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Memory Foam 101

Memory foam, also known as viscoelastic foam, is a material made from polyurethane. It was developed to increase bodily support and comfort by reducing pressure on the body and spine when sleeping. Memory foam is mainly used for pillows, mattresses, and mattress toppers.

History of Memory Foam

NASA originally developed memory foam in 1966 because astronauts experience heavy G-forces during a launch. Viscoelastic foam was made to help provide them with more comfort. Later, they found out the foam released a small amount of gas. In a normal setting, this would not be a problem. However, a space shuttle is completely enclosed, and gas could build up enough in that environment to cause problems.

Even though it was not found to be useful for astronauts, it played a role in hospitals and various medical areas. It was mainly used for patients who needed to lie still for extended periods of time. Immobile patients can easily develop bedsores. This foam greatly helped patients in such situations.

Memory foam did not get any popular attention until the early 90s when the tempur-pedic company released it for commercial use. Initially, the foam was a bit pricey, but has recently dropped to a  reasonable price.

Characteristics, Uses, and Benefits of Memory Foam

A complicated process goes into deciding the foam’s firmness. Memory foam is designed to be an in-between material. It is not too soft or too hard. It works by adjusting to a person’s height and weight, molding to provide maximum comfort.

The most obvious use for this foam is in bedding. Because of the way viscoelastic foam works, it reduces pressure points on the body. This means you will not need to wake up and change positions to get comfortable. This increases your quality of sleep by providing you with more time for REM sleep.

The best choice for this would be an entire memory foam mattress, but they can be pricey. A top of the range memory foam mattress may well cost as much as $3000. However, a topper may suit your needs just as well, and the same effect can be had with a viscoelastic pillow, which will reduce pressure on your neck.

In addition, it does not hold on to dust or mold as easily as other bedding materials. This is a major advantage for people who have severe breathing problems or asthma.

Disadvantages and Hazards of Memory Foam

Of course, such a useful product comes with a few drawbacks. Even though the price has dropped, it can still be expensive, especially if you want an entire mattress. However, they made a cheaper mattress topper for this reason.

Another common complaint with this kind of foam is the smell. It is made from chemicals, and therefore, it can have a distinct odor to it. For the most part, it fades as time passes, but some people who are sensitive to smell may never get used to it.

It is also not recommended that you let small children use memory foam. Since it moulds to their bodies, children have difficulties rolling over and getting out of it. In short, it can be a smothering hazard, so it is best  not to let small children lie on it.

In addition, since viscoelastic foam is made from polyurethane, it is more flammable than regular bedding materials. A law was passed that requires manufacturers to use fire-retardant compounds in their bedding, but some suspect the fire-retardant compound can also cause its own health problems.

All that said, memory foam is still safe for the most part. Maybe smokers should worry a little about it, but they should not smoke in bed anyway. Everything considered, it is a useful product designed by NASA, and many people sleep great because of it.

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What Is Memory Foam?

Memory Foam is the term for a form of visco elastic foam. This foam with amazing properties was firstly discovered for the National Aeronautics Agency NASA by a Scandinavian business to help moderate the huge G-force the astronauts encountered at take off and re-entry.

Only once it had been developed for use by NASA this foam was distributed to the health industry intended for service in the alleviation of pressure sores. This community documented the curative essence of this type of foam and at this time it is employed in hospital beds for post-op and severely injured patients. Over the years, visco elastic polyurethane foam was proved to stay one of a kind in the means it responds to variations in body heat and in its capacity to disseminate pressure over a greater surface area, thus alleviating pressure points significantly.

Whilst the original version of visco-elastic polyurethane foam developed for the National Aeronautics Agency NASA exhibited a lot of possibilities as a bed topper or wheel-chair pad substance, basic visco-elastic polyurethane foam did show difficulties from wear in due time. This original generation of this foam wasn’t very durable, and would frequently compress or display cracking over a period of time.

The earliest authentic visco elastic foam mattress was introduced to the public in 1990 by a notable Scandinavian bed production business.

If you are looking into buying a ‘Memory Foam’ mattress or visco elastic foam mattress topper, what you need to remember is that not all types of visco-elastic polyurethane foam are the same. They change a substantial amount in quality, solidity, stability and additionally in the means they respond to variations in temperature, and besides in cohesion and longevity.  If you will be just looking for a visco elastic foam topper pad to lay on your mattress, you have a lot of options.

There may be a number of reasons why this type of foam is so unique. Primarily is the way new memory foam cells change status once weight is applied. It is unlike regular foams that compress and would like to spring back to their original structure instantly, new memory foam cells compress fully and pass their pressure to the next cells. This process distributes the pressure to a greater total of cells of the mattress topper which then abates the pressure on your body when you are lying on the bed.

This reaction explains how memory foam really protects pressure points. This ability of visco elastic polyuretane foam in addition permits it to respond to your body’s outline and weight bearing places, in so doing reducing these pressure points. This ability is unique this special foam.

Also, memory foam is body temperature responsive. This action means that at colder temperatures it is firmer and at higher temperatures it is softer and more yielding.  Because of this memory foam is known as visco-elastic foam. This body heat responsive capacity causes the lovely melting feeling that you feel when lying down on a memory foam bed.

This type of foam is made by the addition of chemicals to ordinary polyurethane foam. These chemicals are the “secret sauce” in the mixture and are the difference between normal foam and visco-elastic foam. The result of adding these chemicals means that the memory foam will respond immediately to pressure and it follows that when that pressure is removed the foam unhurriedly springs back, finally returning to its original shape.

Visco elastic polyurethane foam itself is constructed of miniature cells that respond to the body’s temperature and weight. Immediately somebody lies down on the memory foam mattress, the foam responds to the the body’s temperature and yields and shapes itself to the shape of the person. The foam shapes itself to the particular shape of the person lying upon it; thus bestowing an amazing quantity of support. In effect the mattress pad learns the contours of your body and makes an adjustment to suit the person lying on it.

This ability is one of the major health benefits of a new memory foam bed. What memory foam does is to prevent areas that are not covered by a body’s weight to remain unaffected. There is no tipping of the edges of the mattress in the direction of the weight; instead the body, or weight sinks into a comfortable mould and leaves the remainder of the foam unaffected. An extra benefit of this is that you are able to sleep uninterrupted; something that many people will find a most valuable characteristic.

Memory foam mattress toppers are the best alternative for everyone who does not want to acquire a complete new memory foam mattress but would like the additional comfort of this amazing foam.  Usually visco elastic foam mattress toppers are anywhere from around two to three inches thick and some are even thicker. You will be able to place one on top of your old mattress to give you additional support and comfort.

Unlike a normal mattress, a memory foam bed moulds itself to the outline of your body. Wherever you can use support, you experience it. Wherever you have need of more comfort, you feel it. You will feel as if you are asleep on air and also can be free from aches and pains once you arise.

For many years the interior sprung bed was regular. But at this time memory foam is becoming considerably more trendy as it offers benefits of more support and comfort. A lot of well-sprung traditional mattresses can feel comfortable whilst you are lying or when you sit on them, but they do not confer the support and comfort that new memory foam can confer. Interior sprung traditional mattresses do not confer the occupant the support considered necessary. However superior your interior sprung mattress, a visco-elastic polyurethane foam bed will still confer extra support plus additional comfort.

The sort of support that you receive when using a memory foam mattress is better than the sort of support you receive even from top-quality mattresses. There is additionally a significant effect of relieving pressure on your body’s limbs and joints which will be able to provide and increase healing. The explanation for this relief of pressure is as the visco elastic polyuretane foam distributes your body weight through the whole visco elastic foam mattress; allowing the body to effectively sink into the mattress without effecting the surrounding areas; this mould supports independently all parts of your body which alleviates pressure from your body’s individual joints. This is why this special foam mattresses are employed in hospitals and endorsed by quite a few physicians. If you are in misery from any form of tenderness that is not helped by your mattress then a new memory foam mattress will be of enormous help to you.

One of the supreme benefits of this form of memory foam mattress pad is that it alleviates nightly tossing and turning. Disturbed nights will be a customary outcome of pressure points caused by a large amount of old style beds when you are asleep on them. Whilst you are sleeping pressure points can form on your body, particularly at your body’s joints and you must switch position to forget the pressure. This movement will cause you to awake and will disturb your sleep. In removing this need to switch positions the memory foam mattress gives you the quality to sleep the whole time the night with no waking up.

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