Memory Foam Mattresses explained, since their development and public release, memory foam mattresses have proven themselves to be an excellent solution for back pain sufferers and those simply looking for an excellent night of sleep every night. This mattress technology is unique, featuring no springs, water, or pressurized air. A quality memory foam mattress is extremely durable and offers many benefits to its owner.
Memory foam mattresses are made out of a visco-elastic polyurethane foam. Different densities are available, depending on the user's preference. High density foams react to body heat, allowing them to mold themselves to the shape of a resting body within minutes, later returning to their original shape once pressure is released. Low density foam mattresses will quickly form themselves around a body, reacting more to weight and pressure than heat. These will provide a "customized" sleeping surface in seconds, and will also return to their original flat shape once the weight is removed.
This unique ability of memory foam to form itself around a body is not found in any other mattress technology. It ensures proper support of all body curves, allowing lower points to "sink" into the mattress until higher points are also in contact with it. This relieves pressure on the low points and spreads it out evenly across the body.
When first developed by NASA in 1966, memory foam was revolutionary. This remarkable technology offers extreme durability, and one of its first uses was found in sports equipment, such as the padding in football helmets. Memory foam was also used in hospital beds for patients that would have to remain in one position for long periods of time. These patients often suffered from bed sores, caused by the degradation of tissues near bony low points on the body. This degradation was caused by decreased blood flow due to the concentration of pressure at these points. Memory foam "evened out" the pressure, causing a dramatic reduction in cases of these sores.
Users of memory foam mattresses often report vastly improved sleep quality, and significant reduction in back and shoulder pains.
As memory foam technology evolves, prospective buyers now have the option of buying "natural memory foam", made from natural latex instead of polyurethane. The addition of essential oils and plant extracts gives latex foam similar properties to its synthetic counterparts. These natural mattresses offer a variety of benefits over the already well respected and loved polyurethane memory foam.
Organic mattresses are bio-degradable, so environmentally conscious consumers need not worry about where their mattress will end up once it has outlived its usefulness. And since the mattresses can last for twenty years or more, relatively few of them will end up in landfills in the long term.
Comfort is at a maximum with organic mattresses. Natural foam boasts improved "recovery" time over synthetic foam, regaining its shape more quickly. This allows greater comfort when turning during the night. In addition to this, it is significantly more breathable, preventing it from trapping heat and giving a hot feel to the sleeper.
Natural or synthetic, people around the world enjoy excellent quality of sleep and benefit from the healing, pain-relieving qualities of memory foam mattresses.