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- Breathable and great temperature regulation
- Adapts to your body shape and very comfortable for all sleeping positions
- Can be rotated and flipped to extend lifespan
- Can’t be attached to mattresses without handles
- Undulating surface may not be to everyone’s taste
- Expensive
Mattress toppers don’t come in many grander guises than the Hypnos Inspired By Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer. Made from a combination of British wool and natural latex, this 8cm-deep topper is supremely comfortable and – because you can rotate and flip it – it’s designed with longevity in mind.
It’s one of the best mattress toppers I’ve slept on, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the price is at the very high end of the spectrum. Is it worth the huge expense? Well, I found the Hypnos topper incredibly comfortable in all sleeping positions, and it did a great job of keeping my hot-sleeping husband comfortable. However, its undulating surface won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Hypnos Inspired By Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer: What do you get for the money?
The Inspired By Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer has been endorsed by the Eden Project, for its ‘environmentally conscious design’. That design is, in itself, fairly simple: a layer of graphite-infused latex is sandwiched by two fleeces of wool (certified by the British Responsible Wool Standard). Its damask cover is made from wood pulp-derived viscose, and the whole thing is a generous 8cm deep. It also has leather straps with Velcro fastenings to attach the topper to the handles of your mattress.
Price wise, the Hypnos Enhancer is in a different league to any other mattress topper we’ve tested. It’s sold exclusively at Bensons for Beds and costs £1,700 for a single, £2,300 for a double (and a small double), £2,500 for a king and £2,700 for a super king. That’s more expensive than many mattresses. The next most expensive topper that I’ve tested is the Panda Hybrid Bamboo mattress topper at £340 for a double, but even this is a mere fraction of the price of the Hypnos topper. What’s more, Bensons for Beds charge £49 for delivery, which is disappointing considering how expensive the topper is to begin with.
That said, you can currently get 50% off the price of the Hypnos Enhancer if you buy it in conjunction with one of Bensons for Beds’ exclusive Hypnos Inspired By Nature mattresses. I recently reviewed the Hypnos Inspired By Nature 05 mattress, which I found to be supremely comfortable.
How I tested the Hypnos Inspired By Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer
Unlike our mattress reviews, I don’t carry out any standardised tests on the mattress toppers I test. Instead, I rely on anecdotal experience and my subjective impressions when using the topper for its intended purpose: sleeping.
I test mattress toppers alongside my husband and, as well as noting how comfortable it is, I consider temperature regulation, motion transfer and edge support. I review a lot of mattress toppers, rarely judging them in isolation either, so I inevitably compare comfort and value for money.
I reviewed the Inspired by Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer shortly after I’d reviewed the Hypnos Inspired by Nature 05 mattress. While it’s an extremely comfortable all-rounder, I did find the 05 mattress a little firm when sleeping on my side. As such, I was keen to see if Hypnos’ topper would add enough cushioning to rectify this, while also providing sufficient lumbar support for my bad back.
Is it comfortable?
First impressions of the Hypnos Enhancer weren’t particularly promising. Unlike nearly every other topper on the market, it doesn’t have a completely flat surface. Instead, there are slight undulations because of the way the cover has been stitched.
However, it was a different story once I was lying on the Hypnos Enhancer. Thanks to the combination of latex and wool, it adapted almost instantly to my body shape, holding me in place perfectly and keeping my spine nicely aligned. It also provided plenty of lumbar support in a similar fashion to the Dorma Full Forever, one of our top rated toppers.
Edge support on the Hypnos Enhancer is impressive, which is a welcome surprise because this is an area in which mattress toppers often disappoint. I can sit on the edge of the bed quite happily without feeling like I’ll slide off, while also using the full width of the bed overnight. The straps around the mattress handles also mean that the topper never felt as if it would shift about during the night.
Temperature regulation was also excellent. Natural latex and wool are both highly breathable and my hot-sleeping husband hasn’t complained once. Bonus points are awarded for the fact that it absorbs motion well too, thanks to its thick padded design. Finally, the fact that you can both rotate and flip the topper means its lifespan is going to be considerably longer than many more budget options.
Was there anything I didn’t like?
The reason I haven’t given this topper five stars comes down to a few things. Firstly, you can only secure the Hypnos enhancer to a mattress if the latter has side handles. This is quite limiting, as many mattresses have eschewed them altogether, and is perhaps proof that the Hypnos Enhancer is designed primarily for the brand’s own mattresses.
And if your mattress does have handles, the position of these will need to match up with the topper’s straps. This suggests that the Hypnos Enhancer is really designed for use with the brand’s own mattresses, which is quite limiting. Of course, you can risk laying it loose on your mattress without attaching the straps, but this isn’t an ideal compromise.
Another caveat is a point I touched on earlier. Because of how it’s stitched together, the surface of the Hypnos Enhancer has a contoured structure rather than laying flat like a lot of toppers. When it comes to sleeping on it, this undulating surface works like a charm for easing tension, aches and pains, but it takes a little getting used to. You’re not sinking into it – as you would with a Tempur mattress, for instance – and you may find it feels fractionally uneven when you first lie on it.
Personally, the comfort that the Hypnos Enhancer offers makes this adjustment period well worth pushing through, but the sensation won’t be to everyone’s tastes. It also means that you’ll need to be sure you flip and rotate the topper to spread wear evenly over the surface – I’d recommend every two weeks to avoid any ridges or dints appearing.
Finally, this is an eye-wateringly expensive mattress topper: £2,300 is an awful lot to spend on a mattress “Enhancer” when you could get a whole new mattress for less. Many budgets simply won’t accommodate the Hypnos topper’s price tag. And those who can afford will need to weigh up whether it’s worth buying over a brand new mattress.
Should you buy the Hypnos Inspired By Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer?
If money is no object, there are many reasons why I’d jump at buying the Hypnos Inspired by Nature Wool & Latex Enhancer. It’s absolutely superb at easing aches and pains, relieves pressure points and provides plenty of cushioning where it’s needed. Temperature regulation is great, motion transfer is practically non-existent, and the edge support is far better than you’ll find on many rival mattress toppers.
Of course, there’s no escaping the price tag. The Hypnos Enhancer is more expensive than many mattresses and its contoured design may not be appealing to everyone. However, given space in my budget, I’d definitely consider investing if I was in the market for a mattress topper.
