Memory Foam: Is It Right For You?

The de rigueur bedding material, Memory Foam is, as the name suggests, foam with a memory. This might seem slightly worrying, but the foam is unlikely to remember the night before. Its memory is strictly short-term.

Memory foam is a visco-elastic foam. The solid part is a viscous-elastic plastic, which means it can stretch and contract. The foam structure is created by expanding the plastic with air. A bit like making an aero bar. But, unlike the aero bar, which does not have a stretchy part, Memory Foam does, and it is the relatively slow return of the foam to its original shape that is considered its memory.

Memory Foam is perhaps best known for its NASA connection. It was designed to respond to the body shape of astronauts so that they were nicely cushioned during take-off and landing where they would be subject to high accelerations (G-forces).

The success of the foam inspired its use in hospitals, where it was used to spread the weight of immobile patients and thus reduce the formation of bed sores and the irritation of burns and wounds.

At present it is quite possible to purchase a Memory Foam mattress or bed in order to have a great nights sleep. The key to a successful purchase is to try it out first. This is because Memory Foam comes in a variety of densities. In general, the higher the density rating, the longer its memory. Although, we are only talking about seconds, a long memory means that on moving in bed it is more likely for the occupant to roll back into the depression made earlier.
In choosing Memory Foam it is desirable to choose a foam that adopts one's shape and that returns to its original form as soon as possible. The Memory Foam that works best for you will be dependent on your weight. Heavy people require a denser foam that will spring back readily after shifting position. For lightweights, a lower density will best suit since a dense foam will not give under a light weight.

So, whilst bearing the technical details in mind, the best thing to do is to try out the Memory Foam before buying.


--
Memory foam is a visco-elastic foam. The solid part is a viscous-elastic plastic, which means it can stretch and contract. The foam structure is created by expanding the plastic with air. A bit like making an aero bar. But, unlike the aero bar, which does not have a stretchy part, Memory Foam does, and it is the relatively slow return of the foam to its original shape that is considered its memory.