Memory Foam - Where did it come from?

by Benjamin Hermsen

Ever wonder where the memory foam mattress came from? Memory foam is one of the best sleeping surfaces on the market, and to fully appreciate it, one must see what led to its creation and how it has developed into the pinnacle of today's mattress market.

Memory foam was originally developed by NASA as a means of mitigating the pressure between an astronaut and his seat induced by the extreme G-forces present during lift off. The foam molds to the astronaut's body and spreads the force out evenly across a broader surface area than normal foam, helping to avoid harmful pressure points. The foam worked, but initial flaws in the design concerning durability prompted NASA to sell the memory foam technology before it was ever instituted into the space program.

The Swedish manufacturer Fagerdala saw the potential of memory foam and began researching and developing the foam for bedding applications. They solved many of the problems exhibited by the early memory foam mattress and first applied their discoveries in the medical realm. The innovation helped to eliminate pressure sores in bed-ridden patients and at a lower cost than the preexisting medical airbeds that were available.

It wasn't long before Fagerdala saw the memory foam mattress as more than just a medical breakthrough but as a potential consumer mattress more comfortable and supportive than any other on the market. The Tempur-Pedic division was created to bring the breakthrough memory foam mattress product to the masses. Tempur-Pedic eventually split from Fagerdala and for many years monopolized the memory foam industry.

While many memory foam mattress brands compete in today's market, most of them create a cheap product not even in the same league as well-designed, quality memory foam mattresses. Some brands, however, have brought memory foam to new levels of comfort and support. Sensus brand memory foam by Foamex stands above the rest (even Tempur-Pedic) as the most advanced memory foam on the market.

Sensus brand memory foam has finer cells than the memory foam mattresses of competitors. The finer cells in Sensus memory foam give it a more luxurious feel and help it handle temperature fluctuations better. While temperature sensitivity is important for memory foam to fully fit to the body, most companies make their mattresses too sensitive to temperature. Cold air will make memory foam firm, while heat makes it soft. This means that if someone rolls out of the warm impression made by their body onto another area of the mattress, the foam will often feel firm and uncomfortable.

Sensus' memory foam mattress product effectively reduces the temperature problem: Sensus foam is resistant to becoming overly firm or soft due to temperature, giving the mattresses a consistency not available in other mattresses. And what's more: none of the support was sacrificed to attain this superior temperature control. In fact, while competitors' memory foam often will press up on the body trying to return to its original shape, Sensus foam will hold a body impression longer, reducing pressure to the scapular, sacral, and heel regions by up to 15%.

More importantly, Sensus foam will resist permanent impressions for the life of the mattress better than any other, giving it a longevity that is rare in the industry. What gives Sensus these towering advantages is its unique Variable Pressure Foaming (VPF) process. This is both the most advanced technique for making memory foam in the industry and one of the most environmentally friendly. So if you want the best memory foam mattress available built for support and perfected to luxury, look for Sensus memory foam by Foamex.

About the Author

To learn more about advances in mattress technology and how they can directly benefit you, visit the home of memory foam at FoamSource and learn more about getting the best nights sleep.

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