| The arrival of the Tempur-Pedic mattress changed the bedding world forever. Almost overnight consumers began replacing their old mattresses for this new viscoelastic material now simply known as memory foam. However, memory foam isn’t the foam that has been used for many years in conventional mattresses. The following describes why the Tempur-Pedic mattress – and all other memory foam mattresses – are so different and sets a memory foam mattress apart from all other types.
The story has it that NASA first developed this new foam to help absorb the G-forces that their astronauts experienced during the flight – whether this story is true is debatable. What is true is that a Swedish company was the first to perfect the manufacturing process of memory foam. Tempur-Pedic is now the company with the TEMPUR license and is based in Lexington, KY.
The Tempur-Pedic memory foam mattress differs from conventional inner-spring mattresses because there are no springs. Memory foam also differs from latex and foam because the bubbles found in latex and foam are closed, i.e. the air contained in each bubble can’t escape. The memory foam mattress developed by Tempur-Pedic uses an open cell structure whereby air can be passed from one bubble to the next when heat and pressure are applied. The open cell structure is what gives memory foam its unique ability to mould to your exact body shape when you lie down on the mattress. If you’ve ever tried lying down on a Tempur-Pedic mattress you’ll have experience how firm it felt when you first laid down on it only to then immediately have experienced a slight sinking feeling as the mattress molded to your body shape.
Heat and pressure are what triggers the Tempur-Pedic mattress to mold and provide you with the best support. Conventional foam and latex only ‘give-in’ to your weight; they don’t retain your exact shape. The health benefits of foam that truly fits your body shape have been attested by many experts in health care. They concur that a memory foam mattress delivers the best, orthopedically correct alignment of your neck and spine and more than 30,000 medical doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists and osteopaths world-wide recommend the TEMPUR Mattress and Neck Pillow. Also, because of the open cell structure of the foam, pressure points are avoided; the correct amount of support is given to every part of the body.
Something many complain about is the movement of their partner during sleep. With inner-spring mattresses one person’s movement caused a ripple affect that was fell buy the other. Other types of mattress have tried to achieve motion separation, including pocketed springs, air mattresses etc, but many find that only a memory foam mattress from Tempur-Pedic – and other brands of memory foam – gives true motion separation.
So, a Tempur-Pedic mattress is great for relieving backache, eliminating pressure point and disturbance from a partner’s movement, but are there any downsides? Well, yes, there are some reservations expressed by consumers. The number one complaint is the feeling of the mattress. It feels quite different lying down on a memory foam mattress that it does to an inner-spring mattress; with memory foam you get a slight sinking feeling when you first lie down on it as it molds to your body. With time most people get used to this feeling and really enjoy the benefits of memory foam. Also, the Tempur-Pedic mattress (as with all memory foam mattresses) has suffered from heat build up; memory foam is quite poor at drawing away body heat and many complain of sweaty nights. Tempur-Pedic and others have looked at this problem and have developed convoluted memory foam that helps dissipate body heat, however many still complain about the heat. Finally, there is the smell factor. The foam does have a ‘chemically smell’ when first used. The smell does eventually go away after a week or two and the use of protective covers – provided by most memory foam mattress companies – helps to reduce the smell.
Memory foam is here to stay. Millions of people throughout the world are feeling the real benefits of sleeping on a memory foam mattress. The Tempur-Pedic mattress was the first to employ this wonderful technology and deservedly remains the market leader.
Follow the links for more bed mattress information on leading brands like the Sealy Posturepedic mattress and the Tempur Pedic mattress.
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