Viscoelastic Foam

What is viscoelastic foam? It is a foam made of a unique material that has the ability to contour to your body's curves in response to body heat. As a result you have a product that gives your back and neck support that is second to none. Also known as memory foam, the properties of this material serve as a comfortable sleeping surface that may actually help those suffering from back aches and pains.

The development of viscoelastic all started in the 1970's when NASA was attempting to come up with a product that would not only cushion but absorb the G- forces associated with the space program. The theory behind this was that during launch, the incredible G-forces put upon the astronauts body would be absorbed by the foam by actually indenting the body shape into the material from the pressures, but once the pressure subsides, the foam would return to its original state.

How visco elastic foam became popular

The foam developed by NASA was somewhat rigid and had to be perfected for commercial use. The first memory foam mattress was called Tempur which was a temperature sensitive foam that reacted to body heat. Although firm, it was able to contour around the body's curves and distribute body weight throughout the mattress. Here is how this worked - in a conventional spring mattress certain parts of the body would not receive the amount of support needed to keep the spine in a natural position during sleep. You would have certain parts of your spine curved and receiving unwanted stress throughout the night. A mattress made of visco elastic foam cradles your body allowing certain parts to sink, while other parts such as the curve of your back ( lumbar) are supported by the elasticity of the foam pushing upward to give the necessary support. This happens throughout every curve and contour of your body allowing a better weight distribution and a better aligned spine. This results in no pressure or stress points throughout the body giving you a better sleep so you can wake up feeling rejuvenated.