Memory Foam is a heat sensitive, visco-elastic foam. At room temperature memory foam will mould itself to the shape of the body within a few minutes. The foam also holds its shape temporarily - a hand pressed into memory foam will leave a clear impression when removed.
Memory Foam was originally developed by a Swedish company, Tempur-Pedic, for NASA to use in the space programme. NASA adopted memory foam because of its ability to distribute pressure across the entire surface, thus easing the pressure of extreme G forces.
Memory foam was subsequently used in medical applications, for example where a patient suffered with pressure sores or had to be bed-bound for a long period of time. Initially memory foam was too expensive for general use.
In recent years visco-elastic memory foam has become cheaper to produce and is now widely available for the home bedroom. The most common domestic applications of memory foam are in mattresses, pillows and mattress toppers (also known as mattress pads ).
A memory foam mattress is usually denser than an ordinary foam mattress. This makes it more supportive - but also heavier. It is often seen as a good compromise between the comfort of a soft mattress and the supportiveness of a firm one.
When new, memory foam often gives off a distinct chemical odour which many people find unpleasant. This fades with airing however some people remain sensitive to it.
This article incorporates text from Here Be Dreams - used with permission
