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."Recently a friend of mine asked me, “Do you know what is the best mattress for back pain?” She was having a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep because of sciatica and some back problems. I figured the firmest mattress (hard mattress) was probably the best but I really didn't know for sure. To answer her question, I decided to dig into the medical literature to see what was in there about the best mattress for backI went back about 10 years. There aren't a lot of studies on mattresses and back pain. But there's enough information there to make a
And not only was I wrong about what I thought was the best mattress for back pain, but so are a heck of a lot of doctors who deal with back pain. mean better for back pain. In 2003, a study from Spain of 313 adults with chronic low back pain examined the effect of mattresses on their levels of pain while lying in bed...and when getting out of bed. Some of these people got new firm mattresses to sleep on for 90 days and some got new medium-firm mattresses. participants knew which type of mattress they had received. After 90 days, a higher percentage of patients sleeping on the medium-firm mattresses reported: The study states: A mattress of medium firmness improves pain and disability among patients with chronic non-specific low-back A medium-firm mattress provides good support while distributing pressure points on the body when lying in bed. mattress that is too soft is just as bad for low back pain as a mattress that is too firm.
In a 2005 study, The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association pointed out that in a survey, 76% of orthopedic surgeonsAnd most health professionals recommend hard or extra firm mattresses. The problem again is that these types of mattresses decrease the ability of the body to have more contact with the mattress. more pressure on the parts of the body that do touch the mattress. in turn means more pain in bed and getting out of bed. It's a known fact that low back pain significantly affects sleepA study in 2006 (Journal of Chiropractic Medicine) also looked at sleep quality in relation to medium-firm mattresses. The study of 30 women and 29 men showed this: For 28 days, subjects slept in their owns beds. Then they slept in beds with new medium-firm mattresses for 28 days. With this new bedding, there was significant improvement for back pain and stiffness, comfort, and sleep quality. Is it starting to become clear here what the best mattress for back pain is?
A 2008 study in Applied Ergonomics showed that age of and quality of bedding had a major effect on back pain. People sleeping in new beds had significantly less pain and more comfort than when they were sleeping on their older mattresses. The average age of the beds people were sleeping on before getting the new mattresses was 9.5 years. In addition, the study states: It was found that for the cheapest category of beds, lower back pain was significantly more prominent than for the medium and higher priced beds. So let's wrap up this article on the best mattress for back pain with two final studies I uncovered. Below, we'll also take a look at three top choices for where to get the mattress of your dreams. The first study was in Spine. One hundred and sixty people were divided into three groups for a one month test of new mattresses. in group one were given water beds...group two memory foam mattresses...and group three hard mattresses.
People who slept on the water beds and memory foam mattresses had improved back pain symptoms, back function, and sleep quality. mattress types were deemed superior to a hard mattress. were no differences observed between the water bed and the memory foam. Now I don't know about you, but I've slept in a few water beds over the years but never really liked them. I always felt like I was sleeping in a row boat. A 2010 study showed that replacing patients' beds with new medium-firm mattresses, layered with memory foam and latex, provided significant improvement in both back and shoulder pain. Check out this chart below and you'll see what the best mattress for back pain is. As you can see, there is over a 60% drop in back pain and stiffness, resulting in improvement in sleep quality after just one week! And these results continue through week 12. Researchers also mentioned there was a significant drop in the number of days per week that people were experiencing poor sleep and
Obviously, then, if your back gives you fits, the best mattress for back pain is one that has memory foam in it. (Or if you love your water bed, by all means stick with it.) The question then is... Searching around to find a quality mattress is like getting your teeth drilled at the dentist without novocaine. Yes, it's that painful! So I'm going to save you all that trouble. I've searched for hours all over the Internet to bring you three excellent choices of mattress companies. sells America's luxury mattresses for a steep discount. Their prices are unbeatable. And if you don't live in the United States, no problem. Saatva ships their discounted luxury mattresses where you live. After you pick out the items you want on Saatva's website, select International Checkout as your shipping option. They are experts at shipping anywhere in the world. You can read two Saatva customer reviews from Saatva customers in the right column of this page up above. This may be the best mattress company on the Internet.
Click here to go to the Saatva home page. is recommended and was featured on Dr. Oz's TV show and AndersonThey claim to have the world's only truly natural memory foamI must say, these are incredibly pure memory foam mattresses. However, they are expensive. So unless you have a lot of money, I think you can get a much better deal with the third choice below.There’s a new memory foam mattress Loom & Leaf has flipped the world of buying memory foam Now you can get a luxury queen from Loom & Leaf for onlyA similar mattress at Tempur-Pedic would cost you $3,699. Which price would you rather pay? Loom & Leaf mattresses are built in America with American high-grade, non-toxic memory foam. Certified pure by Certi-PUR. They also use a unique medical grade cooling gel. placed in the spinal zone area to keep you cool and comfortable with no When you buy one of these mattresses, you’re not only sleeping well at night…you’re helping to keep the American economy strong.