How to Shop Smart and Save on Memory Foam Mattresses

By now, pretty much everyone has heard of memory foam mattresses. Many people, however, continue to believe that memory foam is expensive luxury item reserved for the wealthy. This is simply not true. Due to retail competition, memory foam mattress prices are lower than ever allowing the benefits of a good nights’ sleep to be enjoyed by almost everyone.
When memory foam first came to the bedding market years ago, it was a unique, new technology and held a price tag that put it out of reach for the average consumer. Like all new technologies, it eventually became cheaper and more available. Online, you now find dozens of brands of memory foam offered at discounted prices that are often a small fraction of the cost of Tempurpedic mattresses. Many of these discount mattresses are too good to be true, however, so this article will discuss how to weed out the good deals from the bad.
When buying a memory foam mattress, it is important to make sure that the mattress is only composed of foam. Beds with coils and springs and other materials will detract from benefits of memory foam and are best avoided. Quality mattresses will have a bottom layer composed of high resiliency poly foam with layers of memory foam on top. Many will also have air flow channels in between the foams for venting as well. No mattress will be composed of 100 percent memory foam, since the sleeper would just keep sinking until the bottom. The base foam prevents the sleeper from bottoming out and provides support for the memory foam. For optimal comfort, it is recommended to purchase a mattress with at least three inches of memory foam on top of the base. This will allow most sleepers to be fully supported without pressure points.
Some companies will use 2-3 inch thick poly foam barriers around the perimeter of the mattress, which is unnecessary. These will typically be referred to as side walls or edge reinforcements. The primary purpose for the manufacturer is to reduce the cost of the mattress by reducing the amount of expensive memory foam going into the bed. This is bad for the consumer because they reduce the size of the mattress’ sleeping surface and the cheaper poly foam will break down quicker than the memory foam in the middle, meaning this mattress will need to be replaced faster than others.
Also, be sure to check the density of the memory foam as this is the most telltale sign of quality. A memory foam mattress should have a density of at least 5 lbs per square foot. The density is not a measure of firmness, but rather how tightly packed the cells are in the foam. High density foams will last longer and wear better over time and the tightly packed cells provide the floating on air feel. Many discount retail chains and websites sell beds with densities that can be as low as 2.5 lbs, so make sure you check the density prior to purchasing the bed.
With these guidelines in mind, you should be able to find a mattress comparable to Tempurpedic beds without the high price tag. A good night’s sleep should not be reserved for the wealthy, and by shopping for memory foam mattresses online, consumers can save hundreds to thousands for true peace of mind.