What to Look For In a Memory Foam Mattress
With the invention of memory foam mattresses in the early 1990's, the mattress industry changed quite dramatically. People are increasingly buying these mattresses as opposed to the typical synthetic, wool, and cotton ones that have been on the market for what seems like forever. Memory foam mattresses give you a unique sleeping experience, and are highly regarding as some of the best mattresses on the market.
What essentially starts out as a simple piece of synthetic polyurethane foam becomes something completely different. The makers of these foam mattresses add certain types of chemicals that increase the weight or density in the foam. When these chemicals are added, it becomes a non-toxic, visco-elastic foam material. Different producers add various features, so you won't always end up with the same type of foam mattress. To understand what the differences are, you need understand how to grade each different type of foam.
Memory foam is temperature sensitive, and must have the ability to rebound fairly quickly to return to its normal shape to be a visco-elastic material. The memory foam is graded based on the elastic nature and its general durability, as well as the weight of the foam. The weight is determined by the amount of chemicals that are used in the composition of the foam. The more chemicals the foam has, the higher the density, and hence, the more visco-elastic it will become. The density does not determine the firmness of the material, as some think it does. The better the mattress, the better the density is usually. The best memory foam mattresses use a 4 or 5 pound density. The lower grade beds, and the ones that you should shy away from, are only made of a 2 or 3 pound density.
The resilience is also very important when looking for a mattress. It is the springiness that you are looking for. The better memory foam mattress sets have a higher resiliency which leads to better durability. This simply means that when you lay down, it is important that the foam springs back up without leaving an indent of your body. If it stays down then you could really be hurting your body by sleeping on it for a long period of time.
It is important to buy a mattress that will allow the foam to do what it does best. This means that it will allow for a better contouring of the body shape. It will mean that there is less pressure being put on your body when you press harder against the bed.
When you are buying a foam mattress, you will not need a box spring to make the foam bed feel good, as you find with most mattress sets. You can buy a platform base that makes it higher, but the bed should feel good no matter what you place it on. Although you don't need a box spring, you should have a supportive surface to place it on.
Not all mattresses are created equal so when you are looking for one to purchase you should do your research. This includes checking out different memory foam mattress reviews you will find through the Internet, as well as speaking to any friends or family that may have one. You should not just buy the first memory foam mattress that you lay on; check them all out, and make sure you find the best fit for your body.