Memory foam products are enjoying an explosion in popularity, with the latest figures indicating that around 60% of people in Europe sleep on a memory foam mattress. But what makes memory foam so special?

The science of memory foam is a more interesting subject than many would imagine – it is literally rocket science!

Originally developed for the NASA space programme in the 1970s, the Visco elastic memory foam used in many modern day memory foam mattresses was actually first incorporated into space suits to protect astronauts from G-Force pressures during space expeditions and training.It’s this scientific background that gives memory foam its amazing moulding characteristics and the ability to absorb heat. People who have trouble sleeping due to being uncomfortable on their mattress are often encouraged to buy memory foam as it moulds to your body shape and spreads your body weight evenly over the surface, resulting in more peaceful and restful sleep.

Until the 1990s, many sleep experts believed that firmer mattresses were more conducive to restful sleep than softer ones. Advancements in memory foam technology went someway to dispelling this myth though, and it is now thought that too firm a mattress can actually stop people from reaching the deepest phase of sleep, delta phase.

If you regularly find yourself waking in the morning, or the middle of the night with a stiff back, sore joints or pains in your neck, it is probably down to the fact that your mattress if either too hard or soft. Memory foam mattresses help to alleviate joint pain by conforming to an individual’s body shape and mass.

Most people underestimate the pressure you put on your joints during a night’s sleep. Laying on a memory foam mattress offers the best opportunity to reduce pressure on the joints by contouring them into the memory foam, rather than offering resistance to them.

So if you want a genuine piece of space-age technology in your home, buy a memory foam mattress today. If you’re not sure where to start, our guide to buying memory foam products should be your first port of call.

It might be less scientific, but if you’re interested in memory foam, check out our guide to Sex and your Memory Foam Mattress.