Learn About The Pros And Cons Of A Memory Foam Mattress Before Buying It!

If good sleep seems to slip away from you night after night, it is highly possible that you require a change of mattress. After all, getting a good night’s sleep is essential to keep us healthy, both physically and mentally. If you want to improve the quality of your sleep, you can consider sleeping on memory foam mattresses. A substantial number of users attest to its great benefits. However, like every product it has its pros and cons. Read on to find out more about memory foam mattresses!

What is memory foam and its origins?

During the mid-1960s, memory foam was first designed to be fitted into the seats of NASA aircrafts. They were produced from a substance called viscoelastic, which is soft and absorbs energy well. This type of foam easily moulds to one’s body in terms of responding to the pressure you place as well as your own body heat. Hence, it can distribute your body weight evenly for maximum comfort. After you remove any pressure on the foam, it return to its original shape like nothing ever happened.

Memory foam was also known to absorb impact and shocks really well, thus it made its debut to other applications as well. For example, they were used to create cushioning for shoes and helmets. Memory foam even found a purpose in medicinal applications to prevent pressure ulcers as well as prosthetics. After that, memory foam products skyrocketed into mainstream success where it is used for manufacturing mattresses and pillows.

Pros

Let us first take a look at the benefits that a memory foam mattress can provide:

• Ensuring a good night’s rest: Simply put, it prevents joint aches, morning pains and reduces restlessness in affected sleepers.

• Prevent sleep disturbances: This type of mattress tends to isolate movement, so you never feel your partner toss or turn in bed. Hence, you can enjoy undisturbed sleep every night.

• Dust-mite proof: Memory foam mattresses can come with protectors that are capable of preventing dead skin cells from through falling through your blanket and sheets. These dead skin cells are in fact food for dust mites, especially when the air gets moist.

• Relieves back pains: Individuals with back pain have reported of a 50% improvement in their medical conditions after these mattresses.

• Increased durability: Good quality mattresses that are higher in density tend to be more durable and can retain its original qualities, causing them to last longer than most polyfoams. You can expect a lifespan of up 8 or 12 years.

Cons

However, it is not all rosy and good for this type of mattress. Here are some of the cons that are associated with memory foam mattresses:

• Initial odour: There might be a factory smell when you first use. However, that peculiar smell will eventually go away after airing it for a period of time.

• Unable to provide deep support: The underlying material of some memory foam mattresses allows their users to sink in deeper due to its low resilience. The user might misunderstand this as pressure-relieving or the mattress being supportive. Hence, some individuals may sink so far in that their spine is out of alignment.

• Time taken to adjust to different sleep positions: Whenever the user changes positions, it resets the support provided and needs more time to create a new cradle. The time that is needed also depends on the surrounding temperatures.

• Off gassing: Over time, the mattress’s materials, your perspiration and other minute body wastes may accumulate within the mattress and emit an unpleasant vapour. In worst cases, the emissions may even lead to respiratory issues if the user is allergic. Hence, you must ensure that your mattress has been certified by organizations such as Certipur.

• Heat retention: Some individuals have reported that the mattress tend retained an annoying amount of body heat during a night’s sleep. If that is bothering you, you can easily purchase a support gel to help your mattress breathe better.

Quick buying tips for first-timers

When purchasing your first memory foam mattress, use the following tips to help you achieve a well-informed decision:

• Bed frames: Basically memory foam mattresses work well with most types of bed frames, but platform beds are the preferred option to accommodate them. Hence, you do not need a box spring frame.

• Thickness: The average thickness of memory foam mattresses usually vary between 8 to 13 inches, thus it gets firmer when it is at its thickest.

• Density: The density is also used to determine how firm the surface will be. The density is measured in pounds – the higher that number, the firmer it will get.

• Foam type: The conventional choice of most individuals is traditional memory foam. As mentioned, you can purchase variations such as gel memory foam if you are bothered by heat retention. They allow better air circulation for cooler sleep experience.

• Mattress tops: If you are a back or stomach sleeper, you should go for tight tops. Alternatively, pillows tops or euro tops are great for side sleepers.

If you are planning to purchase a new memory foam mattress, head on down to Scanica Furniture Warehouse to buy from our high quality products today.