Most memory foam mattresses are multi-layered foam mattresses, with the base being a firm foam, called High Resilience (or HR as the industry calls it), topped by what is referred to as Super Soft foam, which is oddly, not all that soft, but still softer than HR foam. Finally, the topmost layer is Memory Foam.

Wikipedia says the following about Memory Foam:

Memory foam consists mainly of polyurethane as well as additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as “viscoelastic” polyurethane foam, or low-resilience polyurethane foam (LRPu). The foam bubbles or ‘cells’ are open, effectively creating a matrix through which air can move. Higher-density memory foam softens in reaction to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm body in a few minutes. Newer foams may recover more quickly to their original shape.

Memory foam was developed in 1966 under a contract by NASA’s Ames Research Center to improve the safety of aircraft cushions. The temperature-sensitive memory foam was initially referred to as “slow spring back foam”; most called it “temper foam”

Now, we know it doesn’t make much sense to a person not technically interested in this subject. Let us rephrase it in a way that it makes it straight forward for us to understand how Memory Foam benefits us:

1. Memory Foam is a modified version of the PU foam we see so often being used everywhere – sofas, couches, car seats, stadium seats, bus seats, you-name-it seats.
2. Memory Foam reacts to heat and weight and responds accordingly, hence it’s also called responsive foam.
3. Memory Foam, under our weight and body heat, take the shape of the contours of our body, enabling what is commonly called as pressure-point relief.