Rest Your Back Mattress - Cincinnati, Ohio

Tempur-Pedic® Memory Foam

The Origin of Memory Foam

In the early 1970's, NASA's Ames Research Center funded a development project designed to create a substance that could help relieve astronauts of the incredible g-forces experienced during lift-off. They believed that one of the key secrets to reducing g-forces on the body was to use a foam material that could conform to each person's shape and hold this conformity. While a foam mold of each astronaut's body shape could accomplish this, any movement would take a person out of this position and create incorrect pressure points against the body. Instead, they created a new foam material that was visco-elastic and therefore able to conform to a person's shape, but then come back to a normal shape once pressure was removed from the foam. This could allow an even distribution of pressure or body weight over the entire surface of the foam, but quickly adapt to any movements of the body.

With this amazing discovery, Fagerdala World Foams of Sweden, one of Europe's largest foam producing companies, began experiments in the 1980s to perfect it for consumer use.

In 1991, the Tempur-Pedic®, a Swedish Mattress company introduced this material in a mattress form to the people of Sweden with very well-received results. In 1992, Tempur-Pedic® launched the same products in North America and experienced a similar response.

With the success of Tempur-Pedic®, other foam manufacturers in Canada and the United States began to develop their own visco-elastic memory foam material to offer mattress, upholstering and specialty product companies the ability to allow consumers to have a variety of options and price levels to choose from.

The differences will be outlined in the following paragraphs and hopefully enable the consumer to make an informed and savvy decision about which foam mattress product best suits their particular needs.

What Makes Foam have Memory

To give a piece of foam memory, you start with a synthetic polyurethane foam material and add certain types of chemicals which add an increase in weight or density to the foam. With the addition of these chemicals, a non-toxic, visco-elastic foam material is created. However, there are many features along the way that will help determine what type of memory foam you end up with. To understand exactly what differences are found in each final product, you first have to start with understanding how to grade each foam.

How Foam is Graded

For a material to be Visco-elastic, it will have to be temperature sensitive and have an ability to rebound fairly quickly and return to its normal shape. Memory foam is graded by its visco-elastic nature and its durability by breaking it down into the following grading system:

Weight (Density in pounds per square foot): The weight of foam is determined by the amount of chemicals used in the composition of the polyurethane foam. The more chemicals, the higher the density and the more visco-elastic it will become. This density will not determine the hardness of the material; this is done through utilizing the ILD rating structure. Many memory foam mattresses use a 4 and 5lb. density, but some use as low as 2 and 3lb. densities.
ILD Rating (Indentation Load Deflection): The ILD rating is going to tell you how hard or soft a material is. The 25% ILD rating is the number of pounds required to achieve a 25% compression of a 4" thick foam using a 50 square inch indentation. An Example of this is as follows: 20lb. ILD foam indicates that this material took 20 lbs. of pressure to indent this foam 25%. Keep in mind that the higher the ILD, the firmer the foam.
Resilience: This measures the foam's springiness by determining the percent rebound of a steel ball dropped from a height of 36". The term "H.R" foam refers to highly resilient foam that will give a very high "ball rebound" reading. In general, the higher the resiliency, the better the more durable the foam will be with compression forces.

What to look for in a good quality memory foam mattress

Obviously it will be important to allow the foam to do what it is best for: Allowing for a better contouring of your body shape and therefore less pressure placed on the areas of your body that press harder against the bed. However, don't just go by your weight, because if you are tall, then your weight is dispersed over the bed more. A good memory foam mattress will not need a box spring underneath it to make the mattress feel good. You can order a platform base to increase the height of the bed, but remember that this mattress should feel good if it was placed on an even, concrete surface. A good way to test the surface of a box spring or box foundation is to sit or even stand on various areas and see if it compresses underneath you.

Spring Mattresses vs. Foam Mattresses

While a spring mattress was the standard for many decades, foam mattresses are becoming more and more popular due to their unsurpassed comfort and overall body support. While spring mattresses can feel nice to sit or lay on, they will not offer anywhere close to the body contouring and therefore spinal support that memory or latex foam can offer. It will actually cause a trampoline effect and bend inward when pressure is applied without conforming to the specific bumps and curves of the body. While foam can shrink over time, springs can bend and lose their shape over time. Therefore, an old foam bed will likely feel better and offer better support than an old spring mattress.

Is Memory Foam Really the Best Support for those Achy Joints?

When you take into consideration the amount of pressure you place on your shoulder and hips if you are a side sleeper, neck if you are a stomach sleeper or lower back and sacrum if you are a back sleeper, you will realize that visco-elastic pressure sensitive foam will offer you the best chance for reducing the overall pressure placed on your joints by contouring them without pushing back against them. With latex added to a memory foam mattress it can offer a bit more spring against the concavities like the small of your back or sides, while not losing the ability to contour and displace pressure points.

*Please read this Health Disclaimer The contents information obtained from Rest Your Back licensors and other material ("Content") contained on this site is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or provider with any questions.


Tempur-pedic Tempur® Material Tempur-pedic Beds Adjustable base Tempur-pedic FAQ Sleep Ezz Acid Reflux Base Sleep Ezz Adjustable Base Sleep Ezz FAQ South Bay Bedding South Bay Beds Visco-Elastic Foam Wedge Support Technology Stearns & Foster Stearns & Foster Beds Health Benefits Memory Foam Adjustable Beds Current Research	Tempur-Pedic® Memory Foam The Origin of Memory Foam In the early 1970's, NASA's Ames Research Center funded a development project designed to create a substance that could help relieve astronauts of the incredible g-forces experienced during lift-off. They believed that one of the key secrets to reducing g-forces on the body was to use a foam material that could conform to each person's shape and hold this conformity. While a foam mold of each astronaut's body shape could accomplish this, any movement would take a person out of this position and create incorrect pressure points against the body. Instead, they created a new foam material that was visco-elastic and therefore able to conform to a person's shape, but then come back to a normal shape once pressure was removed from the foam. This could allow an even distribution of pressure or body weight over the entire surface of the foam, but quickly adapt to any movements of the body. With this amazing discovery, Fagerdala World Foams of Sweden, one of Europe's largest foam producing companies, began experiments in the 1980s to perfect it for consumer use. In 1991, the Tempur-Pedic®, a Swedish Mattress company introduced this material in a mattress form to the people of Sweden with very well-received results. In 1992, Tempur-Pedic® launched the same products in North America and experienced a similar response. With the success of Tempur-Pedic®, other foam manufacturers in Canada and the United States began to develop their own visco-elastic memory foam material to offer mattress, upholstering and specialty product companies the ability to allow consumers to have a variety of options and price levels to choose from. The differences will be outlined in the following paragraphs and hopefully enable the consumer to make an informed and savvy decision about which foam mattress product best suits their particular needs. What Makes Foam have Memory To give a piece of foam memory, you start with a synthetic polyurethane foam material and add certain types of chemicals which add an increase in weight or density to the foam. With the addition of these chemicals, a non-toxic, visco-elastic foam material is created. However, there are many features along the way that will help determine what type of memory foam you end up with. To understand exactly what differences are found in each final product, you first have to start with understanding how to grade each foam. How Foam is Graded For a material to be Visco-elastic, it will have to be temperature sensitive and have an ability to rebound fairly quickly and return to its normal shape. Memory foam is graded by its visco-elastic nature and its durability by breaking it down into the following grading system: Weight (Density in pounds per square foot): The weight of foam is determined by the amount of chemicals used in the composition of the polyurethane foam. The more chemicals, the higher the density and the more visco-elastic it will become. This density will not determine the hardness of the material; this is done through utilizing the ILD rating structure. Many memory foam mattresses use a 4 and 5lb. density, but some use as low as 2 and 3lb. densities. ILD Rating (Indentation Load Deflection): The ILD rating is going to tell you how hard or soft a material is. The 25% ILD rating is the number of pounds required to achieve a 25% compression of a 4" thick foam using a 50 square inch indentation. An Example of this is as follows: 20lb. ILD foam indicates that this material took 20 lbs. of pressure to indent this foam 25%. Keep in mind that the higher the ILD, the firmer the foam. Resilience: This measures the foam's springiness by determining the percent rebound of a steel ball dropped from a height of 36". The term "H.R" foam refers to highly resilient foam that will give a very high "ball rebound" reading. In general, the higher the resiliency, the better the more durable the foam will be with compression forces. What to look for in a good quality memory foam mattress Obviously it will be important to allow the foam to do what it is best for: Allowing for a better contouring of your body shape and therefore less pressure placed on the areas of your body that press harder against the bed. However, don't just go by your weight, because if you are tall, then your weight is dispersed over the bed more. A good memory foam mattress will not need a box spring underneath it to make the mattress feel good. You can order a platform base to increase the height of the bed, but remember that this mattress should feel good if it was placed on an even, concrete surface. A good way to test the surface of a box spring or box foundation is to sit or even stand on various areas and see if it compresses underneath you. Spring Mattresses vs. Foam Mattresses While a spring mattress was the standard for many decades, foam mattresses are becoming more and more popular due to their unsurpassed comfort and overall body support. While spring mattresses can feel nice to sit or lay on, they will not offer anywhere close to the body contouring and therefore spinal support that memory or latex foam can offer. It will actually cause a trampoline effect and bend inward when pressure is applied without conforming to the specific bumps and curves of the body. While foam can shrink over time, springs can bend and lose their shape over time. Therefore, an old foam bed will likely feel better and offer better support than an old spring mattress. Is Memory Foam Really the Best Support for those Achy Joints? When you take into consideration the amount of pressure you place on your shoulder and hips if you are a side sleeper, neck if you are a stomach sleeper or lower back and sacrum if you are a back sleeper, you will realize that visco-elastic pressure sensitive foam will offer you the best chance for reducing the overall pressure placed on your joints by contouring them without pushing back against them. With latex added to a memory foam mattress it can offer a bit more spring against the concavities like the small of your back or sides, while not losing the ability to contour and displace pressure points. *Please read this Health Disclaimer The contents information obtained from Rest Your Back licensors and other material ("Content") contained on this site is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or provider with any questions.