A memory foam mattress might just be the best kind of mattress ever invented, at least in the opinion of some people. If your body really needs support when you sleep, yet you have a problem sleeping on a hard or stiff surface, then a mattress made of visco memory foam mattress may finally bring you both the support and the comfort you need. It’s the special properties of this type of foam that make these mattresses so comfortable.

Visco elastic memory foam is comprised of tiny, spherical, weight and temperature sensitive cells. As the cells heat up, they soften and spread pressure, which means that as you lie down on a memory foam mattress, your body heat makes the initially firm substance of the foam relax and conform to your own shape. Once your heat is removed, the tiny cells firm up again and return to their original shape. This, as you might imagine, is where memory foam gets its name.

There’s more to the support than that, though. The visco memory foam only heats up and becomes elastic down to a certain depth. So the top layers of cells will soften and adapt to your body shape, yet the foam farther down remains as cool as before, and therefore doesn’t change. So it retains its shape and provides extra underlying firmness, meaning that memory foam mattresses give you both the contoured support above and the firm support below.

Another factor in both the support and the shape of the mattress is its own density. You might find inexpensive memory foam mattresses with a density of 1.5 pounds per cubic foot, and another of 8 pounds. A higher density will provide more support and relief for those with hip or back problems. Additionally, there are single, double, queen or king size memory foam mattress choices available, as well as memory foam contour pillows.

What all of this information means, in the end, is that even the pressure points of the body that push harder into a mattress than other points do (things like hips, for example) are relieved on a memory foam mattress. Since the entire body is supported equally, this can help those with arthritis and even bedsores. A memory foam bed might be just the thing you’re looking for if you want to sleep without getting stiff and sore.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed end panic attacks as well as tips on the various medications for panic disorder available at anxietydisordercure.com.