visco elastic foam mattress ideas

It's important to know the definition of "visco elastic" as it pertains to visco elastic foam mattresses. Visco means "resistant to change". Elastic means a material having the ability to return to it's original shape after it has been distorted. The unique cellular structure of memory foam coupled with the fact that these "cells" are made of a high density, visco elastic petroleum product that is also temperature sensitive leaves us with a foam material that "knows" exactly how far to let you sink in.

For bedding purposes this is an ideal situation. The surface of the visco elastic memory foam mattress deforms while at the same time providing resistance so that every point of the contour of your body is supported with a buoyancy factor commonly referred to as an ILD rating or firmness. So if you lie down on your back, your hips which are usually the heaviest part of your body will obviously sink in further than say your feet.

Now any kind of cheap foam can do this however with memory foam the material actually rises up to fill out the gaps normally created at your upper back, behind the knee and other areas. It also becomes more pliable and responsive in the warmer areas where your body is making the most contact like your hips and shoulders and less pliable in the cooler areas where your body is making less contact like the legs and lower back. Regular foam does not do this because for one, it is not dense enough to provide that level of buoyancy, and two, it is not heat sensitive. As the memory foam molds to your shape and fills out the gaps where there is less body weight and heat, your body gets supported in the right anatomical position with your neck and spine in proper alignment.

A visco elastic memory foam mattress topper allows you to replicate the feel of a memory foam mattress at a much lower price because you're buying into the 2 or 3 inch memory foam layer only and leaving out the support foam whose function can be to some extent duplicated with a very firm spring mattress with no pillow top, a firm air mattress, or a firm latex foam layer that you may happen to already have. So instead of spending $800 to $1500 on a full blown memory foam mattress you just need to get the visco elastic foam mattress topper for less than half those prices depending on of course the quality of memory foam selected.

You may also see a foam topper referred to as a visco elastic foam mattress pad. Whether mattress pad or mattress topper these terms generally mean the same thing unless when you think of mattress pad, you think of the waterproof heavy lining that you lay on top your mattress to protect it because a young child or person suffering from incontinence is sleeping on that area.

Memory Foam Mattress for Two

It is often the case that people who share a bed may have different requirements when it comes to memory foam mattresses or toppers. For instance if you and your partner are looking into getting a visco elastic memory foam queen mattress for the both of you, it might be worth it to figure out whether both of you will like the same type of memory foam. If one partner is significantly heavier then the other, it would make sense for the heavier one to have a greater degree of foundational support and a higher density but thinner layer of memory foam topper.

This is where you must be willing to experiment with your partner with various thicknesses and firmness's of memory foam and many online memory foam mattress companies make this  very easy to do. The extra shipping and back and forth that this might involve is probably worth the headache if you both can end up with a memory foam queen size mattress that you both can appreciate. She may end up with a totally different mattress setup on her side of the bed by ordering 80" by 30" pieces of different grades of toppers and sleeping on a different combination each night to find the setup that leads to the best sleep.