Open Cell Foam Mattress
Open cell foam is made up of thousands of tiny, cell-like compartments. The walls are called struts and the spaces inside are called voids. Here’s a picture under a microscope:
Understanding the structure of open cell foam is the key to understanding how a foam mattress contours to your body and reduces pressure points. Because the walls of the cell are not solid, they can deflate when pressure is applied (when you lie down). And since the struts forming the cell walls are made of resilient material, they bounce right back when pressure is released (when you get up).
When you lay down on an open cell foam mattress, the heaviest parts of your body, like your hips and shoulders, sink in further, and your lighter parts, like your lower back, get the proper support. In other words, your heavy parts deflate more cells than your lighter parts. Consequently, your body lies in a more natural position.
Sleeping on a good foam mattress provides support and pressure point relief like floating in water.
Just as the water is easily displaced to create a space of support for this swimmer, an open cell foam mattress will flow out of the way to conform naturally to your body.
Other Mattress Technologies Don't Measure Up
1. A waterbed is one large cell and responds to the weight of your body by allowing your hips to sink into the bed a disproportionate amount. This puts your body in an unnatural position.
2. Airbeds usually have several cells with adjustable firmness. This has the potential to keep your body in natural alignment. But it is the foam on top of air chambers that actually conforms and reduces pressure points.
3. Most innerspring mattresses sag in the middle assuring that you will sleep in an unnatural position. Pocket of coil innerspring mattress have the potential to provide a proper base, but again, it is actually the foam on top of the springs that provide most of the contouring effect.
