Mattress Materials: PU Foam Vs. Memory Foam

After a long, hard day of running around, one thing that you truly deserve is a good night’s sleep. For that, you need a high-quality and comfortable mattress, lying on which you can forget all your worries and sleep like there’s no tomorrow. But unfortunately, selecting a reliable mattress at your first try in the Indian market isn’t as straightforward as initially seems. Brands are getting clever with advertisements, making it trickier than ever to filter out memory foam mattresses that are not blatantly overpriced. 

If you are confused looking at the vast options, we’ve put together a thorough list of the best mattresses in India that combine the luxury of dense PU foam and cool gel memory foam with affordable prices.

While if you’d first like to know the differentiation of PU foam and memory foam yourself, give this write-up a thorough read. You may also use our other comparative articles including ‘Coir mattress vs. foam mattress‘ and ‘Innerspring vs. Latex mattress‘ to help yourself make an informed buying decision.

Without further ado, let’s start with our today’s topic. To begin with, PU foam is an acronym for polyurethane foam. It is essentially an aerated compound derived from petrochemicals.

What is Polyurethane Foam?

Polyurethane foam, or polyfoam, or PU foam, as it’s popularly called, refers to any kind of foam that is manufactured using both polyol and diisocyanate. The Polyurethane material is produced by creating a synthetic mix of organic compounds. Examples of PU foam are memory foam, high-resilience foam, and high-density foam.

Benefits of Polyurethane Foam Mattress

• A large variety of options are available for PU foam mattress – they come in different types of firmness depending on your taste and comfort and some of them work great as bedding.
• Restricts movement to a specific surface area that greatly helps those who share the same bed. Too much of moving around in the bed by one person may disturb the other but PU foam mattresses help put this problem to rest.
• Extremely lightweight which makes lifting them if need be really easy and convenient.
• Comes in various sizes, unlike most other mattresses that are only available in a set standard dimension. PU foam mattress can be easily cut into any shape or size to suit your particular bed frame.
• Easily affordable

Drawbacks of Polyurethane Foam Mattress

• Most PU foams are susceptible to off-gassing. This may be of particular concern since the chemical compounds emitted from the foam in the process might produce a pungent odour not liked by many. It may also be harmful to those who suffer from lung problems or respiratory disorders.
• Some PU foams may be of poor quality resulting in lower durability than expected. This means wastage of time, money and effort in replacing mattresses every few years.
• Polyfoam mattresses may get too hot sometimes at night. This is because PU foam has a tendency to trap heat under the body, which may create a lot of discomforts while sleeping.

What is Memory Foam?

Memory foam is produced with a combination of polyurethane and other chemicals responsible for making the foam low resilient. It is currently one of the most popular and widely used materials in mattresses and pillows. Most memory foam mattresses are made with a combination of PU foam. This makes them denser at the bottom and less dense at the surface layers.

Benefits of Memory Foam Mattress

• Contouring ability: memory foam can contour to pressure and then once the pressure is released, the foam can return to its original shape slowly. This means that the foam reacts to pressure in different ways across its surface area, thereby offering a contoured yet aligned feeling to those sleeping on the mattress.
• Easily available at competitive prices
• A large variety of options in the market

Drawbacks of Memory Foam Mattress

• Memory foam mattresses as they get older tend to sag due to the wear and tear process of repeated use over several years. The mattress may also sag if the memory foam used is of low or poor quality.
• Beddings made of soft memory foam tend to sink more than their counterparts during sitting or lying down. This may make the mattress uncomfortable after a while, especially for those who are heavy in terms of body weight.
• Poor quality memory foams may also tend to off-gas at times releasing toxic smells which may even result in respiratory inflammation.

PU Foam Vs. Memory Foam

Taking into account the various pros and cons discussed above, it’s important to choose your mattress wisely. Foam mattresses are getting increasingly popular by the day compared to their rivals. This is due to their lightweight and easy affordability. However, problems of sagging and, most importantly, off-gassing that are a result of using poor quality foams need to be kept in mind before purchase.

Always Buy High-Quality Memory Foam

It is critical to buy high-quality memory foam for your mattress, especially if you are vulnerable to respiratory issues. The toxic odour emanated from the off-gassing process may particularly be harmful to those who have lung-related problems. For reducing such problems, you must deep clean your mattress at regular intervals which will nullify the effect of emissions.

Nothing is more important than your health. Choose certified high-quality foam that may cost a little extra than other cheaper alternatives in the market but would help prevent sagging (causing discomfort to certain body types) and off-gassing (resulting in health issues). For making a correct decision for choosing the right mattress, you must conduct a comprehensive research beforehand. Moreover, mattresses aren’t purchased daily. It’s a long-term investment so make your choice carefully and sleep healthy.