Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattress
What is a Visco Elastic Foam Mattress?
Firstly it is commonly known as a memory foam mattress. Secondly it is a mattress that has inherent properties that allows the mattress to react to your body heat and weight by conforming to your shape thereby minimizing pressure points and ensuring proper body alignment. The level of comfort that a visco-elastic mattress provides will reduce tossing and turning during sleep.
The very first memory foam mattresses that were sold were very expensive and not as successful as those on the market today. These mattresses proved to be too brittle and started collapsing after a relatively short period of use. A Swedish company however made further adjustments to the components used in the mattresses and eventually perfected the recipe to what we know today.
Soon as the demand for these mattresses grew other mattress companies started producing memory foam mattresses and the increase in supply reduced the price to a more affordable level. Although the chemicals used to produce memory foam are a closely guarded secret and each mattress manufacturer's recipe varies slightly, all the good quality memory foam mattresses provide the consumer with amazing sleep experiences.
Today's memory foam mattresses are sold to hospitals who recognize the benefit that a visco-elastic mattress holds for bedridden patients. These mattresses offer the back support that patients require and reduce the incidences of bedsores due their resilience and reduction of pressure on joints.
Who Can Benefit From a Visco Elastic Foam Mattress?
Irrespective of what your sleeping style is, whether you are a side-, stomach- or back-sleeper your sleeping habit will exert pressure on various parts of your body. A visco-elastic mattress will counteract this pressure by compressing in the area where pressure is exerted and softening in these areas in reaction to the natural heat of your body.
On a regular innerspring mattress the springs support your body wherever there is contact with the mattress but cannot reach the hollows in the knees, back and neck, leaving them unsupported. A visco-elastic foam mattress however reacts differently. The natural heat of our bodies warms the mattress wherever it makes contact - typically the head, shoulders, hips and feet. This causes the memory foam to soften in these areas allowing the body to sink slightly so that the entire body is then supported by the mattress. A visco-elastic mattress will conform to the shape of your body while you are sleeping and then gradually return to its original shape when it cools down.
Another advantage of a visco-elastic mattress is that they do not attract dust mites. As these are one of the most common allergens this is an added bonus for hay fever and asthma sufferers. There are some memory foam mattresses that are made with a removable washable cover. This has the obvious advantage of being able to keep your mattress clean and fresh for a much longer period. As a visco-elastic foam mattress changes chemically and not mechanically it has a much longer lifespan than its mechanical counterparts.
What Quality Visco Elastic Foam Mattress Should You Buy?
As with most products on the market, memory foam mattresses are not all created equal and as a result there is a huge price and quality variance between a top of the range visco-elastic foam mattress and a cheaper imitation.
The best advice is to buy the most expensive mattress that your budget will allow. Cheap versions of a visco-elastic mattress may prove to be more expensive in the long run due to its inferior durability and generally these will carry a much shorter period warranty.
If you find that you have a very limited budget it may be a good idea to purchase a better quality visco-elastic foam mattress topper than a cheap mattress.
