Related to Sleep Disorders Memory Foam: Pros and Cons Considering a memory foam mattress or similar product? Read what sleep experts say about it. Few things feel as good as a good night's sleep. That's especially true if sleep seems to escape you, night after night after night. If you've heard about memory foam, you may wonder if it could improve the quality of yoursleep. Some people swear by it. Others are less enthusiastic. What exactly is memory foam? And what are its pros and cons? Here's information to help you decide whether memory foam is worth a try. What Is Memory Foam? First designed in the mid-1960s for NASA airplane seats, memory foam is made from a substance called viscoelastic. It is both highly energy absorbent and soft. Memory foam molds to the body in response to heat and pressure, evenly distributing body weight. It then returns to its original shape once you remove the pressure. In addition to protecting against impact, these properties make memory foam very comfortable.
After its "virgin flight" for NASA, memory foam made a foray into other applications. For example, it was used as cushioning in helmets and shoes. Medicine found a use for it in prosthetics and products to prevent pressure ulcers such as seating pads for people who are severely disabled. Then, memory foam really took off. It's now well known for its use in pillows, mattress pads, and mattresses, which come in different densities and depths. What Are the Benefits of Memory Foam? Could the special properties of memory foam enhance your sleep? Sleep specialist Donna L. Arand, PhD, says that objective studies supporting the claimed benefits of memory foam -- or the effects of any particular type of sleeping surface -- are lacking. This is true for a variety of reasons, she says. This type of sleep study can be expensive, if conducted independently. Or it is "chased" by a shadow of bias, if supported by industry. Also, some sleep technology, such as memory foam, is relatively new, so it hasn't been well studied.
But perhaps one of the more difficult stumbling blocks to testing the health benefits of mattresses such as memory foam is the subjective nature of sleep. It is simply difficult to measure. Sometimes the brain's electrical activity, measured with an electroencephalogram (EEG), and other findings recorded during a sleep test don't always match up perfectly with a person's subjective experience, says Arand, who is the clinical director of the Kettering Sleep Disorders Center in Dayton, Ohio. "They might say, ‘I had a great night's sleep,' but the EEG parameters might not really indicate that." Sleep is not only subjective, but preferences for sleep surfaces are individual, Arand says. "There's quite a bit of variability between individuals in terms of what type of surface -- whether it's firm, hard, or soft -- they prefer when they're sleeping," she says. "As far as we know, there is no rhyme or reason for that." Many of Arand's patients who use memory foam have offered unsolicited glowing reports like these about memory foam: "I'm sleeping great."
"Best sleep I've ever had." "I love going to bed at night." Arand says these anecdotal responses may be one-sided. That's because she and other staff don't ask all their patients about their sleep surfaces. "We may only be hearing the good stuff," Arand says. Kathy R. Gromer, MD, sleep specialist with the Minnesota Sleep Institute in Minneapolis, agrees that memory foam may improve sleep. "It can, if it relieves painful pressure points," she says. But Gromer adds that memory foam doesn't do anything for sleep apnea or other sleep-breathing disorders -- and sleep disorders are the primary complaint of most her patients. "When you lie on the memory foam, the heat from your body softens it in appropriate points," Arand says, "so this helps to support your body along the curves and natural lines of the body." Memory foam manufacturers claim this helps relieve pain and thereby promotes more restful sleep. And, though consumers often believe that very firm mattresses are best, more "giving" mattresses like these may lead to better sleep in people with back pain, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Although there aren't scientific data to support the hypothesis, Arand wonders whether memory foam sleep surfaces might be especially helpful for older people. For them, minimizing extra movement could reduce the number of times they awaken during the night. Being less aware of a bed partner's movements might be an extra benefit, she adds. "Without the coiled springs, you feel your sleep partner's movement less, and that might help, too." What Are the Disadvantages of Memory Foam? Gromer says that memory foam products may retain body heat, which could make them less comfortable in warm weather. However, Arand has not heard this complaint from her patients. "In our culture, most people can adjust their thermostats or blankets for the appropriate season," Arand says. When new, memory foam can produce an odd chemical smell -- a phenomenon called offgassing. To minimize this problem, the Sleep Products Safety Council, a sleep products trade group, recommends airing out the mattress or pad for at least 24 hours before putting sheets on it.
"If you follow directions, the smell dissipates quickly," Arand says, "But I've never heard of anyone having reactions to it." Are Memory Foam Products Safe for Young Children? "I would strongly recommend avoiding this and similar very soft materials for use in infants' beds," Gromer says. "That's because soft bedding traps [carbon dioxide] and increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths."We all have our habits when it comes to sleeping, but the position we sleep in will always fall in one of three categories: back, side or stomach. And while some people switch positions more often than others, there’s usually one predominant position during the night (which may be different than the position you prefer to fall asleep in!). It’s this predominant position that should guide you when you’re shopping for a new mattress. So, below are a few things to think about for all types of sleeper. It goes without saying that people who sleep on their backs are more susceptible to pain in the spine and the back in general.
This is because of the amount of strain your spine undergoes when you lie down. It might seem like that old spring mattress you’ve had for many years feels great when you first lay your head to rest, but as the night wears on the pressure on your spine increases. The first step towards solving this problem is understanding that, as a back sleeper, you will need more support than someone who say, sleeps on their side. For this reason, if you’re on the market for a new mattress (and of course I recommend memory foam), it’s wise to look for a model that’s medium firm or slightly more plush than most. However, going too plush can also pose it’s problems because you need more support for your spine than people who sleep in a different position do. It may all start to sound very confusing and I understand how you feel. After all, it wasn’t that long ago I was in the same situation. You do have to think about how heavy you are, what you do and don’t find comfortable, and the fact you may need to consider motion transfer if you share your bed with someone else.
Choosing a new mattress can be a journey in itself, but if you understand that, as a back sleeper, it’s your spine that needs a little extra help, this should narrow down the choice (if only a little). If you sleep on your side, you may be happy to know this is one of the healthiest positions. Sleeping in this position, for one thing, will help reduce acid reflux. This is why your doctor might tell you sleeping on your side is better for you if you’re pregnant. It also means the blood can circulate better and it reduces the amount of pressure on your lungs. If you have a partner that snores, the chances are this is at its worst when they sleep on their back. For the most part a snoring partner can be pretty much silenced by helping them to turn on their side. However, it’s not all “plain sailing” if you sleep on your side. If you have a traditional spring mattress for instance, this won’t help in terms of pressure points across your body. This is why a memory foam mattress can do wonders for your posture even if you do sleep on your side.
The main problem side sleepers will come across are aches and pains in the shoulders and hips. If you make sure your mattress will adequately cradle these parts of your body you won’t wake up feeling like you’ve aged 10 years overnight. Of course, the thickness, type of memory foam and density you choose is entirely up to you. In fact, I would say this is a very personal decision. Just bear in mind that if you generally sleep on your side, it’s worth looking into medium to soft memory foam mattresses specifically designed to support hips, shoulders and to a certain degree the spine, as these are the areas where the most pressure is experienced when you sleep. This might seem like the most comfortable position for you, but this is actually one of the unhealthiest ways to drop off overnight. The main reason for this is the majority of our weight falls on the torso area, and when you sleep on your stomach you’re actually putting an awful lot of pressure on your spine because of this.
But since the last thing you will probably want to hear is that you should change your sleeping position, it’s important you know what can be done to help alleviate the strain on your spine. The first thing to consider is how well your current mattress is supporting you. If you find you suffer from more aches and pains in your back when you wake up in the morning, your mattress could be the culprit. Coil spring mattresses are probably the last thing you should sleep on because they’re not designed to support the pressure points across the body (let alone help align your spine). So if your mattress is a number of years old, then for the sake of your physical health it might be time to change. The best type of mattress for someone who sleeps on their stomach is not too firm, yet not too soft. If you go too soft, the spine will arch as you sleep and this can be very painful the next morning. If you have a mattress that’s too firm this won’t let your spine fall into its natural curve and will also cause you problems.