Our so-called civilized world is killing us through stress. We have no time for ourselves and spend precious time and effort doing things we do not like for people we do not care about. We cannot get enough exercise and sunlight, we have too much physical tension and mental stress. Is it any wonder that we cannot sleep well at night?
While there are many ways to get a better night’s sleep, they all require time and/or effort, something not many people have enough of. Fortunately, there is one lazy way out – sleep on a more comfortable bed or mattress. The most comfortable beds and mattresses are water beds, memory foam mattresses and air beds. The problem is that they are all extremely expensive. (Well, you can find cheap air beds, but they are leaky and not much better than any normal cheap mattress.)
So what can you do if you do not have $1000 to blow on a new bed? One option is to get a memory foam pad for your mattress. Although a mere memory foam topper is not as good as a proper memory foam mattress, it is much cheaper and far better than nothing.
Memory foam toppers range from 1 inch thick to 6 inches thick. The thicker toppers are, of course, more comfortable. They are also more expensive. You can also find them ranging in size from singles all the way to king sized. Some shops even sell large slabs of memory foam that they will cut down to size for you, which can be great for child-sized beds.
A memory foam topper pad works by absorbing, redistributing and spreading out the forces acting on your body. Your body is not a flat surface. When you lie down, some parts feel more pressure because they project out more (e.g. your shoulder blades when you lie on your back). A memory foam mattress pad spreads out this pressure, giving you more comfort. At the same time, it conforms to your body shape and provides support for the curves in your spine, preventing strain. Basically, it acts pretty much on the same principles as the good old water bed to make you feel more comfortable. And of course, when you are more comfortable you fall asleep faster.
Memory foam itself was developed from a NASA specification for a material to absorb the tremendous forces acting on pilots who eject from jet aircraft. It was originally (and officially) created for use in ejection seats. Coincidentally (or maybe not?) the manned space program was going on at the same time, and had it been invented in time, would likely have been used to send astronauts to the moon.
A memory foam pad is not a replacement for a healthier lifestyle. On the other hand, a healthy lifestyle is a luxury not many of us can afford in this modern civilized world. Sleeping on a memory foam topper pad is like popping a daily multivitamin tablet – a case of half-a-loaf is better than none.
