News about Memory Foam Mattresses
[28/04/2010] Memory Foam Mattress Toppers
Memory Foam is a new type of bedding material. It responds to the body weight and shape, i-e conform the body and reduces pressure points giving a restful sleep.
Origin of Memory Foam:
It was in early 1970’s, when NASA’s Ames Research funded a development project designed to create a substance that could help relieve the astronauts of the incredible gravity forces experiences during lift-off. They believed that one of the key factors to reducing g-forces on the body was to use a foam material that could conform to each person’s shape and hold this conformity. Therefore, they created a new foam material that was visco-elastic and therefore able to conform to a person’s shape but then come back to normal shape once pressure was removed from the foam. This could allow distribution of pressure or body weight over the entire surface of the foam but quickly adapt to any movement of the body.
Different chemicals are added to small polyurethane foam material which adds an increase in weight and density to the foam. By addition of chemicals, , a non-toxic visco-elastic foam material is created used as memory foam.
Grading:
Memory foam topper is graded by its visco-elastic nature and its durability by breaking it into the following grading system:
Weight (density in pound per square feet)
ILD (Indentation Load Deflection) rating
Resilience
Tensile
Features:
The memory foam topper cells deform under a load. Unlike standard mattress that compress but want to spring back to their original shape immediately, memory foam cells compress fully and spread their air pressure to adjoining cells. This is because memory foam is an open cell foam, i-e cells have hole in them. That is why it reduces pressure points.
It is temperature sensitive, i-e at higher temperatures it is harder i-e viscous & at lower temperatures it is softer and bouncier i-e elastic. That is why it is also known as visco-elastic foam. This temperature sensitive quality accounts for a melting feeling that a person gets while lying on memory form.
Memory foam mattress topper is a thin layer of soft material used over usual mattress. It isn’t meant to be supportive and works best when layered over a firm supportive material.
It helps reducing aches and pains especially back pains, arthritis and fibromyalgia and helps get a better sleep.
We put so much pressure on our shoulders, hips, lower back and stomach while sleeping. A side sleeper places pressure on shoulder and hips, a stomach sleeper on neck and back sleeper places pressure to lower back and sacrum. The visco-elastic pressure sensitive foam offers the best chance for reducing overall pressure placed on joints by contouring them without pushing back against them. It concavities like the small of the back or side of the body while not losing the ability to contour and displace pressure points.
Hazards:
Few hazards of memory form toppers are:
1. Some memory foams five off a distinct odour of chemical which reduces over passage of time, however may cause respiratory irritation.
2. Memory foam like other polyurethane products may be combustible.
3. Manufacturers caution about leaving babies unattended on memory foams as it is difficult for them to turn or rotate on memory foam and may result in suffocation.
Other articles from this category:
[22/03/2010] Do I have to buy Memory Foam Mattress
[22/03/2010] Do Memory Foam Mattress Topper Pads Really Work
