Memory Foam Buyer's Guide

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Temperature Sensitivity
 

Question: Is Memory Foam Affected By Temperature?
Short Answer: Yes, and that’s one of the things that make it special.

One of the reasons that memory foam makes such a great bedding material is because of its sensitivity to temperature. As you lay in your bed, certain parts of your body, your pressure points, are going to rest more heavily on the foam. These places that rest most heavily are going to transfer more heat. This means that the foam becomes softer, right where you need it most.
 

Question: Can Memory Foam Be Too Temperature Sensitive?
Answer: Yes, in some cases.

The temperature sensitivity of memory foam is important, because without that sensitivity, the foam won’t do its job the way it should. The key is finding foam that is sensitive enough to change when you want it to, but not when you don’t.

The “resting consistency” of a given type of foam is what is most important. When you’re not actually laying on it, you’ll want your foam to have the same density, no matter what the surrounding temperature is. Most people’s homes vary somewhat in temperature throughout the year. Even in the coldest places though, most homes only vary by a few degrees throughout the year. With some of the mall brands though, even this minor seasonal variation can make a big change in your mattress. The mattress is much firmer in the winter time and softer in the summer.

Of course, we’ve all come a long way since the nineteen seventies, (think polyester slacks,) and memory foam has changed a lot too. One of the things that’s been improved upon is this excessive sensitivity to changing temperatures. When you lie down on one of these 2^nd generation pads, the material still adapts to your body’s heat and shape, but it isn’t affected as drastically by temperature