Meticulously made, efficiently shipped sleep products Body-contouring comfort with a bit of bounce NASA developed technology offers personalized comfort we believe in choices find your perfect mattress Do you prefer memory foam or latex? not sure, what's the difference? COMPLETE THE PERFECT BEDROOM ENVIRONMENTA temperature-controlled mattress pad can make sleeping a dream on a memory foam mattress. Even though a memory foam mattress is not a conventional innerspring mattress, it usually does not require special sheets, unless the mattress is a different height than your previous mattress. But there are other considerations when choosing sheets to fit your new mattress. Because memory foam mattresses retain body heat, avoid microfiber or flannel sheets unless you enjoy being extra toasty in bed. Thread Count For a memory foam mattress, sheets with a thread count of approximately 200 will increase sleeping comfort. Thread count refers to the number of threads in each square inch of fabric.
The higher the number, the denser the thread count. While an increased thread count definitely makes a sheet more soft and supple to the touch, it also affects how well it breathes and wicks moisture. Higher-thread-count sheets do not breathe as well as lower-count ones and can make for an uncomfortable night on a memory foam mattress. Natural Fabrics or Synthetics Even though manufacturers may indicate that a specific polyester or synthetic blend allows greater airflow, the facts do not support this. Synthetic fabrics usually include plastic or petroleum products in the mix during manufacture, which makes them less breathable. Synthetic fabrics work best to keep you warm, and they shed moisture in the rain, but on a memory foam bed you cannot receive a good night's sleep if you get too hot in bed. Natural materials for sheets include cotton, linen, silk and hemp. While 100 percent cotton, linen, silk or hemp sheets disperse heat well, they are often costly. A poly-cotton blend with no more than 30 percent polyester is an inexpensive option that still releases excess heat.
Material Weave For a memory foam bed, percale sheets offer a cooler, crisper feel for sleeping than sheets labeled as sateen. Sateen provides a soft, smooth and polished weave to the sheets, which makes it retain more heat when compared to the matte weave used in percale sheets. But either sheet type works for a memory foam mattress, since overall, choosing between these weaves is a matter of personal preference. Sheet Finish Because memory foam mattresses already contain a lot of man-made materials, opt for 100 percent organic or pure-finish sheets. Pure finish sheets are either made without added chemicals or have all traces of manufacturing chemicals removed prior to packaging. Made from cotton that is grown without pesticides, 100 percent organic sheets may cost more, but they offer the best option for your memory foam mattress. References Consumer Research: How to Buy Bed SheetsUniversity of Santa Barbara Science Line: What Are the Materials That Are in Different Types of Fabrics?/Getty Images Suggest a Correction
Polyurethane foam, memory foam and latex foam are the three most common types of foam used in mattresses. While latex foam has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years, most mattresses only contain memory foam and polyurethane foam. Interestingly, latex foam was very commonly used in mattresses prior to the introduction of polyurethane foam in the 1950’s. We get a lot of questions about why we offer latex foam products but not offer polyurethane foam or memory foam products. We only sell latex foam products because we have a strong belief that latex foam is the best type of foam to use in mattresses and mattress toppers. Latex foam offers several significant advantages over memory foam and polyurethane foam. Latex foam is a foam produced by vulcanizing liquid latex into a solid foam. The vulcanization process cross links latex particles with sulfur through the application of heat and accelerators such as zinc oxide. Latex foam can be produced with natural latex, which is harvested from rubber trees or synthetic latex, which is produced from petrochemicals.
All of the latex foam we sell contains only natural latex and never contains any synthetic latex. Latex foam provides exact pinpointed support and reacts instantly to your every move. Latex foam does not “sink in” and “bottom out” as the night goes by. It maintains constant support and does not get softer when warmer. This makes it extremely easy to move throughout the night without any sleep interruption. The pinpointed, contoured support allows certain areas of the body to sink further into the mattress while others are supported. This is especially helpful to side sleepers, as they require more give in their shoulder and hip but more support in their midsection. Latex foam is one of the most durable types of foam available. Latex mattresses and mattress toppers long outlast those made with memory foam and polyurethane foam. We often hear stories from customers that have had latex mattresses last over 20 years. Latex foam scores highly on all foam durability tests which simulate long periods of use.
It is very common for natural latex foam to have emissions certifications. All of the foam used in our Pure Green and is ecoInstitut and Oeko-tex class 1 (their most stringent class) certified. While synthetic latex foam can sometimes have certifications, it is not as common. Polyurethane Foam (also known as poly-foam) is the least expensive and lowest quality foam used in mattresses and mattress toppers. People are often familiar with polyurethane foam as the type of foam used in sofa cushions or cheap “egg crate” mattress toppers. Polyurethane foam is made up primarily of compounds derived from petrochemicals. Many mattress manufacturers use polyurethane foam as the top layer of spring mattresses. This is done primarily because polyurethane is very inexpensive, not because it is high quality. More recently, many online mattress retailers have begun using polyurethane foam as a base layer in their mattresses instead of using spring coils. Polyurethane foam can be compressed very easily due to it’s low density.
This allows many online mattress retailers to save on shipping cost but also causes many of these mattresses to have short lifespans. There are several different varieties and densities of polyurethane foam. Generally, higher density polyurethane foam is a bit more durable while low-density polyurethane foam can degrade very quickly (sometimes within a year). Even high density polyurethane foam is less dense than latex foam or memory foam. All polyurethane foam, no matter what density, will degrade faster than any latex foam of decent quality. Polyurethane foam can add some softness and support, but it will not provide the same pinpointed support associated with memory foam or latex foam. Polyurethane foam tends to collapse much quicker when pressure is applied. Because of this, it does not provide the same pinpointed, contoured support that latex foam is known for. Polyurethane foam rarely carries any emission certifications other than the certipur-US certification.
This certification is often touted by mattress manufacturers. While the certipur-US certification is certainly a step in the right direction for the polyurethane foam industry, it lacks the credibility of the third party certifications such as ecoInsitut or Oeko-tex. It is a standard that was designed and is administered by the polyurethane industry itself. While the certipur-US certification does ban the use of certain types of fire retardant chemicals, it is very common for polyurethane foam to contain fire retardant additives. Memory foam (also known as viscoelastic polyurethane foam or tempurpedic foam) is a type of polyurethane foam that contains added compounds which change the way it feels. This gives it the "slow moving" properties that memory foam is known for. For example, it will hold your handprint for a few seconds when pressed. As with polyurethane foam, memory foam is made up primarily of compounds derived from petrochemicals. Memory foam is usually denser and more expensive than regular polyurethane foam.
Memory foam does provide much a more pinpointed feel than polyurethane foam. While it provides a pinpointed feel, it is not as supportive as latex foam. We commonly talk to people who have a memory foam mattress or topper but cannot stand the unsupportive, sinking feeling they experience on it. Covering memory foam is actually one of the top reasons that people buy our mattress toppers. Unlike latex foam, which responds instantly and provides constant support, memory foam responds slowly and sinks further the longer that pressure is applied to it. The sinking of memory foam makes moving during sleep more necessary, but the slow response of the foam makes it very difficult to move without sleep being disturbed. Memory foam is also heat reactive, which means it absorbs heat and softens as it gets warmer. This adds to the “sinking” issues mentioned above. As the memory foam heats up from your body, it gets softer and sinks more. As your body sinks further into the foam, you get hotter.
This continues until many wake up to find themselves hot and stuck in one spot of their mattress. Newer versions of memory foam exist, which are designed to reduce heat (often called “gel foam”). While these foams contain chemicals which make the surface of the foam feel cooler, many experience the same heat issues with gel foam. Densities of memory foam can vary greatly. In general, higher density memory foam is more durable and of better quality. There are a lot of very inexpensive, low density memory foam toppers which are sold online. Many mattresses also contain this low density, inexpensive memory foam. Low density memory foam may work well for a few months after purchase, but it will degrade very quickly. As with Polyurethane foam, certipur-US is typically the only certification that can is applied to Memory foam. It is very rare to find memory foam that has any other emission certification. As with polyurethane foam, memory foam is commonly made with fire retardant chemicals.