Memory Foam Mattresses
Memory foam was developed by NASA in the late 1960s. Astronauts at the time were complaining of discomfort during lift-off, which, as you can imagine, is an incredibly forceful process considering the spacecraft needs to be hurtled beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. NASA began researching ways to improve the aircraft cushion and thus astronaut safety. The answer turned out to be memory foam.
Memory foam has a specialized open-cell solid structure and is created by feeding gas into a polymer matrix. It is supportive, matching pressure applied against it, and can slowly spring back to its original shape. In addition to being used by NASA, it has also been used in sports equipment, medical settings, shoes, and of course, mattresses.Mattresses that are made from memory foam are denser than traditional foam mattresses. The memory foam that is used in mattresses usually ranges from 1.5 lb to 8 lb density. This makes them quite heavy, but they are also incredibly supportive. Memory foam is known to help relieve pressure points and even prevent bedsores. The third generation of memory foam was released in 2006 and includes gels that prevent body heat from being trapped. This allows users of the best memory foam mattresses to sleep cool by preventing overheating during the night.
