Glossary

• Breathability

  Mattresses need to breathe. With the amount of fillings and areas of space within a mattress, they can quickly hold heat and moisture. Over time this can influence the way a mattress behaves and also effect the life span of a mattress. 
  
  Manufacturers have developed different ways of tackling the problem of Breathability in mattresses. Some brands have used vents to allow air to pass through the mattress. Some brands use state-of-the-art materials to cover the mattress, such as Coolmax or Outlast. Memory Foam has a reputation of storing heat and moisture, as foam requires heat to soften up.Memory Foam brands have overcome this problem by applying Coolmax and Outlast, they also use Open Cell technology. This technique is to simply allow the foam to settle with larger spaces between the foam cells. This allows heat and moisture to move freely without getting trapped.
  
  Some mattresses are created in such a way that they do not require any additional Breathability methods. These mattresses are generally the entry level mattresses with Open Coil spring units and not a great deal of fillings.
  
  

• Hypoallergenic

  Put simply, Hypoallergenic materials do not cause the amount of irritation that non-hypoallergenic materials can. Hypoallergenic materials can still cause irritation in some cases, the chances of this are reduced greatly. People with severe allergies and asthma may still have problems with items called hypoallergenic, but the risk is greatly reduced.
  
  Hypoallergenic materials do not omit the same particles and fibres as other non-hypoallergenic materials. These particles are to blame for causing irritation and discomfort and in some cases the irritation can be dangerous. The Hypoallergenic properties of these materials can be created by number of techniques. Some materials (Memory Foam or Latex) are naturally hypoallergenic, others have been chemically treated.

• Memory Foam

  Memory Foam was invented by NASA in 1966. The idea was to improve the safety of aircraft cushions, but it was not long before th material was developed further and used in more and more products. Memory Foam is an open cell construction, which reacts to body heat and weight. The more heat applied, the softer the material gets. This, in turn, allows the weight applied to sink deeper. Memory Foam can be made at various densities to result in different tensions/firmnesses.

  The crucial element of Memory Foam is that it softens and moulds to the body shape. This ability allows for very accurate contour support and weight distribution. This ability makes Memory Foam a desirable material for mattresses. Some mattresses are completely Memory Foam, perhaps using different layers of various densities. Some mattresses use Memory Foam to compliment a Spring Unit.

  As Memory Foam requires heat to achieve its desired state, the heat is stored. Some people are not keen on Memory Foam as this heat can gradually build, resulting in a warm bed. However, this stereotype can be seen as outdated, as many manufacturers have solved the issue by applying new techniques to compliment the Foam. Techniques such as Outlast and Coolmax. Memory Foam is also Hypoallergenic and is therefore very popular with Asthma and Allergy sufferers.