The History Of Memory Foam

Memory foam is the new kid on-the-block when it comes to the bedding industry. And like
many new discoveries, memory foam arrived in revolutionary proportions.

First conceived in NASA laboratories, memory foam was intended to help protect astronauts,
but it never made it onto a space mission. The private sector, however, saw great potential in
this new polyurethane-based foam.

By the 1990s, memory foam had become a staple in the hospital community where it was
lauded for its therapeutic abilities particularly regarding patients who were bedridden for
extended periods. At that time, memory foam arrived on the retail market and the general
public jumped at the opportunity to own a piece of NASA-inspired sleep system technology mattress.

Not only was memory foam new and exciting for consumers long-bored with the choices
available to them, it also offered honest change in what users could expect from their sleep
systems.

Memory foam offers a truly unique experience. When the user lies on the mattress, body heat
ever-so-slightly warms the memory foam which absorbs the body in a contour-like cradling
effect. With body weight evenly distributed, the user feels no painful pressure points and is
completely supported. Traditional innerspring mattresses can in no way measure up to the
advancements in comfort and support achieved with memory foam.

In recent years, memory foam mattresses have again evolved the bedding industry with the
development of green technology that is appealing to those with allergies or who feel better
sleeping on an environmentally-friendly product. Green memory foam works the same as its
polyurethane-based cousin, but it is made of a vegetable-based compound created through a
manufacturing process that is not ecologically damaging. Bamboo – one of the most sustainable
plants known to man – is typically used for the mattress cover.

Make no mistake, the advent of memory foam marked the single biggest development in
bedding since the inner-coil mattress became the industry standard nearly a century ago.