The History of Memory Foam

After memory foam was developed as part of a NASA project, some saw the promise of memory foam for use in the medical industry to relieve pressure sores. Over the years, memory foam was shown to be unique in the way it responded to temperature and also in its ability to spread pressure over a greater surface area (and thereby reducing pressure points significantly). While the initial version of the foam developed for NASA (called T-Foam) did have a great deal of promise as a bed topper or wheel chair cushion material, it did have issues with wear over time. This first generation of material wasn't very durable, and would often compress or crack over time.

The first company to realize the potential of memory foam for the consumer market was Tempur-Pedic®. They had worked on creating their own version of memory foam, and developed foam they called Tempur®, that was much more durable and still had the pressure reducing benefits of memory foam. Initially, this Tempur® foam was used in medical settings, but soon they began to hear that patients who used the foam slept better, had less back pain, and felt more refreshed in the morning. A light bulb switched on over someone's head in Sweden, and Tempur-Pedic® began to sell the products to consumers.

Due to its origin as a medical device, Tempur® foam was very expensive, and has stayed that way to this day. After a few years on the consumer market, other foam manufacturers saw the potential of memory foam and began to produce their own memory foam product lines. Because these manufacturers came from the consumer foam industry, rather than the medical industry, their cost structure for memory foam was much lower and they priced their products at a fraction of the Tempur® foam. As the years went by, memory foam became more and more popular, and now manufacturers all over the world are making their versions of memory foam.

Not all foam is created equal -

What you need to remember is that not all memory foams are equal. They differ a great deal in quality - density, hardness or softness, response to temperature, and also durability and longevity. Memory foam is not a commodity, and not all memory foams are created equal. As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid the noticeably inexpensive pads or pillows you will find on the market. They are generally made of either low density memory foam or layered with other, cheaper foam products and ingredients. These inexpensive memory foams just won't give the same comfort as higher quality pads and will wear out relatively fast.

There is no denying that Memory Foam mattresses represent the latest in sleep technology. The advantages are unquestionable and continue to demonstrate their benefits and diversity in other products. Unfortunately, imitations and cheaply manufactured mattresses have entered the market confusing your purchasing decisions. We’ve all heard this analogy before and in this case it regrettably applies…”All memory foam mattresses are not created equal”. This has allowed the retail price of memory foam to drop and become an affordable product. And while this has meant that a good number of quality memory foams have come onto the market, it also means that a greater number of low quality, cut rate foams have also appeared.

Our Cradlesoft™ Memory Foam has received the highest possible score for best compression, this means our memory foam will perform better and be less likely to sag over an extended period of time. This is why most of our mattresses carry an unbelievable 20 year limited warranty. All of our memory foam products are made and manufactured here in North America, and the mattresses meet all federal 1633 FR standards.

Innovation - As customers continue to search for an improved level of comfort from their mattresses, new technology and innovative ideas are necessary. In 2008, Jeffco Fibres, Inc. (the manufacturer of our mattresses) introduced a new and improved Channel Ventilation System. This unique system cuts channels from one side of the mattress to the other, promoting “true” ventilation, which will help keep the mattress cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It also allows a more forgiving support for shoulders, hips, and knees, while maintaining a solid base for the pillow area and feet.

In order to insure you are getting the highest quality memory foam mattress, please keep these things in mind…

1. Your Memory Foam Mattress must be made from the same visco elastic material originally developed by NASA. There is no substitute!


2. The manufacturing process must be of the highest standards of quality and Federal Regulations. This is not always the case with other manufacturers resulting in foam that has a lower density, has poor temperature sensitivity, and can actually be toxic.


3. Innovation and the introduction of new comfort technologies like our Channel Ventilation System indicate a strong commitment to Research and Development.


4. The mattresses with the highest quality are manufactured in North America

Jeffco Fibres, Inc. continues to be an industry leader in using technology for its customers' advantage. We are now able to compress pack nearly all of our sleep products, allowing us to ship economically via UPS anywhere in the country. In today’s economy of expensive freight charges, this is an essential element in bringing savings to our customers.

This is why you can feel secure when purchasing from FindMyMattress.com. We insure you will receive the best technology and optimum sleep experience at the best price!

The Product

1. Top Layer – Memory Foam - This top layer of memory foam is the component that molds to your body. It’s unique because of the way the memory foam cells deform when weight is applied. Unlike standard foams that compress and want to spring back to their original shape immediately, memory foam cells compress fully and spread their air pressure to adjoining cells. This spreads the pressure through a greater number of cells of the memory foam which decreases the pressure you feel in the cells of the memory foam that you are laying on. This accounts for the way that memory foam actually reduces pressure points. The ability of the memory foam to deform also allows it to really conform to your body’s shape and weight bearing areas, thereby reducing these pressure points. No other material has this capability.
   Temperature Sensitivity – Memory foam is sensitive to temperature variation. This means the in lower temperatures it is firmer (more viscous), and at higher temperatures it is softer and more conforming (more elastic) - hence the reason memory foam is known as visco-elastic memory foam.


2. Bottom Layer - High Density Foam/ HD - Research has shown that it is only the top three inches or so of the mattress that are necessary for the comfort of the sleeper. The balance of the depth of the mattress is only affected when the sleeper changes position, not when they are still or sleeping. High density foam is used to support the memory foam because of its resilience and durability. Together, memory foam and high density foam provide a mattress that offers an ideal sleeping experience – comfort and conformability, support and durability.

What type of memory foam should you look for?

With a mattress, you should look for at least 3 inches of medium to high density memory foam. 3 inches of memory foam gives you a proper amount of material to cushion and conform to your body. While you could get by with 2 inches of memory foam in a mattress, 3 inches is plusher and offers a more comfortable feel for most people. It's a nice depth of foam where you don’t sink uncomfortably into the bed or lose the support of the base foam. Some memory foam mattresses offer much thicker memory foam layers and they feel too cushy - you get sucked in, and adjusting from side to side can be a real problem. And you just don't have the same support for your body and back as you would with memory foam mattresses that are 3 inches or so of memory foam depth. FindMyMattress.com offers 3” of memory foam in the first six models in our Cradlesoft® line and 4” in both of the top of the line models, and we've had a great response from our customers on their feel and comfort.

This issue is somewhat different if you are looking to buy a memory foam topper pad to put on your existing bed. The memory foam in a mattress is bonded to the "mattress core", and as such, can't be replaced, so it must not only be comfortable, but durable as well. A topper pad, on the other hand, is less expensive and can be easily replaced if it wears out. So when you are researching a memory foam mattress, you need to look for one that uses memory foam which is both comfortable and durable. That generally means a mattress with a memory foam density of 5 lbs. With a topper pad, comfort alone is the main issue since you can easily replace the topper. That allows you to choose a much softer memory foam – something with a density of 2.5, 3, 4 or 5 lbs., depending on your preference. FindMyMattress.com offers a choice of both density and thickness in our selection of memory foam toppers. They are available in 2”, 2.5”, 3” and 4” in a full range of sizes.

Density - the Real Story

When you buy memory foam, you will pay more for a denser foam. It simply costs more to make - more raw materials go into making a denser substance. Denser memory foam, in general, tends to have more of that special memory feel that makes the foam unique. Two pound density memory foam, for example, just doesn't have enough density to give you that quality memory feel you get from the denser memory foams.

A Final Thought –

Beware of cheap imitations! As we have mentioned, not all memory foam is created equal. Many companies will assemble the mattress in the U.S., but buy the foam overseas to save money. With overseas foam, we cannot be sure of the quality or the composition, so we are very wary of recommending mattresses that use memory foam not produced in North America. The overseas foam makers produce memory foam that seems to flatten out with compression, even though it may feel comfortable upon the first feel. Therefore, the memory foam made overseas may not last as long, be as safe to sleep on, and offer enough support. Unfortunately, many companies state their beds are made in North America because the mattress is assembled in North America, even though they use overseas produced foam.