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How Long Memory Foam Mattress Should Last
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onThere are so many factors that add up to the determination of how long any mattress should, and will last in use. For reasonable expectations, the lifespan of a memory foam mattress lies between eight (8) to ten (10) years. That's a lot of sleep. Sleep technology has evolved a lot since the days of squeaky spring beds. NASA made the breakthrough with the Slow Spring Back Mattress back in the 60s, with a cushion solution for airspace travel, which was quickly adapted for almost all the hard and long contact areas of application that could do with a little or much more softer experiences for endurance. From sport to sleep.
Related article: How to Choose the Right Mattress
What Determines A Memory Foam's Lifespan?
By design, a slab of memory foam will absorb the weight exerted onto it in the ratio that it is applied. That means your body will lie in a pocket created based on the contour of your body. The chemistry behind the process, simplified, makes it possible for more comfort as the points that weigh more will part with more heat when in contact with the surface of the foam. It is this heat that determines how far back the mattress contorts to support you. Sticking to the 8-10 year range commonly experienced when the foam is bare (to say the least) this means that less support will be provided by the foam in due time.
How Much Sleep Are You Having
With the varying lifestyles led by the users of each memory foam, some mattresses could exhibit outlying longer lifespans. Say you have an apartment that you are letting out on an Airbnb basis, with memory foam as part of the sleeping setup, the expected length of use for the bed would vary based on how many days the place is not rented out. Conversely, a lot more sleep and usage could reduce the lifespan, in years, to less than the minimum of 8 originally suggested assuming a somewhat 'normal' level of usage.
Related article: Can memory foam mattress cause back pain?
The Density Of The Foam Mattress
Density is a measurement of how much material is found in unit space (take a slab of foam as the unit here). For the mattress, which has the foam along with small spaces for the material to fall into, the more heavy the same size a slab weighs the more densely packed the foam is packed into the slab.
A lighter mattress tells you there is less foam to support weights imposed by a sleeping body. Consequently, less dense mattressed tend to have shorter lifespans as the foam will be doing more work per unit space than those with higher densities.
Mid-density mattresses are what some would say the kind that Goldilocks would sleep soundly in. Not only do they have just enough space for the foam to contract into, but they also allow other bodies on the mattress enough of their own space not to disturb your sleep. These are the kinds of mattresses that have the 8 to 10-year warranty and justify it with comfortable long nights of sleep.
High-Density mattresses imply that more foam is packed into the slab. Making them heavy and contain less space for the foam to back into when you sit or sleep on them. They generally feel uneasy, hard to stay asleep for long periods of time. While they might last a long time compared to the low and mid densities, the rigid sleep one would experience cancel out any purpose to keep returning to sleep on them for more than 10 years!
Related article: Which Is The Softest Memory Foam Mattress?
Accompanying Sleep Technology
Memory foam, when used exclusively, lacks enough space for air to circulate over an eight-hour long sleep. This would cause some discomfort as all the sweat from your body heat accumulates under and around your sleeping area. With some innovation, mattress companies are adding air circulation assistance technologies to keep you comfortable over repeated nights of sleep regardless of the room temperature. A mattress without such improvements would last significantly fewer years in your possession, the dirt from each night of usage would render it unhealthy within a few months at best.
Making Your Memory Foam Mattress Last Longer
Apart from choosing one with good ventilation and support due to the perfect density, how you use the mattress also comes into play when determining how long it will last. Keeping the surface clean or at best insulated from water (any moisture really) related accidents is a good way of ensuring that the memory foam retains not only its shape after use but the foam molecular structure as well.
The foam is often always of very low (body heat and few degrees above) heat tolerance, exposing your mattress to very high temperatures is a sure way of doing away with any warranty. Regardless of how creased your shirt was and how late you are that you had to iron it straight just a little bit. Normal usage, sleeping and sitting as is the bed was originally intended, apart from the jumping action the bed will inevitably get on slumber parties and indoor play times with the little ones.
Related article: Ultimate Buying Guide on Memory Foam Mattress