Memory Foam Mattresses Under Oath...The Truth and
Nothing
But The Truth
Copyright 2005 Charles "Chuck" Harmon
Are you thinking about buying a memory foam mattress?
Are you confused about all the hype and confusing claims
made by the different advertisements for memory foam?
I've set out to clear the air, remove the "smoke and mirrors",
and put into one article all the true information you'll need to
make a selection that will thrill you, give you years of value
and make poor sleep a thing of the past.
The term "memory foam" or "visco-elastic memory foam" was
coined in the early days of NASA's space program. That's why
it's also known as NASA foam.
Sometimes, a memory foam mattress is referred to as a NASA
foam mattress.
During lift-off, astronauts were being subjected to
tremendous g-forces that the human body just wasn't
designed to endure.
The need for a new material, that would make these
conditions tolerable for the astronauts, spawned the research
that resulted in the invention of this brand new kind of foam.
If water, springs, air or any combination of those things had
been an alternative, the expensive research that followed
wouldn't have been needed, and the need for a new material
wouldn't have existed.
Visco-elastic foam has unique qualities.
It is able to mold itself to the shape of any object that puts
pressure on it and, yet, when the object is removed, it will
slowly return to it's original shape.
The picture that comes to mind is the hand above the memory
foam mattress that still has the hand print showing on it.
Memory foam is an open celled foam, which means that air is
free to move from one cell to another, so when pressure is
applied, the affected cells collapse and you feel sort of like
you're floating down into the material.
This collapsing of the cells allows the material to "melt away"
from pressure until the entire surface of your body is evenly
supported over the surface of the memory foam.
It virtually eliminates pressure points.
Another unique feature of a memory foam mattress is
temperature sensitivity.
Within a short time of your body lying on the mattress, your
body temperature will start to cause the memory foam to
soften.
Any area of your body that has excess heat, such as a
fevered injury, will cause the mattress to soften even further
where it is touching, making memory foam the ideal material
for a comfortable mattress.
The problem with the NASA foam was that it "off gassed",
putting off a smell that was overpowering in the confined
quarters of a space vehicle.
It was eventually scrapped by NASA. To my knowledge, it was
never actually used on any space mission.
At that point, memory foam was just too expensive to be used
for mattresses and the off-gassing wouldn't have been
acceptable either.
A few medical research companies started experimenting with
the material for use in hospitals. Many patients develop
bedsores when confined to bed over long periods of time.
Because it was cost effective for this application, these
experiments led to using memory foam in a variety of health
industry settings to alleviate pressure points in hospital
patients.
Through this medical research, memory foam became more
and more adaptable to use as a consumer product in the form
of pillows, mattresses, toppers, chairs, etc.
The Memory Foam Mattress Industry Was Born
The memory foam mattress industry started slowly in the early
1990's and then shot into the mainstream in the late 1990's
and early 2000's.
So much so, that it's difficult to find a magazine, newspaper,
or television that doesn't have several ads for memory foam
products running continuously.
With that kind of demand for the product it's no wonder that a
lot of people started forming companies to manufacture and
sell to an audience with this enormous appetite.
And, yes, as in all industries, some companies are born just to
make inferior products and, then, using terminology that is
confusing or misleading, capitalize on the lack of good
information that's available to consumers.
So let's clear some of the confusion with a few simple facts.
What Is The Difference Between Good And Bad Memory Foam?
Memory foam is graded by it's density. Imagine yourself
cutting a huge "dice" (yeah, like the kind you throw on the
crap table) out of memory foam 12"x12"x12" and slapping it
onto the scale in your doctor's office.
The weight of that 12" sized cube is how you determine
density.
For example, if your "dice" weighed 5.9 lbs. it's considered to
have a density of 5.9, or if it weighs 3.2 lbs. the density is
rated as 3.2.
Pretty simple, really, isn't it. Like most things, we all thought
density would be determined by some E=IR formula or
something terribly complex.
You, now, know more about density than most of the sales
people in your local mattress store.
It's also a fact that the less dense foams are made mostly of
air, not foam. Less foam, less cost to manufacture...they can
sell it cheaper.
For most memory foam mattresses, it's a fact that the human
body is best supported by a density of 5.3 lbs. to 5.9 lbs. Any
heavier than this and it tends to be too dense and won't
allow the proper cell collapsing that allows your body to settle
into it.
Any lighter and you don't get the needed support in the hip
and shoulder areas.
Another problem is that the lighter foams won't continue to
return to their original shape after a relatively short lifespan.
They'll lose their comfort.
Some of the 5.3+ lb. mattresses are still going strong after 15
years being just as comfortable to their users as the first
day...and with no body impressions.
Remember, too, that we discussed temperature sensitivity.
Not all foam being advertised as "memory foam" is
temperature sensitive.
Make sure it has this feature so you get that "fine tuned"
comfort.
A better memory foam mattress will contain 3 1/2", or more, of
memory foam as a top layer. Any less than this probably won't
keep you from bottoming out and laying on the underlying
base layers of foam.
Those foams aren't meant to be in contact with your body and
won't comfortable for you. They are there to help the memory
foam do it's job correctly.
Just remember density and temperature sensitivity, when you
go shopping for your memory foam mattress and you'll be
miles ahead when you purchase.
Chuck Harmon is a the author of several articles including The
5 Deadliest Sins Most People Commit When Buying A Memory
Foam Mattress...And How To Avoid Them. Get the article at:
http://www.memory-foam-buyers-guide.org/
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