Known for reducing pressure on painful joints, memory foam bed mattresses are growing in popularity. Memory foam mattress products consist of either the mattress or the memory foam mattress topper. The latter are sometimes called memory foam mattress overlays.
So what is memory foam?Developed for NASA back in the 1970s, memory foam is a temperature-sensitive material called ‘visco-elastic’.
A memory foam mattress sits on:
- springs or
- thick polyurethane foam.
Sprung vs polyurethane-based memory foam based mattressesAs the sprung type is generally thicker and heavier than the polyurethane foam type – it’s often be harder to turn this type of mattress. The sprung also has fixed covers which cannot be washed.
That said, both mattresses give comparable levels of pressure relief and body support.
First sleeps on a memory foam mattress
It can take a bit of time to get used to your memory foam mattresses. This is because the foam needs to soften to your body heat - moulding to your body shape.
You may feel that you ‘sink’ into your foam mattress. This is a natural response. This is because more of your body touches a memory foam mattress than other mattress types.
What’s a memory foam mattress topper?It’s designed to be placed on an existing mattress and made of memory foam. It’s best to use a topper on a mattress which is less than 5 years old.
Toppers:
- give both comfort and warmth between you and your bed mattress
- help alleviate discomfort from uncomfortable or worn mattresses and
- often offer a shaped profile to help air circulation.
Visco-elastic foam toppers are often used in hospitals and health care settings because of the pressure relief they give.
