You may think that you know all about mattresses but the memory foam mattress is something else altogether Originally designed for astronauts' comfort while travelling at incredible speeds to escape the earth's atmosphere, the memory foam mattress shapes to the contours of your body. It relieves pressure points while you're sleeping and can result in much more restful sleep.

What Price For A Good Night's Sleep

Prices of memory foam mattresses can vary from $800-$3000 each. First in the market is the high quality and more expensive Swedish made Tempur-Pedic; while other popular brands include Isoform, Novaform, Sensus, and Isotonic. The big question for undecided shoppers like us however is to be clear if this type of mattress will answer our sleeping and comfort needs. To achieve this we need to go underneath the memory foam mattress cover, unravel the technology that lies beneath it, and understand its own strengths and weaknesses in simple easy to understand language.

The memory foam mattress is made of synthetic polyurethane with the addition of certain chemicals that make it into a heavier and denser visco-elastic foam. Due to the visco-elastic nature of the memory foam mattress, it is able to conform to the body shape when a person is lying in bed but comes back to its normal shape once the person gets out of bed.

How Does The Memory Foam Mattress Work

The memory foam mattress "melts" or softens at body heat and is able to follow the shape of the body parts as it presses on the foam without the tendency to push back. So for example normal sleeping pressure points such as shoulders, neck and hips will be accommodated and will not result in pain or discomfort to the sleeping person.

Because of this pressure relieving characteristic, the memory foam mattress has been said to help with sleeping problems such as insomnia and apnea, discomfort from spinal curvature pressure points, as well as painful conditions such as back pain, hip, knee and joint pain.

Not only does the memory foam mattress respond to pressure it also responds to heat - turning soft when in contact with normal body heat and turning hard when in contact with colder temperatures. Investing in a memory foam mattress makes sense because it can take 3 to 6 years before you will need to replace it. Regular mattresses may need to be replaced after one or two years.

Getting Used To Your New Memory Foam Mattress

The memory foam mattress is denser and heavier and would not easily lend itself for taking with you on a vacation. One advantage though is that it does not need flipping over. It is prudent to wrap a memory foam mattress with a waterproof mattress cover to protect it moisture in the air  and keep it dry inside. A mattress cover will also protect the foam from acquiring blemishes and smells which are hard to remove.

Don't be surprised if your new memory foam smells when it arrives, because after all it is made of synthetic material. You should be ready to allow for a period of time for the smell to dissipate. Walking over the mattress in a gently trampolining style may be needed to break it in.

You will need a firm flat wooden foundation for the mattress. After getting used to the memory foam mattress you can enjoy its benefits for 10 to 20 years compared to 2 to 5 years for a regular spring mattress.

If you want to know more about how you can choose and buy the best mattress that will give you maximum sleeping comfort, hop on over to www.CheapMattressDiscounters.com, where there are many well-researched articles on cheap mattresses, futon mattress and many other related topics. Learn all the ins-and-outs of selecting and buying the best beds and mattresses without having to spend a fortune.