Memory Foam: Just the Facts

Written by: The Foam Factory

The polyurethane foam we collectively call “memory foam” is a quirky little product developed in partnership with NASA. Originally called “slow spring back foam,” memory foam was a quirky product that NASA felt it could commercialize. The trouble was that the manufacturing process was unreliable, but the 1980s brought the “Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress,” which helped to popularize the foam as a part of anyone’s healthy sleep regiment.

Since those days, the memory foam bed has become far more affordable. Still, companies continue to market mattresses well beyond the average consumer’s price point.

How Memory Foam Works

Memory foam becomes soft when it comes into contact with body heat, which helps it contour to meet your shape. The feeling is almost fluid, like a firm liquid is holding you up. Below that surface layer, the memory foam is steadily compressing. You experience a sinking feeling until the mattress achieves the maximum point at which it can compress. A more succinct example might be a soft brick, where the body eventually encounters a hard surface after sinking into the softness.

Achieving the Perfect Feel

The reason memory foam is so comforting to so many people is because of how the mattress is layered. A king size memory foam mattress doesn’t have to be thicker than about four inches to get the maximum benefits out of it. That’s because the key to effective sleep using memory foam is to layer your memory foam over a thicker layer as a base. You don’t want to go directly to the box spring, but you should invest in a firmer layer to go below the memory foam mattress. Wood is too firm of a surface, so your body will stiffen up and some of the benefits of mem

ory foam would be lost.

Buying Memory Foam

Memory foam is typically produced in any thickness ranging from two to four inches, so there is plenty of wiggle room if cost is a concern. It would be fairly easy to construct a memory foam bed on a modest budget of $300. You can order a discount memory foam mattress online, with firm foam base, and have everything shipped directly to you in just a few days time. Usually with free shipping. This makes memory foam beds perfect for everyone from college students to the elderly. Easy to set up, comfortable to use, stable and long-lasting.