What Are The Benefits Of Memory Foam Mattresses?

What are the benefits of a memory foam mattress? Is it worth it to get one? If these are the questions you’re asking yourself while debating whether or not a memory foam mattress is right for you, you’ve come to the right place. 

While it’s important to consider the benefits, it’s equally important to weigh the drawbacks of a specific type of mattress prior to purchase. In this article, we discuss what memory foam is, why it’s consistently a buzz worthy mattress option, and how to determine if memory foam is the best option for your specific sleep habits and hurdles. 

Memory Foam: What It Is And How It Works

Created by NASA in the 1960s, memory foam is a material that contours and conforms to the shape of any object placed on it. Before being used in mattresses, memory foam was used in space travel, shoes, helmets, and hospitals.

Most memory foam is made of polyurethane foam combined with other chemicals creating a viscoelastic foam. This specific combination of elements provides memory foam with its unique ability to   mold to shape in response to pressure and heat then slowly regain its original form after the weight is removed. 

When you lie on a memory foam mattress, your body weight causes the foam to conform to the natural curves of your body. This allows for even weight distribution across the surface of the mattress creating a cloud-like comfort. 

If you’re looking to buy a memory foam mattress, check out our guide on what to look for in a memory foam mattress.

Pros And Cons Of Memory Foam Mattresses

Like any mattress type, memory foam mattresses have pros and cons that make them more or less desirable to different sleepers.

If you want to learn more about the differences between other mattress types and which one is right for you, check out our guide to the different types of mattresses.

Pros

• Absorbs motion: Unlike spring mattresses, dense memory foam absorbs movements preventing motion transfer. This is oftentimes popular amongst couples since it avoids  disturbances to either  partner even through tosses and turns during the  night.
• Cloud-like  comfort: Memory foam mattresses are most recognized for a cushioning plushness and weightless feel. While memory foam provides instant relief, continued comfort is oftentimes not promised. 
• Widely available: Memory foam mattresses are available in a wide variety of  constructions, technology, and price points making the options seemingly endless.  While you can find a lot of information about specific memory foam mattresses through reviews online, it’s still best to test out a mattress in-store to see if it’s right for you. Check out our guide on how to test a mattress in-store to learn more.

Is your sleeping partner sold on a memory foam while you crave comfort of a different kind? Maybe it’s the other way around?  Many don’t know that purchasing  two separate twin beds and joining them together on one base provides the best of the both worlds in a near-king-size mattress. s. Check out our guide to using two twin beds together for more information on the “split king” system. .

Cons

• Heat retention: Due to its  density, memory foam mattresses tend to absorb heat while struggling to dissipate it. . Traditional memory foam absorbs body heat throughout the night  which is oftentimes a pro for cold sleepers but a con for neutral and  hot sleepers. 
• Temperature sensitivity: The cushioning properties of memory foam are affected by the temperature and humidity of your bedroom. For example, a cooler or drier room causes memory foam to feel firmer, while a hot room causes memory foam to feel  squishy and soft.
• Difficult to move on: Memory foam mattresses don’t respond to movements quickly making it difficult to move around. Memory foam tends to sink deep with the application of  pressure, instead of adapting to movements unlike the GelFlex® Grid which adapts quickly, relieves pressure, supports and cools.  
• Price:  Memory foam mattresses tend to be more expensive than  hybrid mattresses and traditional spring mattresses. It’s important to remember that  the cost of a memory foam mattress is usually directly correlated  to its quality and longevity. Typically the higher the cost, the better the materials and construction, the better the sleep. 

Many sleepers choose to add a topper to their mattress to achieve the memory foam comfort withou the cost.  Read our guide on the differences between a pillow top and a euro top mattress to find out which one is the best option for you.

Why People Love The Purple Grid

Purple mattresses were created with the mission of disrupting the market with a scientifically-engineered technology that bettered sleep from the fall to the dreams to the day after. The result? The GelFlex® Grid – a hyper elastic polymer that relieves pressure, provides support and cools throughout the night for truly re-energizing sleep night after night.  

Unlike memory foam, our patented GelFlex® technology doesn’t require heat to adjust to your body — it adapts to your curves instantaneously while giving you the comfort of your dreams. With hundreds of channels for airflow, the Purple Grid maintains an ideal temperature for blissful, all-night-long sleep. 

While we’re here to tell you the benefits of memory foam, we’re also here to inform you of the obstacles it creates for you and your sleep – and how Purple mattresses are engineered to provide the cloud-like comfort you know and love with the support your body and day-after rejuvenation will as well. 

Here are some of the reasons why many satisfied customers love the Purple Grid:

• Motion: The Purple GelFlex® grid adapts to your movements while preventing any motion transfer on other parts of the mattress. This motion isolation helps maintain the bed’s stability and avoids disrupting other sleepers when another   moves. This makes Purple mattresses ideal for sleepers who frequently toss and turn in their sleep – which is almost everyone
• Heat retention: The proprietary  Grid system within every Purple mattress promotes airflow throughout the mattress working to dissipate heat for the  optimal sleeping temperature. 
• Temperature sensitivity: Unlike memory foam mattresses, Purple mattresses are not temperature-sensitive and don’t create a sinking sensation. Instead, the Purple GelFlex® Grid instantly adapts to the pressure of your body, providing cushioning comfort while still supporting your pressure points  in the right places.
• Firmness options: Purple mattresses come in a wide variety of firmness options. Whether you prefer  extra  firm, ultra-soft, or somewhere in between, there’s a Purple mattress that’ll keep you comfy as you sleep.
• Sleep position compatibility: Due to the adaptive, cushioning nature of the grid, Purple mattresses are loved by  sleepers of all sleep positions. Whether you’re a stomach, back, or side sleeper, the Purple GelFlex® Grid adapts to your position providing  appropriate support while still feeling soft and comfortable.
• Mattress size availability: Purple mattresses are available in most standard mattress sizes. No matter how big of a bed you need, you can find a Purple mattress that’s the right size for you and your space.

 With free delivery and returns to all locations in the USA, a 10-year warranty, and a 100-night trial, rest easy with Purple night after night after night. 

The life-changing sleep your days and nights have been craving – 

Benefits Of Memory Foam Mattress FAQs

Is it good to sleep on a memory foam mattress?

Many people of varying sleep position preferences find memory foam mattresses to be comfortable. A cloud-like, sinking comfort is the iconic characteristic that is most well-known, however, this type of comfort may not provide the support necessary for rejuvenating sleep and proper spinal alignment. 

Who should sleep on memory foam?

Those who prefer warm, cushioning sleep environments would be best suited for a memory foam mattress since this memory foam tends to sleep warm with a sinking plushness. 

There is a wide variety of firmness options across all mattress types that are suitable for different sleeping positions. Side sleepers may get the most comfort from  softer memory foam mattresses, while stomach sleepers may want to opt for  a firmer mattress that provides  necessary  support. Back sleepers tend to select a mattress purely based on their comfort level preferences.  

Can you use an older memory foam mattress?

Generally, you can use an older memory foam mattress that’s less than nine years old. After seven years of regular use, memory foam mattresses will start to sag and degrade in quality. 

If you regularly rotate and care for  your mattress, it can last  longer than its average nine-year lifespan.  Mattress toppers can temporarily extend the effective life of your mattress. For more information on mattress topper selections, view our guide on pillow tops vs. euro tops.