A popular type of mattress is memory foam. While innerspring mattresses currently are the most common in American residences, Memory foam is gaining popularity. You can find many a Memory foam mattress in Lafayette, MS and Cleveland OH. Yet, what exactly is Memory Foam? Who “discovered” it? Who was first to manufacture this type of foam mattress?
What is Memory Foam?
Memory foam is a material that adjusts itself to body weight, evenly distributing it and decreasing movement of the sleeper to create a restful sleep. A memory foam mattress retains the shape of the sleeper until they move or get up. It then returns to its initial shape. The material that allows it to mold and bounce back is viscoelastic.
It can comprise an entire mattress. It can also be a topper pad. This means it is placed upon an existing mattress to provide many of the benefits of a memory foam mattress.
Who Invented it?
In 1966, NASA sought a means of making the aircraft cushions in their space flight vehicles more comfortable by alleviating the stress of G-forces. To accomplish this, they hired a Swedish firm to help out their own Ames Research Center. Two main contributors to the discovery were Chiharu Kubokawa of Ames and Charles A. Yost of the Stencel Aero Engineering Corporation. The result was viscoelastic – what we now call Memory Foam.
Commercialization of the foam came later when Yost founded Dynamic Systems Inc. (1969). Initially, the products were few. The product line expanded when another company, Becton, bought the company. By the 1980s, Memory foam was available to the public, however, very few companies took it on. It was difficult to work with and the result of the manufacturing process was uneven.
In 1991, one company bucked the odds. Fagerdala World Foams came out with the now famous Memory foam mattress – “Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress.” This changed the way many people looked at mattresses.
Types of Memory Foam
There are several types of Memory Foam on the market. These are:
- Visco : the traditional type
- Open Cell Visco Memory Foam: similar to the traditional but without the issues concerning higher temperatures. It also reacts quicker to body weight
- Gel Infused Memory Foam: This type features gel infused into the memory foam mattress. This improves support of the sleeper and provides a much cooler surface to sleep on
You can also purchase the more environmentally friendly version of Memory Foam – Green Memory Foam.
If you want a Memory foam mattress, Lafayette professionals recommend you know the difference types. It is also important that you realize that not all foam mattresses are memory foam. Do not be fooled into buying a pseudo – know how to recognize the real thing. Finding the right type of Foam Mattress In Lafayette can be a problem unless you know about Mattress Direct. We provide you with a wide selection of the various types of foam mattresses available. See what we have to offer at . The selection can’t help but please you.
