1-What is a memory foam mattress?
The use of memory foam padding is increasingly common in the rest sector since according to experts it is the healthiest type of material for our rest as a mattress containing memory foam in its padding provides us with quite stable firmness, medium in character, combined with great adaptability to our body that will make us quickly notice the difference with other mattresses without this component.
Memory foam or viscoelastic material, material developed in the early 1960s at the Armes research center by NASA to relieve gravity pressure on astronauts, was incorporated into domestic use in the early 90s, initially in hospitals.
The viscoelastic material has the property of molding or adapting, it reacts to a pressure point by transmitting heat over it and thus causing a footprint effect, that is, it adapts its shape to the shape of the agent exerting this pressure to then slowly return to its initial state. This is called resilience or the property of the material to return to its original shape after being altered.
Thus, memory foam adapts to the user's body ergonomically reducing different pressure on the body and providing personalized rest for each user depending on their weight and anatomy.
When choosing a memory foam mattress, we must take into account a very important factor, which is density, a property that can vary depending on firmness, measured in kg/m3 and it is important to know that the higher the density, the firmer it is.
2-How to choose the density of your memory foam mattress?
The density of the mattress refers to the amount of memory foam material it contains per cubic meter.
The more material we have, that is, the higher the density, the greater the adaptability therefore there is an increase in comfort during rest and an increase in the mattress's useful life, although sometimes this is not the case as in many cases it will depend on the tastes and preferences of the consumer.
Memory foam mattresses have 3 densities:
- low (18-40 kg/m3),
- medium (45-75 kg/m3)
- high (+ over 80 kg/m3)
Thus, depending on your sleeping preferences, you will choose one or the other of these densities ranging from densities that offer less adaptability to those that offer much more.
3-What are the advantages of memory foam?
It is one of the best padding options we can choose for a mattress since we get an unmatched adaptability for our body without any sensation of sinking into the bed.
It does not exert pressure on any point, which allows the body to rest completely evenly in all areas. It favors silence during rest, especially when sleeping next to another person. This way we achieve a deep and continuous rest.
4-Does sleeping with memory foam produce heat?
Memory foam is thermo-adaptable, that is, it is sensitive to temperature and reacts by becoming softer with heat and harder with cold.
It does not mean it produces heat, in reality the material is athermal and does not produce either cold or heat, what actually happens is that since we now have more contact with the mattress through molding to the body (more contact surface), it can produce the sensation that we feel warmer.
On the other hand, some of our memory foam mattresses have the characteristic that basically thanks to a treatment in the fabric we manage to increase the fabric's breathability thus eliminating the possible sensation of heat that it may cause in some users, in this way we find special cores that provide us with fluid air circulation inside the mattress, or sides with 3D fabric for proper ventilation of the mattress's internal layers as well as protective covers specially designed to relieve the sensation of heat.
Our recommendation is that if you are a hot person, when choosing your mattress, do not choose one with more than 2cm of memory foam, that the padding that touches your body has gel treatment and finally, if possible, that between the memory foam and the upholstery there are fibers that favor proper ventilation.
5- Is memory foam on both sides of the mattress?
Not always does a memory foam mattress have two sides with this component, generally and broadly speaking it is usual that if our mattress has 4cm of memory foam or more, this padding will only be present on one side.
To know this more precisely, in our descriptions, specifically in the features we clearly indicate if the padding is double-sided or only on one side.
Sometimes we will find mattresses with different padding depending on the side, for example memory foam padding on one and HR padding on the other, this is to try different sensations and firmness.
If our problem is that we have the mattress with memory foam padding on only one side but we do not know which side it is on, we can perform a simple test that consists of pressing with the hand for example and see on which side the mattress slowly returns to its position, that side will be the one containing the memory foam material.
6-How long does a memory foam mattress last?
The duration of a memory foam mattress initially is the same as other types of mattresses and it is none other than the 10 years recommended by the Spanish Bed Association, ASOCAMA which basically says that after 10 years no mattress retains its original qualities.
Obviously there are certain differences between higher-end mattresses and lower-end ones, higher-end ones naturally consist of higher quality materials that may extend the original characteristics for a longer period of time unaltered than a lower-end mattress, although the 10-year period applies to all mattresses, since after this period deficiencies will obviously appear, not of the same severity in high-end mattresses as in low-end ones.
7- What is the difference between molded memory foam and foamed memory foam?
The main difference between one type of memory foam and the other is their manufacturing. While the foamed one comes from a chemical composition resulting from the combination of different components that create the foaming process, it is known as open-cell memory foam and affects the proper circulation of air through the material.
Air circulates faster as it is open and also the recovery of the material's original shape is faster.
The molded one is manufactured by molding which makes it have a more closed cell and air circulates more slowly inside it but at the same time enhancing the memory foam sensation.
8- What bases can be used with a memory foam mattress?
We can use any type of base with our memory foam mattress, the only point to keep in mind is the firmness of the base to the consumer's liking and in rest systems such as tatamis, box beds, varnished bases,... that proper ventilation must be considered since their supports prevent proper aeration of the mattress and this combined with poor room ventilation can cause the appearance of moisture stains on it.
9-What is the difference between memory foam and viscolatex?
When we say viscolatex we refer to a combination of latex and memory foam material. They have the same core as a latex mattress so they are more similar to these in performance than to memory foam mattresses. The difference between a latex mattress and a viscolatex one lies in the plus in the composition of the viscolatex as it carries memory foam material.
Viscolatex mattresses have a soft and comfortable character that offers regular adaptability, while memory foam mattresses offer total adaptability.
10-What care should be taken with a memory foam mattress?
- Keep the memory foam padding on the top side (the side we will lie on).
- Rotate the mattress 180º every 3 months, that is, swap the foot side with the head side.
- Do not fold the mattress.
- Use a mattress cover and ensure good ventilation.
- Never leave the mattress in the sun or near heat-emitting objects nor remove the inner protective cover.
- Try to ventilate your room every morning.
- Avoid impacts from jumping on the mattress.
- Do not stand on the bed or place sharp and heavy objects on it.
- Take care of the base and choose it well for the correct preservation and function of the mattress.
We hope this guide has been helpful in your choice.
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