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Memory Foam Mattress And Pain relief

Are you one of the people who consider their firm mattress and soft living room furniture to be more like instruments of torture than comfortable relaxation devices? If you suffer from a condition that causes you chronic pain in your back or in your neck, joints or lower back then you could have a problem with your furniture because it doesn't provide you with the support you need in the right places.

If you suffer from Arthritis or Pagets disease or similar conditions that cause you chronic pain then you might want to consider swapping your furniture for items constructed using memory foam. This revolutionary material is known to have helped many people sleep better when it is used as a memory foam mattress and it is becoming very popular in good hotels and in theatres and cinemas to enhance the experience through provision of more comfortable seating.

How does memory foam help to relieve pain?

Memory foam becomes softer as the temperature rises and because it's an insulating material it is possible to increase the temperature of the foam in localised areas. When you lie on a sheet of memory foam some parts of your body will press into the foam more than others. On a conventional mattress this would cause pressure spots where your body presses into the material, which can then cause pain or pressure sores. When you lie on a memory foam mattress the foam will be heated by your body in places where it presses into the foam the most. This causes the foam to soften in those areas and allows your body to sink into it at that point. After a while the memory foam will mould itself to your body giving you all over support for every part of your body.

When all of your body is fully supported by the soft warm foam the pressure on every part of your body in contact with it is equal. Because there are no longer any single points of contact to cause pressure hot spots, all of your body will feel more comfortable. It's this removal of pressure points by distributing the pressure over all of your body that gives you relief from pain.

Why was memory foam invented?

Memory foam was originally developed for NASA for use in the space program. It was to be used as padding for the astronaut's seats as a means to relieve some of the discomfort experienced from high acceleration or 'G' forces. I'm not quite sure how this was expected to work in that situation however because the astronauts would be wearing space suits at the time which would insulate them from the foam in the seats. No heat no softening of the memory foam.

NASA never actually used the memory foam in it's space craft because it gives off a toxic gas in small quantities which could cause problems in a confined and air tight space.

Experiment to find the best solution for you

Memory foam mattresses are still expensive products, especially good quality ones, so it pays to try out some alternatives before changing your mattress. Memory foam pillows and toppers can easily be found and they can make a significant difference if you are having trouble sleeping. There are also cheaper materials like high-density polyurethane foam and latex foam that are also very good and might suit your pocket better.

I've recently experienced some lower back pain problems, which were astonishingly uncomfortable. My lovely comfortable soft furnishings turned into a torture chamber because I couldn't get comfortable on them no matter how hard I tried. A few memory foam cushions might help you out if you have similar problems.