How To Avoid Buying The Wrong Memory Foam Bed

Most people think that density is what makes mattress toppers and beds soft or firm. This is not exactly true. You can have very soft or very firm high density visco foam.

The firmness or softness of a memory topper is determined by the ILD/IFD rating (Indentation Load Deflection, Indentation Force Deflection). The best memory foam beds have the unique ability to change that firmness but first, let's see why ILD ratings are important and how you can use them to pick a good mattress.

Understanding Firmness Ratings

Some websites say that ILD reflects the ability of viscoelastic foam to push back against the force pressing down on it. This is not true. Unlike other types of foams, memory bed foam does not push back.

What memory ILD ratings do measure is the force needed to press a disc into a into a visco foam slab. The higher the rating, the firmer the feel of the memory foam topper, the lower the rating, the softer the feel.

Firmness ratings range from super soft 10 to semi-rigid 120. Toppers made of lower ILD material conform better to your body and can distribute weight more efficiently in order to relieve pressure.

Very low ILD foam toppers, however, are too soft to provide adequate support. ILD ratings determine how easily they will shape to your body and how much support it is capable of giving.

Well known manufacturers like Tempur-Pedic and others understand the importance of firmness in a mattress. They also understand that too firm or too soft a bed can make sleeping uncomfortable. This is where things get remarkable.

Tempurpedic uses temperature responsiveness to adjust the firmness of a memory foam bed to your body, without taking away support. This is the appealing memory effect you may have seen in TV adverts. Unfortunately, the visco foam needed for Tempur beds is more expensive to make because they use more sophisticate materials.

The Only Reason Why You Should Buy A Genuine Memory Bed

Many people sleep poorly because their bed is too soft or too firm. A hard foam bed creates pressure points and reduces circulation. The muscles must work harder to keep the spine straight. If the bed is too soft, then the spine sags out of alignment leading to back and neck pains. But toppers and beds made of good, heat-responsive visco foam react a little differently.

Visco memory foam has the amazing ability to change its firmness rating at body temperature. It feels firmer (has a higher ILD number) at cooler temperatures -- this is where support comes from -- and feels softer (has a lower ILD number) at higher temperatures -- this is where the gentle contouring of the body comes from.

You should only look for a foam bed that's heat responsive. This makes it both soft and firm. Good memory foam lets the body sink in rather deeply, but not too much, while still maintaining the support of a firm bed. Here's how it works.

As you lie down on a firm, good quality viscoelastic topper or Tempurpedic bed, it readily reacts to your temperature and begins to soften, becoming a temporary extension that flows around your body.

Memory foam melts, becomes soft and gentle around your body where it's warmer but the rest of the bed remains cooler (from as little as 3/8 inch lower down) and keeps its resilience to provide good support.

How firmness of a memory foam topper changes at body temperature


Generally speaking



Top Memory Foam Complaint

The most commonly reported problem consumers have with memory foam bedding is that they sleep hotter when compared to conventional sleeping surfaces.


4 lb vs 5.34 lb

Which to choose from a 4lb memory foam topers versus 5.34lb Tempur-Pedic overlay comparison? Higher density alone does not make a quality sleeping surface. The formula behind the best sleeping surface uses best quality, high-density foam that responds to body temperature.

Known Brands


How Long Does It Last?

What affects the expected lifetime of a visco elastic foam mattress topper and does a Tempur-Pedic pad last longer? The answer is years and years as long as it's made of better quality, higher-density foam.

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