VISCO ELASTIC MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS BED BUYING GUIDE ... ABOUT MEMORY FOAM...

Every Visco Elastic Memory Foam mattress is made up of multiple layers of foam.  The number of layers of foam will vary depending on the brand and design of the memory foam mattress.  Generally the best Memory Foam mattresses are the simplest ones made from 2 types of foam: Visco-elastic Memory Foam (top layer) and Polyurethane Foam (base layer - for support).

WHAT IS MEMORY FOAM?

Memory Foam is a temperature senstive viscoelastic material most commonly used as a comfort layer.  The best know brand of memory foam is Tempur-pedic commonly known as Nasa or Space Foam... followed by the other top "S" brands.

VISCO: Resistant to change of shape
ELASTIC: Able to return to its original shape after being forced to change.

Memory foam is capable of contouring to every pressure point on your body and will generally provide back pain relief, spine relief and sore joint relief.

Memory Foam was originally pioneered by the scientists at Nasa.  They came across Visco Elastic memory foam during experiments trying to create a material that would allow astronauts to be more comfortable during pace launch.  From this discovery and more experimentation this has become a common consumer product that provides us with the most comfortable and beneficial sleep system available on the market.  The memory foam material NASA engineered is sensitive to the heat generated by the human body and will also automatically adjust to your weight and body temperature.  The result is an unprecedented sleeping experience.

Memory Foam is known to provide relief from aches and pains that can accumulate throughout your daily life.  Many of these issues can interfere with a restful sleep without you even knowing.  Memory Foam will provide you with a more comfortable sleep allowing you to wake up feeling rejuvenated and invigorated.

WHAT IS POLYURETHANE FOAM?

Polyurethane Foam is one of the most commonly used materials in the world.  Polyurethane Foam is an inexpensive replacement for natural rubber latex.  When used in a memory foam mattress, polyurethane foam provides remarkable long lasting support and comfort in varying layer of firmness.  It can be used in combination with other foam such as Talalay Latex and Memory Foam.  In all cases, the polyurethane base layer will be the bottom later with a few inches of memory foam as the top layer.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEMORY FOAM AND LATEX:

Memory Foam:

Memory Foam has varying degrees of firmness and responds to your body's pressure and temperature.  It is able to conform to the curves of your body and offers supports along the spine providing pressure relief to your bones and joints.

Latex Foam:

Latex Foam is similar to memory foam but is more "springy" offering qualities similar to a sponge.  Latex foams tend to be more quick to respond and will immediately rebound unlike Memory Foam which will "come back" slowly.  Like Memory Foam, Latex is also known for its hypo-allergenic qualities.

WILL MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS OR MEMORY FOAM TOPPER HELP ALLEVIATE ARTHRITIS, BACK PAIN OR TOSSING AND TURNING IN BED?

Memory Foam is not a cure-all and does not offer magic qualities but the vast majority of consumers have stated repeatedly that toppers, pads, mattresses and overlays have helped them with their pain or sleep problems.  It has been proven time and time again by consumers that a change in their sleep system to memory foam has permitted them to sleep longer, awaken few times during the night, and has provided consistent pain relief.

DOES MEMORY FOAM SMELL?

While memory foam does not contain toxic ingredients such as formaldehyde or PBDE (polybrominatediphenylether), it can have somewhat of a "new" foam small that can stay for a couple of days to a couple of weeks.  Smell will differ from foam manufacturer to foam manufacturer.  While this smell does not seem to trigger any allergies, it can be very apparent for individuals who have sensitivity to smells.  If you do experience this with the purchase of your new memory foam mattress, memory foam pillow or memory foam topper, here are some tips to help the smell go away quicker.  Air out the room and wash the sheets after the first couple of nights sleeping on the mattress.  Sometimes a dish of vinegar on the night stand can help to nullify the odours.

HOW IS MEMORY FOAM AND POLYURETHANE FOAM GRADED?

For material to be visco-elastic, it has to be temperature sensituve and have the qualities to rebound fairly quickly and return to its normal shape.  Memory Foam is graded by its visco-elastic nature and  its durability by breaking it down into the following grading system:

WEIGHT OF THE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS (density in pounds per square foot):
The weight of the memory foam is determined by the amount of chemicals used.  The more chemicals, the higher the density and the more visco-elastic the memory foam will become.  The density will not determine the hardness of the material, this is measure by the ILD rating (see below).  Many memory foam mattresses use anywhere from a 3lb foam to a 5lb foam density.  From our experience, anything less than 3 lbs will generally not qualify as visco elastic memory foam and not offer the same therapeutic qualities.

ILD RATING (Indentation Load Deflection) OF THE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS:
The ILD rating measures how hard or soft a memory foam material is.  A 25% ILD rating is the number of pounds required to achieve a 25% compression of a 4" thick foam using a 50 square inch indentation.  For example: a 20 lbs ILD foam indicated that this material took 20 lbs of pressure to indent this foam 25%.  Keep in mind that the higher the ILD, the firmer the foam.  Generally most memory foams will be in the lower ILD ranges.

RESILIENCE OF THE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS:
This measures the foams springiness by determining the percent of rebound of a steel ball dropped from a height of 36"  The higher the resiliency, the better and the more durable the foam will be.  Most Memory Foam mattresses use a high density (high resiliency) base so the mattress will last.

TENSILE OF THE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS:
This measures the extent that the memory foam can be stretched.  This is measured in pounds per square inch, and how much elongation in terms of percent of stretch before rupture.  This value has little relevance to memory foam mattresses because they are not usually stretched.

HOW DO I DECIDE WHICH MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS IS RIGHT FOR ME?

All memory foam mattresses are NOT created equal.  We generally recommend a mattress that is from 2 to 4 layers of foam.  The simpler the better.  Additional layers only provide great marketing opportunities for the companies that sell them and don't necessarily change the comfort or benefit of the memory foam mattress.  We also recommend a base foam layer of no less than 1.5 lbs of foam.  A memory foam mattress with a base layer of 2 lbs of high density foam will tend to last longer and provide superior support.  For the memory foam later, we recommend a 3-5 lb foam with a minimum of 1 1/2" of height.  As mentioned earlier 3 lb foam can feel the same as 5 lbs or even 6 lb depending on the ILD of the foam.  One of the unique benefits of a 3 lb memory foam mattress is that it can feel the same as a higher density foam but will cost substantially less to ship.

We have also seen some really interesting 3 layer memory foam mattresses that provide a soft layer below the memory foam.  This layer seems to cushion the transition between the memory foam later (soft) and the base layer (firm) adding to the comfort and durability of the mattress.

We sincerely hope you have enjoyed our brief Memory Foam Mattress Buying guide.  We wanted it to be informal and provide you with a quick and easy way to understand the basics of visco elastic memory foam products.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.  We are here to help!