As we all are now fairly aware, getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to being able to stay fit and healthy in both body and mind. Therefore, the beds where we rest and the mattresses, we sleep on are important elements in all of our lives. Recent advancements in mattress technology have meant many people are now choosing to sleep on mattresses made from memory foam as an alternative to the more traditional spring beds. Memory foam is a fairly recent invention, and this article gives you some interesting and valuable facts about this wonder material.
1, Memory foam was developed by NASA in the 1960s as a lightweight material used in the manufactured of aircraft seat cushions and where also used in spacecraft.
2, Consisting of mainly Polyurethane, additional chemicals are added to memory foam to increase its density and viscosity, leading it to be referred to as a Viscoelastic foam.
3, The high density of the memory foam softens when reacting to body heat, allowing it to mould around the sleeper.
4, NASA released memory foam into the public domain in the 1980s, where it was used for commercial applications in the medical industry and sports equipment such as American football helmets.
5, The first memory foam mattresses were produced by the Swedish company Tempur-Pedic in 1991 after initial production problems were solved.
6, Modern memory foam mattresses have an open cell structure that reacts to the sleeper’s heat and weight, which helps to relieve pressure and avoid bed sores for hospital patients.
7, Memory foam has excellent heat retaining properties which can help some sufferers of chronic pain who find the warmth reduces their pain.
8, The last twenty years have seen the development of gel memory foam, which reduces the heat retention of normal foam, as this was seen as a disadvantage for some sleepers. Gel particles were fused with visco foam to reduce trapped body heat and spring up spring back time, making mattresses feel softer.
9, Today’s memory foam mattresses are combined with Aloe vera, green tea extract and charcoal to reduce odour and give an added aromatherapy benefit to the sleeper.
10, Today’s memory foam mattress-in-a-box brands have seen an explosion in popularity, and they now dominate the global mattress industry with around a forty-five per cent share of the world market.
Mattresses constructed from memory foam are superb for sleepers who require support and warmth if you haven’t had a foam mattress, head down to your local mattress store and try one out Today.
Comments are closed.