Memory Foam Mattresses have been in the public consumer market since the 1980s when the product commissioned for NASA safety was converted to a consumer good for mainstream sales.

Polyurethane foam injected with elements to build elasticity and create air cells in the foam is developed into various sizes, layers and styles to create Memory Foam Mattresses.

Buyer Recommendations for Mattress Shopping

The Better Sleep Council offers the S-L-E-E-P test when shopping for a mattress. The acronym stands for:

S- Select
L- Lie on it in your normal sleep position
E- Evaluate the level of comfort and support
E- Educate yourself about each selection
P- Partners should test the beds together

The mattress must meet your needs in the following areas of: comfort, support, durability and space.  The Better Sleep Council reports that the average healthy sleep tosses and turns 40-50 times per night.  The mattress need to support all this movement, the pressure related to the movement and the impact on the partner sleeper if any .

Memory Foam Mattress Basics

Indentation Force Deflection

In order to establish a uniform quality standard, the memory foam mattress uses the Indentation Force Deflection (IFD) rating. This rating is the amount of force required to move a 4 inch thick sample of foam to 25% of its thickness.   The IFD is the best metric to compare mattress to mattress, but it is not always available and the composite mattress which encompasses both foam and standard bedding, quilting and support framing can’t be measured with one IFD rating.  The density of the foam is a more universal metric for comparison.

Density

For the Memory Foam Mattress, density comes down to the more dense the more expensive the mattress.  However, the most expensive are not always the best values.  The mid-range of 3-5 pounds of density is considered to be the best choices.

The denser foams will hold the impression longer. To get the “memory” factor the foam should be at least 3 pounds, but in the higher or more expensive density foams the long lasting impression could create some discomfort for sleepers that move from position to position during the night.

The 2 pound foams that generally come from China will offer only “slight” memory qualities; and is generally not recommended.

Height

The Memory Foam Mattress can be 10-12 inches in height but not all of that height will be memory foam.  In general, there will be about 4 inches of memory foam on a base of polyurethane foam or latex foam.  The most luxurious of Memory Foam Mattresses are this combination of Memory Foam and Latex Foam.

Top it Off

Memory foam toppers which can be 1-3 inches in height can add softness to a traditional mattress.

Notes

The Memory Foam Mattress may not be the best fit for you.  If you sleep “hot” the warmth of your body will make the foam softer and more pliable, which may not be the same density you had in mind when testing it.

If you live in a damp area, or experience night sweats, the foam mattress will not accommodate moisture well, it will break down the foam quickly.

If you weigh more than 250 pounds, the 5-10 year lifetime of the memory foam mattress will be dramatically reduced.  You may want to layer memory foam toppers.

In 1998, NASA inducted the Tempur-Pedic® Mattress into the Space Technology Hall of Fame as “for successfully using NASA technology to create economic opportunity and promote a better quality of life for humankind – in both the consumer and medical sector” .

Swedish scientists modified the technology that had been developed for NASA to reduce injury in space travel to a revolutionary new mattress material which was tested in Swedish hospitals before being released to European and North American markets.

Patented Design

One of the unique aspects of the Tempur-Pedic® Mattress design is the layers of foam that create the Tempur-Pedic® Mattress.  The top layer or the comfort layer is designed to react quickly to your body weight and temperature.  Under this layer is the Support Layer, designed to provide a more supportive sleeping environment and finally there is an Air Flow Layer which allows for greater comfort in the mattress.

The Tempur material is composed of open air cells.  The cells are designed to move with your body, disbursing the pressure that is normally felt with the springs and coils of conventional mattress design.

The lack of pressure points, the contouring to the body and the reaction to heat and body weight are all part of the design elements that Tempur-Pedic® Mattress hails as their unique features.

The Company

Tempur-Pedic® Mattress Company was founded in 1992 and went public in 2003 surpassing the billion sales levels in 2007.  The economic downturn has impacted the company slightly but the last quarter of 2009 looks promising with more than $25 million in Net sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2009.

The company has 3 manufacturing locations New Mexico, Virginia and Denmark with company headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Tempur material formula is a tightly guarded secret.  The company currently represents 2% of the premium mattress market share.

The Product Line

The Tempur-Pedic® Mattress product line is extensive and includes the following sleep systems along with pillows and other products:

The TEMPUR® Collection
- The CelebrityBed
- The BellaFina Bed
- The DeluxeBed
- The ClassicBed
- The AdvantageBed
- The OriginalBed

The TEMPUR®-HD Collection
- The GrandBed
- The BellaSonna Bed
- The AlluraBed
- The RhapsodyBed

The TEMPUR-Cloud™ Collection
- TEMPUR – Cloud Supreme

The product line also includes an extensive collection of accessories including high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and Micro Suede covers as well as sleep masks and slippers.

The product line comes with a 20 year warranty, well above industry averages and they also offer a 90 day try out period.

The product line is also treated to be allergen free as well as free from formaldehyde and CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) free.

Tempurpedic Reviews

While the TempurPedic Mattress rates well on the company customer satisfaction surveys especially in terms of satisfaction, many companies have created similar manufacturing and distribution models, minus the overhead that a big company inherently creates. One such company is Memoryfoam.com, which is able to produce what is essentially the same mattress in composition and layers as Tempurpedic, at approximately half the price.

Memory foam was commissioned for development by NASA in 1966 to reduce impact and injury from space travel.  The open cell foam; or Visco Elastic Foam  was created by a new process of adding polyurethane to other elements to create high energy absorption, dense material which was able to distribute pressure and impact evenly and reduce pressure points.

Initial applications included medical pillows and cushions and seating cushions for disabled patients.  It eventually became the basis for a new style of bedding mattress that did not use the traditional coil or spring support, but used the “memory” or shape holding capacity of the open cell foam to cradle the sleeper and allow for individual sleep pattern support.

Tempur
One of the early forms of this memory foam was the development from Swedish scientists of Tempur-pedic® foam for mattress applications.  This product was inducted into the space technology hall of fame in 1998.

Memory Foam
The popularity of Visco Elastic Foam is seen in the wide applications of Memory Foam in support cushions, seating, helmet padding, mattresses and other applications.  Variations in density and height have created a wide range of products in Visco Elastic Foam with a competitive price.

The addition of Memory Foam toppers has created a nearly infinite set of possibilities for Visco Elastic Foam mattress combinations of support, comfort, luxury and air flow.

Benefits of Visco Elastic Foam
The benefit of Visco Elastic Foam is the “memory” element.  The product quality is measured in indentation depth of a 4 inch height foam sample.  The rating is based on the ability to reach 25% of the height of the 4 inch sample.  This indentation allows the foam to conform to the body shape, hug the sleeper and move with the body as it shifts in the night.

The Visco Elastic Foam is more firm when cool but softens as the body temperature and body weight affect the foam allowing a smooth transition as the sleeper moves or turns.

Applications of Visco Elastic Foam
New developments in Visco Elastic foam are being studied for the advanced energy absorption capabilities in automobile safety.  Using Visco Elastic foam as the material in head restraints is believed to reduce whiplash and other car crash related traumas.  The material is able to dissipate pressure of impacts and react to changes in temperature and shape dimensions.

Visco Elastic Foam is also used in automotive design to reduce interior noise and absorb vibrations and the related noise.

Memory foam is well known for its ability to eliminate pressure points for medical patients who are bed-ridden or disabled patients who are unable to shift in wheelchairs or other equipment.  The reduction in pressure point injury which can lead to bed sores has been well researched.  Memory foam or Visco Elastic Foam is well documented to reduce pain, bed sores and pressure injuries in long term care patients.

Mattress toppers and medical cushions are frequent applications for Visco Elastic or Memory Foam.