Memory pillows.net

Memory Pillows

Memory pillows are made using memory foam which is polyurethane mixed with added chemicals to increase it’s density and viscosity. As well as being called memory foam it is often called visco electric polyurethane foam. Depending on the formulation memory foam can be much firmer when it is cooler or in the case with high density foam it can react to body heat moulding itself to a warm body or warm head in just a few minutes. A low density memory foam is sensitive to pressure and this too can mould itself to the shape of a human body or human head. That is why memory pillows are so good and comfortable and desired by many.

Memory foam used in memory foam pillows was first developed in 1966 by NASA’S Ames Research Centre. The reason the research centre began to work on memory foam was not for the memory pillow but to try and improve cushions and their safety in aeroplanes. The two main scientists on this project were Ames scientist Chiharu Kubokawa and Charkes Yost from the Stencil Aero Engineering Corporation. The memory foam that was sensitive to temperature was named Temper Foam by Charles Yost.

As time passed Charles Yost founded a company called Dynamic Systems Inc. which worked closely with NASA in an attempt to commercialize the memory foam down such avenues as medical equipment like x ray pads and into sports equipment such as the likes of padding for the inside of football helmets. Memory foam grew in popularity rapidly and was used in memory pillows and mattresses.

Now the thing with memory foam pillows is that the manufacturing process is difficult and very often unreliable. However this did not deter the company Fagerdala World Foams who decided to work with the product when NASA  released memory foam to the public in the early 1980’s. In 1991 they had come up with the Tempur Pedic Swedish Mattress which eventually led to the evolution of the mattress and cushion company called Tempur World.

As memory foam became more popular so did it’s number of uses and products. It became increasingly more popular in the use for the medical sector with memory foam beds and memory pillows. Patients in hospitals who had to remain in bed for very long periods of time suffered from pressure sores or gangrene. However with memory foam mattresses and memory foam pillows incidents such as these were reduced due to the pressure on some of their bony regions being greatly reduced. Originally memory foam was far too expensive for widespread use but nowadays it is a lot more cheaper and can be found in domestic products such as mattresses, mattress toppers and memory pillows. And of course now it is widely used within the medical sector as well.

Memory foam pillows are just one type of many pillows available to the consumer. A pillow is just generally a large cushion support for the head mainly used for sleeping or in a bed or used to support and give comfort to the body on a sofa or in a chair. Originally going back in time pillows were only used mainly by the wealthy and early examples have been found in tombs in Ancient Egypt. In China and Persia pillows became prized commodities the more highly decorated they were. This was due to the fact that it was very difficult to use high sophisticated dyes and new sewing techniques. With all these new difficult techniques making pillows became an art form and hence cost very much. It was not until the Industrial Revolution that pillows and other decorated textiles were mass produced. And just bear this in mind when you use your comfortable modern day memory foam pillows, that in China the traditional pillows were hard boxes made from wood, stone, metal or porcelain instead of stuffed fabric! Nothing like the memory pillows of today!

A pillow such as memory foam pillows are designed to give support and comfort to the body. Within the classification of pillow come 3 main types of pillow. These are the bed pillow, decorative pillows and finally orthopedic pillows such as the memory pillow. Bed pillows are usually square or  rectangle in shape coming in three standard measurements. Standard is 20 x 26 inches, queen is 20 x 30 inches and king is 20 x 36 inches. To protect and keep clean these pillows are pillow covers. Used in many English speaking countries are the Oxford sized pillow that are 20 x 30 inches and the Continental sized pillow used in Continental Europe are 26 x 26 inches.

In the orthopedic sector of pillows such as the memory pillow, the pillows are designed to give as much comfort and protection to the sleeper as possible. Neck pillows keep the neck in alignment with the spine whilst sleeping by supporting the neck with the deep area for the head to rest. They are also known as cervical pillows. There are travel pillows which are U shaped and fit around the back of the neck to prevent the head from falling into an uncomfortable position during sleep in a sitting position. They are ideal for long plane or train journeys over night where you do not have access to a bed. Donut pillows are pillows which are very firm and shaped like a torus with a place in the middle which alleviates pressure on the tailbone area whilst sitting down. These are generally used by people who have injured the tailbone or the tailbone area or by people who suffer from haemorrhoids or any other ailment of the colon. And then finally there are lumbar pillows which support the inward curve of the lower back. These are ideal for driving or using in the office chair if you sit for many hours in the office.

There are of course decorative pillows as well, but they are pretty well self explanatory and are not so relevant to the web site here on memory foam pillows, so we will just concentrate on memory pillows.