What is the Best Memory Foam Mattress

If you've ever had the opportunity to touch and feel memory foam you know that it is a very interesting substance. It's also a very comfortable substance when used for furniture and bedding. So comfortable in fact, that more and more mattress companies are using it in their products. It offers some great advantages over other types of mattresses including comfort and support. However, simply buying any run-of-the-mill memory foam mattress is not a good idea if you want the best mattress available. It requires a little bit of knowledge and the willingness to shop.

When you're looking for a new memory mattress, you should be concerned with the following items:

  • purity of the foam
  • density and thickness
  • health issues

The History of Memory Foam

Also known as the visco memory foam, this substance is not the same thing as latex rubber. Natural latex comes from the sap of rubber trees while synthetic latex is a petrochemical product. Memory foam is something entirely different. It is a polyurethane substance which has been enhanced with other chemicals to improve its density and viscosity. It is these two properties that make memory foam so different from latex foam rubber.

Memory foam was the brainchild of NASA scientists in the 1960s that were looking for a heat sensitive material for space capsule seat cushions. They needed a material that would conform to the astronaut’s bodies while also providing enough support to handle the excessive G-forces associated with lift-off. After much experimentation, memory foam was born. In the 1980s NASA released the formula for memory foam into the public domain. Mattress manufacturers took that formula and the memory foam mattress became a reality.

Purity of the Foam

The best memory foam mattress is one whose manufacturer has followed the original NASA formula as closely as possible. Unfortunately, as is true in any industry, you will find manufacturers who use cheaper chemicals in their process in order to reduce their costs. These cheaper chemicals do not provide a foam that is as comfortable or supportive as the real thing. Make sure any memory foam mattress you purchase is identified on the label as being the genuine material.

You should also be careful of hybrid mattresses which may utilize a latex foam rubber core surrounded by memory foam on the top and bottom. Again, such construction costs the manufacturer less money, but it also produces a mattress that does not work as well and will not last as long. If you're looking for a blended mattress, that's fine. But if you want the absolute best memory foam go with a 100% pure mattress.

Density and Thickness

In terms of construction, there are two factors you'll need to watch out for when shopping for memory foam mattresses. The first is density. Think of density as the difference between 1 pound of feathers and 1 pound of concrete. Feathers have a very low density so you can easily put your hand inside a bucket of feathers and move it around. Concrete on the other hand, has a very high density which would prevent you from penetrating it with your hand. Where memory foam is concerned, the higher the density the more firm the mattress will be.

Thickness is another aspect which has a lot to do with support and the memory properties of the foam. If you weigh 160 pounds or less, you can probably get excellent support and comfort from a mattress that's only 2.5"or 2.75" thick. If you weigh in excess of 160 pounds you may need a mattress that is 3" thick or more. If your mattress is not thick enough it will break down much more quickly and lose its effectiveness. If you're unsure of how thick the mattress should be, a salesperson should be able to help you make that decision.

Health Issues

Believe it or not, memory foam mattresses are not ideal for everyone. There are some people with health issues who cannot get the proper support and comfort from memory foam. For example, someone with a herniated disc in the lower back might find a memory foam mattress to be excruciatingly painful. On the other hand, someone with osteoarthritis may believe their memory foam mattress is the closest thing to heaven on earth. The only way for you to know for sure is to test a few mattresses before you purchase.

If you do have specific health issues that interrupt your sleep you should test all of your options, not just memory foam. You may find a memory foam mattress to be very comfortable indeed, yet you might find latex foam or an inflatable air mattress to be even more so.

Getting consistently restful sleep is paramount to good health. So don't rush into a mattress decision until you've tested all of your options. At the end of the day, the best memory foam mattress is the one that's going to give you the maximum comfort, support, and restful sleep.