History of Memory Foam

During the 1960s, people began to be really displeased with the way many products were being made. At the same time, NASA began a major project. NASA wanted to create some sort of material that would protect astronauts during take-off. The professionals at NADA had no idea what they created.

NASA developed memory foam in the 1970s. Although they were astonished at what they created, it proved to be useless to them. Memory foam had characteristics of both a solid and a liquid at the same time. When you placed your hand into the foam, the print stayed for a short time after your hand was removed. The foam seemed to keep the ‘memory’ print of your hand for several minutes.

Just because NASA forgot about their invention doesn’t mean that memory foam went unnoticed. A Swedish company that was closely associated with NASA picked up memory foam and ran with it. This company kept experimenting with the foam until ten years later they developed a material that would not break down over time. This foam contained gel-like plastic that also seemed spongy. The open-cell structure of this material allowed the foam to deflate under pressure then redistribute the air bubbles to neighboring cells. Finally, memory foam had a useful purpose.

Tempur-Pedic was the first company to start marketing the new memory foam. At first, only hospitals and other health care facilities could afford the expensive mattresses. Patients reported a significant decrease in pressure points and increase in back support. It wasn’t until the 1990s that memory foam mattresses became affordable to the general public.

At first, memory foam mattresses were extremely expensive. It wasn’t until other companies began to sell the memory foam mattress that the price came down.

Memory foam is most often used in mattress toppers, pillows and mattresses. However, memory foam continues to prove to be a very versatile material. Memory foam is also found in positional sleep aids, office furniture, vehicle seat padding, footwear, pet beds, car seats, infant cribs, hip pads, wheel chair cushions, computer carrying cases, pistol gloves, padded sweatpants, tennis racquet handles and even ear plugs. The longer memory foam is on the market, the more products we will see using it.

We shared this graphic late last year about the history of the mattress, but wanted to share it again here because we feel its appropriate.

In the past, there have been a few complaints that memory foam makes you hot while you are sleeping. This certainly isn’t the case for everyone who sleeps on memory foam. You might be considering a memory foam mattress. But, you might ask yourself, “Will I feel hot when sleeping on memory foam?” Let’s take a closer look.

1. Good quality. Good quality memory foam mattresses will not really make you feel hot while you are sleeping. The majority of people that complained about the temperature of memory foam were sleeping on cheap memory foam. Good quality memory foam mattresses use your body temperature to heat up the mattress. However, these top-quality mattresses do not lock in that heat. Rather, these mattresses help circulate the heat through its open-cell technology. Open-cell technology is a vital component to high quality memory foam and it is this component that keeps air flowing. Inexpensive memory foam does not utilize open-cell technology.

2. Room temperature. If you keep your house or bedroom hot, of course you will be hot when you sleep. The
optimal temperature range for memory foam is between 70 degrees and 75 degrees. Keeping your home at this temperature allows the memory foam to still utilize its conforming technology but does not trap in heat.

3. Sheets. Sometimes it really depends on what type of sheets you are using. Flannel sheets are going to be warmer to sleep in than satin sheets or cotton sheets. The sheets you use shouldn’t suffocate your memory foam mattress. Choose a sheet set that will allow your mattress to breathe.

Not every memory foam mattress is hot to sleep on. In fact, if you are careful to choose a high-quality memory foam, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting too hot at night. Keep your thermostat at a comfortable setting. Keeping your home too hot will cause the memory foam mattress to trap in warm air. The last step in ensuring that you don’t get too hot while sleeping on a memory foam mattress is choosing the right sheets. Only use sheets that will let your mattress breathe. If you follow these three steps, you won’t have to worry about getting too hot at night.

Read testimonials from others who have bought from Rocky Mountain Mattress

Memory Foam From China - Cheap In More Ways Than One

Memory foam mattresses can be excellent products. These mattresses can take you from a bad night’s sleep to a good one. Memory foam mattresses have been proven to significantly reduce pressure points and have been used in the health care industry for decades.

The problem is that there are many cheap, imitation memory foam mattresses that are not beneficial at all. Most of these mattresses are from China. America gets a lot of its products from China (everything from toys to toothbrushes). However, China hasn’t been all that reputable lately.

Remember when the U.S. recalled millions of toys because China had used lead paint? Remember when there was a massive recall of toothbrushes because they were tainted? Remember the tainted wheat gluten? Remember the tainted fish? Yes, all of these harmful products came from China.

Memory foam mattresses from China are not all that different. Chinese manufacturers of memory foam experience a spoilage rate of over 40 percent of all of their foam. Chinese memory foam has no benefit for the sleeper. Instead, you will wake up feeling achy and exhausted.

When these mattresses and mattress toppers are manufactured, they are heavily compressed. This compression process takes all of the life (if there was any to begin with) out of the product. To make things worse, these mattresses often spend weeks and months in storage. The longer memory foam is in storage, the shorter life it has. Chinese memory foam mattresses also have a very strong chemical odor to them.

The bottom line is that Chinese memory foam is not good. It may be cheaper, but these mattresses carry no other benefits. You are much better off spending a little bit more and getting a top-quality, American-made memory foam. This way, you will actually see and feel the quality of your health improve. Simply put, memory foam mattresses from China are cheap in more ways than one.

2 Pound Memory Foam and 5 Pound Memory Foam - Difference Between the Memory Foam Densities

If you have been considering a memory foam mattress, I am going to let you in on a little secret…the higher the density, the better quality mattress. Memory foam densities can be a complicated issue. Some consumers don’t bother shopping for memory foam because they get too overwhelmed with the density topic. If you take a little bit of time, you’ll soon understand the difference between memory foam densities.

First, we need to know how density is measured. Density is measured by taking the weight of a cubic foot. In other words, a block of foam is taken and measured and weighed. The block must be twelve inches on all six sides. Once the block is weighed, the memory foam density is known. Higher density foam contains more memory foam than lower density foam.

So, why is it so important to know how much material the memory foam contains? Higher density memory foam directly affects how the products feels, the way it reacts and how long it lasts. U.S. manufacturers don’t typically manufacture cheap memory foam. Low density memory foam is more of an embarrassment than anything.

Memory foam that is 2.5 pounds in density often comes from China. This memory foam is much cheaper to produce, but has far fewer benefits. Low density memory foam is often sold in chain stores like Target, JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Belk, etc. If the memory foam product you are considering doesn’t have a density rating, chances are it is a low density item.

2.5 pound density memory foam has many problems. These problems include:
-It is soft, but not supportive.
-It has a slower recovery time which disables the foam from conforming to your body.
-It is cheaply made.
-It is breakable.
-It gives consumers the wrong impression of the real products.

You are safe when you buy 5 pound density products. The memory foam that was made world famous by Tempur-Pedic is the 5 pound density memory foam. Instead of being cheap, this foam is durable, well-made, and luxurious. Instead of lacking support, 5 pound density memory foam actually retains its recovery time, comfort and support for many years.

You can find memory foam in 8 pound or 12 pound densities, but usually 5 pound densities is the highest quality you’ll find. 5 pound density foam contains more memory foam material per cubic foot. Because of this, it is more expensive. But, it is completely worth every penny. If you really want to enjoy the benefits of real memory foam, don’t waste your time or your money with the 2.5 pound stuff. Stick to the 5 pound density memory foam to enjoy the true memory foam experience.

I get asked the question all the time - Why compressing foam for shipping and storage for extended periods of time is damaging to the foam? I wanted to take the time to answer this, in hopes to inform those that are looking into purchasing memory foam (from us or not) so they do not damage their memory foam - especially before they have even had the chance to enjoy it. So here goes -

Memory foam is becoming increasingly popular. Many people with chronic back pain, neck pain or other health problems have found these products to be very beneficial. The memory foam forms to your body while you sleep and gives you more support. It is important to understand different aspects of memory foam because it will prolong the life of your mattress.

Memory foam has to be compressed in order to be shipped and stored. However, the wrong kind of compression can actually be more harmful than helpful. There are mainly two ways foam mattresses can be compressed: vacuum compression and hydraulic compression. Vacuum compression removes all air from the mattress before it is rolled. Hydraulic compression uses two large objects to smash the foam before being rolled. As you can imagine, hydraulic pressure causes damage to the foam because the foam is smashed. Vacuum compression is safe to use on high quality memory foam products.

Although compression is necessary to ship and store memory foam, it is not ideal. Memory foam needs to be give the opportunity to mold into its original position. Thus, it isn’t ideal for it to be stored in a tight roll. Try to find a memory foam mattress that hasn’t had the amount of stress caused by long term shipping and storage.

The 8 lb Venus Memory Foam:

The 5 lb Sensus Memory Foam:

With memory foam beds from Rocky Mountain Mattress, there are no springs. The foam absorbs all the shock your body places on it. This gives you the best possible night’s sleep, and prevents you from hitting your head on any ceilings!!!

The Evolution Custom Coach Staff posted the the following memory foam review.

At Evolution Custom Coach we design and build custom buses for a large variety of customers including Greyhound bus. Recently, we ordered several custom memory foam beds from Rocky Mountain Mattress.

The width and length we needed for the bus was that of a standard Queen (60 W by 80L) but the height was only 4”. We had been unable to find any company that could provide an actual foam mattress with this depth. There were plenty of companies selling memory foam mattress toppers, but we needed a foam mattress. Obviously, we were excited when Rocky Mountain Mattress told us they had made 4” foam mattresses for the U.S. Coast Guard and others.

Of course, we were a little worried about trusting a company that we had never worked with before to build the memory foam beds. However, we are proud to say that we were so pleased with the company’s service that we just referred a guy from FedEx looking for a custom truck mattress for his semi trucks.

As we get closer on a few jobs, we will need some additional memory foam beds and we know who we will be turning to.

Thank you Rocky Mountain Mattress!

Sincerely,

Evolution Custom Coach Staff
13 Berwick Street
White Haven, PA 18661
Phone: (570) 443-5700

Testimonial:

My Mom has always told me “Dave, do not sell something unless you know it is a good product.” In other words, don’t sell something you wouldn’t use. Mom, I have taken that advice to heart. In fact, on a recent business trip I actually took our new folding bed with me. Although, I had a nice queen sized memory foam mattress in my room I actually slept each night of a 7 day business trip on this folding guest bed. I loved it!

I actually got sick on this business trip and needed a lot of down time.. During one of the “breaks” from the convention I actually grabbed one of the RMM folding beds from the back of my GMC Yukon and took a nap in the Phoenix Convention Center! So, there you have it – The Rocky Mountain Mattress folding guest bed is so comfortable that I was able to take a nap in the middle of the Phoenix Convention Center.

Memory Foam Folding Bed Review:

The folding bed is covered in a nice canvas. Each “cushion” features a zipper so that you can remove the canvas cover for laundering. The folding foam mattress is 4″ thick and features 1.5″ of 2.5 lb density Foamex memory foam the other 2.5″ are a HR 30 ILD base foam. Although, the bed folds out into a standard twin length it was actually not all that heavy! I had no problem walking the folding foam mattress in and out of my hotel. Like all RMM products, this memory foam folding mattress is proudly made in the U.S.A!

Bayer® Softcel™ Memory Foam Explained by Rocky Mountain Mattress

Many of Rocky Mountain Mattress’s higher end mattress feature Bayer memory foam. The unsurpassed quality and comfort of the 5 lb Bayer® Softcel™ Memory Foam was designed by Bayer® MaterialScience.

Recently at an expo in Arizona RMM received rave reviews from hundreds of individuals who stopped by our booth to touch and feel the Bayer® 5 lb memory foam. The following video will give you a “taste” of what they were feeling!

The Bayer® Softcel History

Bayer® Memory Foam uses the same technology developed by NASA’s top engineers, and is the perfect example of first-rate, high-density, durable memory foam.

How Does Bayer® Memory Foam Work?

Bayer® Softcel™ Memory Foam is temperature sensitive, which means the material recognizes changes in temperature, and responds accommodating areas of the body which feel “warmer”. This warmth is generated by pressure and thus memory foam becomes pressure reducing. Softcel is viscoelastic foam, which means the material features an elastic property when it senses higher temperatures.

Why Sleep on a Mattress with Bayer® Softcel™ Memory Foam

* Pressure Reduction: Because the heatsensitive technology of Bayer® Memory Foam conforms to your size, shape, and weight, there is no pressure on the contact points that generally “weigh down” on traditional spring mattresses and lowquality memory foams.
* Reduced Tossing and Turning: Tossing and turning is typically caused by the body’s need to remove pressure from common contact points like shoulders, hips, and heels. Because that pressure is virtually eliminated on mattresses that feature Bayer® Memory Foam, the tossing and turning will end!
* Zero-Motion Transfer: When your partner decides to get into bed after you or get up while you’re still sleeping, you’ll never know. That’s because the highdensity Bayer® Memory Foam absorbs the motion, leaving your side of the bed still and quiet.