Before we get to our discussion about the memory foam mattress topper, it's probably best to first give a bit of an overview on memory foam in general. This product was actually invented by NASA in the 1960's. It never did make it's way into the space program but experimentation continued nonetheless. NASA did some work with it in the medical industry and eventually made it's way into other sectors. The first company that really brought memory foam to the public was Fagerdala World Foams. Their "Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress" was the first commercially available memory foam product. This basically paved the way for other bedding companies to start manufacturing items made out of this unique foam.

So how is memory foam different than other types of foam?

The main difference lies in the fact that memory foam is sensitive to temperature. It softens when warm and hardens when cool. This quality more or less explains why memory foam mattresses and toppers are such great products. A person's body heat naturally forms the material, allowing for a mould of sorts to be created in the material. See the photo below, courtesy of Wikipedia, to get a sense of what I'm talking about.

What kind of stuff is made from memory foam nowadays?

Aside from mattress toppers, basically everything under the "bedding" umbrella can be made out of memory foam.  Proper full mattresses are probably the most common product available.  There is also an ever increasing demand for memory foam pillows as well.

There are a few reasons why one should consider using a memory foam mattress topper:

Not Too Hard... Not Too Soft...

• A common problem many people face when selecting a mattress is the firmness of it. You want it to be firm... yet soft. Memory foam seems to consistently find a happy medium between these two qualities. This is because it's denser than normal foam. The heaviness of the product is strong and soft at the same time. We'll discuss density and strength in more detail later as they are very important factors to consider when choosing any memory foam product.

It Moulds To Your Body

• As mentioned in the intro, memory foam is essentially manufactured to form a mould around your body. This is wonderful as it is able to adapt to different body shapes and sizes. It's also great if you're a fan of shifting positions while you sleep. You see, the foam actually releases back into it's natural place when cooler air touches it. This means that when you move, the groove that you made will pop back into place creating a nice even surface. No need to worry about falling awkwardly into some canyon of a hole your body recently created. If you happen to roll back over to that spot, you'll simply create a new perfect mould!

It's Cheaper Than Replacing Your Whole Mattress

• So now that you're completely sold on the idea of memory foam, why don't you go out and buy yourself a brand new memory foam mattress? If you can afford, go ahead! They are quite expensive though and this is the main reason why people choose to buy a topper instead of a whole mattress. Not all foam toppers are created equal however. Next we'll look at a few things every good mattress topper should have.
  

If you're still not sure what the heck memory foam actually is, check out the video below. I'm not sure how good this stuff is but you'll still get a really good sense of how the material reacts to body heat and pressure...  Look what happens after the hands leave the foam.  The imprint hangs around for a bit before conveniently disappearing.

First off, it should be mentioned that a mattress topper isn't really the ideal solution if you want a better sleep. If you really want to get the most out of memory foam, you should really consider getting an entire mattress. They're sturdy and built from the ground up for maximum effectiveness. Unfortunately, they're also quite expensive. For those of us that don't have a ton of money, a mattress topper is a decent alternative. There are really two key factors to consider when buying a mattress topper made out of memory foam.

The first thing to look at is the thickness. Your standard everyday day mattress topper is about 2 inches thick. This is decent but there is definitely better products out there. A good memory foam topper should be at least 3 and probably closer to 4 inches thick. The thicker they are, the longer they'll last. If you only want six months out of your new topper, by all means, go with a cheapy! A word of warning though... There are actually super inexpensive 1 inch mattress pads available. Stay away from these bad boys...

The other factor you want to look at before purchasing a mattress topper (or any memory foam product for that matter) is density. This is basically the weight of the material. Here's how it works. The higher the number, the longer the material retains it's "mouldability". With a 3 pound mattress, for example, it will probably only be a year before the material starts to take on the shapes that have been leaving impressions in it. If you go with a higher quality 5 pound mattress, on the other hand, you can expect the material to be stronger for longer.

You can get them in a ton of places... Sears, Costco, and The Bay, for example, all carry an assortment of different toppers. You may also want to consider getting one online. Have a look at the some of selections available from Ebay and Amazon. Note the numbers next to the brand name... They refer to the thickness and density of the topper.