Can you improve your quality of sleep without buying a brand new mattress? We tested the Emma Sleep Flip Topper to find out
We rate Emma Sleep to be one of the memory foam mattress brands on the market. In fact, on a trip to Furniture Village, Dreams and Dunelm to test out the best memory foam mattresses, the Emma Select Diamond Spring Free Mattress came out on top following this Nectar Memory Foam Mattress and Dunelm’s Just Right Memory Foam Mattress.
While traditional pocket sprung mattresses can keep you up at night by putting pressure on particular areas, memory foam mattresses contour to your natural body’s shape, giving you constant support throughout the night. A high-quality memory foam mattress can set you back anywhere between £500-£800 and if you’re new to the world of memory foam, you might be looking to upgrade your current mattress for less without fully committing.
An expert from Dreams recommended to me that a memory foam mattress topper is an excellent alternative to a memory foam mattress, as you can still get many of the memory foam benefits without having to buy a whole new mattress. Here’s where Emma’s Flip Topper comes in.
The Emma Flip Topper is a 6cm-deep foam topper that promises to add comfort and support while you sleep, it has a firm and soft side depending on your preference. I slept on this topper for a week to see if it could deliver on those claims, as well as to judge whether it lived up to the best memory foam mattresses I’ve tried.
Setting up
The Emma Flip Topper arrived rolled and vacuum-packed in plastic and in a box. I was surprised at how big and heavy it was but I would still say it is portable if you’re planning on travelling with it. The mattress topper itself is pretty heavy so setting it up might be a two-person job, but that’s a sign of good-quality memory foam in my opinion.
Upgrading my current spring mattress to a memory foam couldn’t have been easier as I simply laid the Emma Flip Topper on top of the existing mattress. It doesn’t come with any straps or an elasticated skirt to keep the topper in place but I haven’t found that to be a problem as it hasn’t slid around during the night and is very sturdy.
The next job is to make your bed up as you typically would which was a little trickier than I had expected as you now have an extra 6cm of mattress to contend with. I was just able to get my fitted sheet over the mattress topper and mattress, but it is something to bear in mind if you have smaller fitted sheets or a deep existing mattress.
Foam mattresses can often give off a ‘chemical’ smell (called off-gassing as gasses slowly escape from the foam) and while harmless it can be a little unpleasant to sleep in. I did find the Emma Flip Topper had a ‘new mattress’ scent but it wasn’t overpowering and soon dissipated after a few days. If you have a sensitivity to smells, you might want to keep the topper in an aerated room for a while before putting it on your bed.
Comfort and Performance
I couldn’t wait until the evening to see if the topper had many any difference to my mattress so I tried it out and the change was impressive. The Emma Flip Topper had a plush, squishy feeling which is down to its two-layer construction – an Airgocell foam and supportive HRX ZeroGravity foam. If you have a firmer mattress, it should immediately make an impact.
It was then time for the real test which can only come from spending a night sleeping on it. Unlike many memory foam mattresses on the market, it has a soft and firm side so you can choose which is best to support your body. I went for the softer side as I am typically a side sleeper and often the best option is a slightly softer mattress. I felt like my body still had lots of support and I didn’t have an overly ‘sinking’ feeling which I did find with some memory foam mattresses that were a little too soft for my preference.
However, if you are a back or a stomach sleeper, you might need the firmer side to support your spine and keep it in a neutral position while you sleep to avoid any pain. Emma Sleep do give you a 100-night trial period which is ideal if you aren’t sure whether memory foam material works for you.
Sleeping on the Emma Flip Topper was lovely and truly felt like an upgraded version of my original mattress. It was very comfortable and I found it easy to switch sleeping positions in the night. There was no period of discomfort that you can sometimes get from a new mattress and it got the seal of approval from me after the first night.
One factor that it did fall short on for me was temperature control. A common issue with memory foam is that it can absorb body heat and while the Emma Flip Topper does claim to use technology that ‘enhances breathability and promotes airflow by absorbing and then evaporating sweat’, it was noticeably warmer than before.
This could be down to me being a hot sleeper, however, there are alternative memory foam toppers that are designed specifically to combat this problem, such as Soak & Sleep’s Cooling Memory Foam Mattress Topper.
Price and Specifications
The Emma Flip Topper comes in UK single, small double, double, king and super king sizing, ranging in price from £189 to £299, with a double costing £249. It certainly sits in the premium price bracket for toppers compared to cheaper alternatives like this Silentnight Memory Foam Mattress Topper for £95, but Emma Sleep does regularly run sales so you can likely get it for a little less.
Overall verdict
Ultimately, the topper is thick enough in my opinion to justify being in the premium bracket and as it completely transformed my bed without having to buy a new mattress, it’s well worth it in terms of value for money. It is best for side sleepers and those who prefer a softer mattress, however, the 100-night trial period and ability to choose different firmness levels makes it a great choice if you haven’t tried a memory foam mattress before.
