It seems that memory foam mattresses are everywhere these days, though not all of them are created equal. While all of them are composed of foam, the specific quality of that foam can be quite different depending upon the manufacturer and materials used. Although memory foam wasn’t even developed until the late 1960′s for use in aircraft cushions, there are now many different manufacturers competing for the top spot in the market. Since its introduction as a consumer product in the 70′s, the Tempur-Pedic company has remained the dominant force in the market, and for good reason. Tempur-Pedic produces a line of mattresses that are well made and highly resilient. Apart from the quality of craftsmanship that goes into each mattress produced, the company also has a very aggressive marketing campaign, which has helped to sell the brand to millions of consumers. As mentioned previously, however, there are other (smaller) players in the market, many of which have ushered in cheaper memory foam. Ultimately, this creates confusion on the part of the consumer when it comes to choosing the perfect memory foam mattress. So, how does one go about choosing a new mattress with all of the different options out there?
The quality of memory foam contained in a foam mattress is judged by its density rating. In general, a higher density rating corresponds to a higher quality product, up to a point. The reason for this is that the density of the material determines its ability to offer both comfort and support. You want to look for memory foam with a density rating of at least 3 pounds per cubic foot, since anything less than this will not offer the support you need. Many of the so-called “affordable” memory foam options use foam with a lower average density rating, which is why some manufacturers are able to get away with charging less.
The best thing you can do to determine whether or not memory foam is the right choice for you is to head down to your local mattress store and try the different kinds of mattresses out in person. Many manufacturers of top quality mattresses, including Tempur-Pedic, will offer a sleep guarantee. This means that the mattress can be tried out for a certain period of time, and can be returned if the customer is not satisfied for any reason.