so, until my next move, when I had planned to replace it. I woke up day after day with an aching back, though, and when even the best lower back stretches didn't help, I knew I needed a quick solution. I was bracing myself for the grueling process of mattress shopping (and getting rid of my old mattress) when I came across the Casper Mattress Topper, a plush pad that allegedly brings Casper's signature comfort to any mattress.

At $265 for a full bed, the topper isn't exactly cheap, but it is still less than the cost of a brand-new mattress—and it's much easier to bring into your home. I decided to give it a try, and in the months since, I haven't been disappointed.

Casper Mattress Topper, from $195; casper.com

First, the mattress topper arrived in a box (Casper is famous for its bed-in-a-box model, after all). The box was larger and heavier than I expected, but still not nearly as large as a whole mattress, and I was able to get the box into my apartment (up four flights of stairs, no less) and onto my bed by myself easily enough. If anything, the box's size was a sign of how thick and plush the topper is: When I put it on my bed, I was actually concerned it would be too soft for me and that it wouldn't fit under my fitted sheet.

They were unnecessary concerns. The topper fit easily under my mattress cover and sheet, nestling nicely against my mattress, and from night number one, the topper has offered the perfect blend of softness and support. It's soft and plush to the touch, with plenty of give, but it has eliminated my morning back pain (and given me an excuse to spend even more time relaxing in bed).

I haven't noticed any negative side effects, either: My bed is as warm as it ever was (in other words, the topper hasn't made it hotter), and the topper hasn't clumped, bulged, or otherwise lost any quality. With the help of this topper, my mattress feels new again, giving me a little more time before I need to go mattress shopping.