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Memory Foam Only a few years ago, the term “memory foam” would have evoked looks of confusion from the average consumer. These days, however, memory foam mattresses, mattress toppers, pillows, and even slippers are definitely the new trend in comfort. Not only does everyone know what memory foam is, they either own a memory foam product or are seriously considering buying one.
While traveling in space, astronauts experienced the stress of increased G-force during take-off and re-entry, plus long periods of sitting in one place. These facts, coupled with the need for astronauts to have a comfortable place to get much-needed recuperative sleep, prompted NASA scientists to develop a type of memory foam in the 1970’s. The foam the NASA scientists created sensed the body weight and temperature of the astronauts and conformed to the weight of their bodies, thus potentially allowing astronauts to successfully experience maximum comfort for long periods of time. This first memory foam, called “T-Foam” by the NASA scientists, ended up never being used in space missions, however, due to the gasses it produced, thus rendering the foam unusable in tightly confined areas. Hospitals, though, began using this foam - eventually dubbed “memory foam” for obvious reasons - for their long-term bedridden patients to solve the problem of bedsores and muscle and joint stiffness.
Eventually, the retail bed and mattress industry caught on to this important discovery, and memory foam mattresses, topper pads, and pillows began to show up in advertisements and stores in the early 1990’s. Tempur Pedic ® was the first to catch on to this new phenomenon and take advantage of its potential profit-raising marketability. Though at first they just sold their own version of memory foam, an improved version they called Tempur ®, to hospitals, they soon began to sell the product to consumers. The high-priced Tempur Pedic ® mattress became well known in consumer circles, and still is today.
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It didn’t take long for other manufacturers to jump on to the memory foam bandwagon. Bed and mattress manufacturers all over the world began to develop their own versions of memory foam, and consequently the prices for memory foam mattresses and pillows began to be more competitive, thus more affordable for the average consumer. Comfortaire ®, a manufacturer of air-filled mattresses, began marketing memory foam toppers for their mattresses. Sealy ®, a well-known and popular manufacturer of mattresses for years, began selling memory foam mattress toppers, pillows, and mattresses. The market for memory foam mattresses, mattress toppers and pillows is a strong one. Memory foam has been proven to be an effective and popular product - not just a passing fad.
Memory foam is not a one-size-fits-all product. It comes in different densities, and the quality can vary according to manufacturer, style, and price. Some memory foam mattresses have genuine memory foam tops, but are filled with layers of cheaper substances inside. Some mattresses, mattress pads or pillows are made with memory foam that has a density of 3 to 3.5 pounds, which tends to not be as comfortable or long-lasting as the memory foam that is in the 4, 5 or higher pound density range. Of course, the higher the density of the memory foam, the more the consumer is likely to pay. Choosing a density that is somewhere in the middle range tends to work well enough for most consumers, and is usually acceptable as far as price. When choosing a memory foam mattress, mattress topper or pillow, most consumers find that the old adage holds true; you get what you pay for. When you’ve decided to purchase a memory foam product, you can definitely benefit from researching, comparing, and asking the right kind of questions.
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