Memory foam bed

Memory foam, or visco elastic memory foam as it is correctly known, has become one of the most popular bed and mattress products over recent years. The reason is quite simply because it offers a unique form of support to anyone resting on it and this support is considered to be superior in orthopedic terms to many other bed types.

What makes memory foam special?

Prior to the arrival of memory foam, mattresses were made from either springs or more conventional foams. Both of these bed materials are capable of offering good support and high levels of comfort, however they cannot mould and contour to the precise shapes of a human body the way that memory foam can.

Memory foam has an ability to compress and depress when any pressure is applied to it. However, unlike springs, the areas adjacent to where the pressure is being applied remain completely unaffected. In other words you can press your arm, hand, elbow, or any other part of your body into the memory foam and you will see an exact impression of your body part. Many of the top end memory foam beds are marketed as wellbeing beds, a description used to avoid the word "orthopedic" and its medical associations.

With orthopedic beds this is seen as highly desirable as it means that the memory foam can shape and mould to the contours of the body and particularly the back and spine. The result is that the body is supported in its most natural and healthy position and this promotes rest, relaxation and recovery. It is for these reasons that many believe that memory foam provides the optimum sleeping surface and the best orthopedic beds.

More characteristic of memory foam

Memory foam has a number of characteristics that set it apart from other bed types. The most obvious is the way that it shapes around the body, however it also has what is often described as a “slow recovery” spring back.

This slow recovery property is frequently demonstrated by bed salespeople and they do so by pressing their hand into the memory foam in order to make an impression. The unusual thing about this is that when they remove their hand the memory foam does not spring back into its original flat profile immediately (e.g. like a spring mattress). Instead the memory foam appears to return to its original flat profile in slow motion taking seconds rather than an instant.

From a demonstration perspective this is interesting, however it also has practical implications on how memory foam feels when you lie on it. This slow recovery feature means that memory foam not only cradles the body, but it also holds it in place and therefore it does not immediately respond to subtle movements made during sleep. Those who like memory foam beds will point out that this tends to keep the sleeper in the same healthy position for an entire night and that restlessness and subconscious movements come to an almost total stop. Those who do not like memory foam beds will argue that they hold the sleeper in place requiring a much greater effort to move or adjust position than would be required in another bed type. A small number of people may find memory foam restricting or engulfing.

Another characteristic of memory foam is that it "sleeps warm". This is an expression used to describe how a mattress feels in a temperature neutral environment. As an example, spring beds are generally considered to be neutral, memory foam warm, and latex foam cool. So, if you tend to feel cool when you sleep and you would rather feel warmer, memory foam is the material for you.

Allied to the warm feel of memory foam, the material will also shape and contour based not only on pressure, but also on bodily warmth. This means that visco elastic memory foam continues to wrap itself around you as the heat from your body affects it.

When it comes to harbouring bacteria, odours etc, memory foam beds are hypoallergenic which makes them ideal if you suffer from asthma or a number of other ailments. They also require no maintenance, other than to ensure that the fabric covering (ticking) is clean.

Alternatives to memory foam

Firstly, memory foams do come in different qualities and, as a general guide, the higher density foams are superior, offer longer lasting support and result in beds with longer life spans.

The type of bed construction that would be considered as an alternative to a good quality memory foam bed would be a high spring count pocket spring bed, or a latex foam bed. Beds made form a mix of mattress technologies like springs and memory foam or springs and latex foam are also viable alternatives. Beds of this construction are often described as composite or combination beds and they are normally considered to be orthopedic beds.