News about Memory Foam Mattresses
[28/04/2010] Health and memory foam mattresses
“Memory foam mattresses” was originally NASA’s idea. They thought that the only substance that could relieve the astronauts of the gravity forces that they experienced during takeoff was foam. The foam material could bend into the shape of astronauts’ bodies. However, it could always create incorrect pressure points for the astronaut whenever he made any movement. So NASA came back with visco-elastic foam material, which along with shaping the astronaut’s body, could also change back to its original shape once pressure was removed. This material allowed easy movements of the body.
Visco-elastic has a lot of health benefits. It provides very good support to the spine since it is quite dense and shapes the person’s body well. It is covered over a harder base which is made out of good quality high resilience foam. And it is also very sensitive to body temperatures. The spine is said to be put back into proper alignment with the mattresses’ usage. A very good quality of visco-elastic foam reduces pressure to 15mmHg from 30mmHg. The variations in pressures show that the mattress can provide the desired pressure relief as well. The open-cell structure of the memory foam mattress does not allow the mattress to push back on your body, but in fact shapes your body perfectly.
Memory foam mattresses do not always provide benefits to your health. Anything having a positive side also holds a negative side. Same is the case with memory foam mattresses.
They do not promote nesting of dust mites nor do they act as a food source. However, they can and do crowd dust mites. Due to its structure the memory foam mattress cannot be cleaned of the microscopic creatures that tend to dwell within it, with time. However, you can prevent allergies occurring from dust mites by covering your memory foam mattresses with dust-mite resistant casings and covers.
The chemicals that are used in the manufacture of memory foam mattresses are petroleum based and evaporate into air. They are likely to release fumes for a couple of days to a couple of weeks. This may trigger respiratory and skin related problems. Asthma patients and those who are very sensitive to odors, react the most to this smell. Chemical called formaldehyde is also included in the memory foam mattress which puts the mattress together and is known to cause lung, nose, and throat cancers. Cotton pesticides are also known to be used in its formation which can cause cancer and nervous-system disorders. These chemicals when inhaled during the night can cause certain health problems to the user. The chemicals create headaches, joint pains, nausea and excessive sweating in most users. In very extreme cases, people also experience physical disorders such as soft tissue damage and weakened immune system.
The foam is made up of combustible material because of which the US government has passed laws on bedding against the explosion. The earlier mentioned health related problems were hardly seen by the same people when they sleep on organic mattresses.
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[14/05/2010] How Memory Foam Helps and Support Your Achy Joints?
