People are slow to adapt. They like what they've always known. This goes a long way to explaining why there is a slow but inevitable shift away from the traditional spring mattress to the memory foam mattress. But the benefits of this new bed mattress are undeniable and here's why.
The spring mattress first appeared in the 1860s. Before this, people slept on a variety on materials including straw and wool. When they first appeared they were expensive and people didn't much like the idea of sleeping on 'metal coils'. But over time, the comfort of this new fangled invention won us over and became the de-facto mattress.
Since this time the progress of technology has been breath taking. The world has seen the arrival of trains, planes, cars, vaccinations, TV, personal computers and space travel. Yet the mattress has remained relatively unchanged, pretty much as it was when it was first invented. That was until the invention of viscoelastic foam.
This amazing new foam is unlike traditional foam in that its bubbles of air are interconnected. This open cell structure allows air to pass from one cell to another as pressure is applied. So, instead of air being compressed and thereby 'caving in' to the sleeper's weight, air in viscoelastic foam is redistributed so that the foam 'conforms' to the sleeper's shape. The material is also temperature sensitive. It's this combination of weight and temperature that gives this new foam its long memory. Mattresses that use this new type of foam are called memory foam mattresses. The Tempur Pedic mattress was the first brand to market.
So, why is a memory foam mattress better than an inner spring coil mattress?
Basically, when you lie down on a coil mattress there is a tension between the coils and the sleeper. The sleeper's weight is pushing down of the coil and the coil is pushing back against the sleeper. Despite some advances in design, with coil springs the sleeper conforms to the shape of the mattress.
With viscoelastic foam, the mattress yields to both heat and weight; the cells don't resist. The mattress conforms to the shape of the sleeper. If you've ever slept on or laid down on this type of mattress you'll have notice the exact impression of your body left behind for a second or two when you get off it.
This ability to conform to exact body shape ensures an even distribution of weight, which means there are no pressure points. Pressure points are what lead many to wake up each morning with aches and pains. In fact, it was in hospitals that cared for bed ridden patients that the first Tempurpedic mattresses were originally used.
Apart from the health benefits, these new mattresses don't ever need flipping. The chore of having to flip the mattress every month or so is a thing of the past.
Another major plus is that there is no motion disturbance or roll-together. Even the best traditional inner spring mattresses can't eliminate the wave motion felt by one partner as the other tosses or turns. There are no springs in a memory foam mattress and there's zero motion disturbance.
If you haven't yet tried out this new type of bed mattress, get down to your local store and lie down on one. You'll be amazed and delighted at how it conforms to your shape and at just how comfortable if feels.
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memory foam mattress like the
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