‘Refreshed Mornings’ has Technical Specifications
The Sleep – Wellness Connection
The best of days must eventually come to an end and we begin thinking ‘rest.’ Our fervent wish is for sleep that promotes a refreshed new day. One third of our life is spent on a mattress and the quality of that time has a major influence on our ability to enjoy the simplest of activities. “The quality of last night’s rest, defines you today.” Health experts from both physiological and psychological fields have long expounded the benefits of proper rest.
The accumulated side affects of an active life must be attended to effectively. Proper sleeping conditions start with reducing mental stress, one of the key reasons for boating and RV’s in the first place. Equally important is alleviating stress on our musculoskeletal system as well as controlling surface temperature, humidity, bounce and vibrations. Other factors that affect the quality of sleep include a restless spirit or medical circumstances. The mattress should alleviate physical stress and then becomes invisible to your daily life. You could wake up ready and eager to meet each new day without giving the mattress second thought. The bane of the successful mattress is that it never thanked. However, it is clearly missed when faced with a second-rate substitute.
There are many well known mattress manufactures for the home; however custom mattresses have traditionally been the domain of small operations using simple materials. Things have changed! Enter Artisans Custom Mattress (ACM), Inc., the authorized customizing house for Tempur-Pedic®. Now anyone can purchase real Tempur-Pedic mattresses in any custom size or shape imaginable, “If you can draw it, we can make it.” Add to that a 20 year warranty from Tempur-Pedic and you have the confidence that long term comfort is available anywhere you need it. ACM also adds its exclusive 90 day trial on custom shapes. ACM’s World Class Service has been honed from a lifetime of experience and offered to all of North America and beyond.
A successful company like Tempur-Pedic with major resources is the best equipped to develop and consistently manufacture top quality mattresses that use the most advanced materials and processes. The latest major technological advance in understanding and envisioning stress relieving support started with the creative genius of NASA scientists and their earliest version of generic “viscoelastic” molecules. However, there is a big gap between a ‘good idea’ and as successful consumer product. The Tempur-Pedic Swedish Sleep System™ was developed by Swedish Scientists who invested another eight years of research to develop the premier “TEMPUR®” material, plus attending to additional health issues. Only Tempur-Pedic materials are specified for use by NASA.
Defining the Technical Needs for Rest
NASA scientists studied the technical parameters for proper support of the body and ignored myths and marketing claims. The space capsule cushions must properly support astronauts while they experience extreme G-forces, some very bumpy rides and long journeys. The astronaut’s split second actions cannot be inhibited by an arm or leg ‘falling asleep’ or dull senses of any sort. Proper physiological support requires 1) unhindered blood circulation, 2) no pinched nerves, 3) effective energy absorption, 4) normal surface humidity, and 5) normal surface temperature. The marketing claims for ‘firm’ and ‘soft’ or ‘number of springs’ are of no apparent significant medical consequence.
Engineers added additional constraints on the sleeping material. It must be clean, safe and require no motors or pumps or adjustments. It must be customized to fit irregular shapes and sizes thereby maximizing limited sleeping surfaces. It must be flexible to load through extremely tight entrances and passageways. And of course, keep it simple. Sound familiar?
To meet the medical characterization of stress relief, the mattress must perform specific activities. All body parts in contact with the mattress need;
- Controlled Support Pressure
- Temperature Control
- Humidity Control
- Shock & vibration control (energy absorption)
- Cleanliness
The first and most interesting is ‘controlled pressure.’ This is very different from the myth of ‘firm’ or ‘soft’ support offered by traditional ‘constant pressure’ mattresses (metal springs, foam, feathers, fiber, cotton, etc.). The ideal support is a personal body mold because it would offer good musculoskeletal alignment and alleviate stress on joints. Therefore, the perfect mattress must conform to each individual body part with controlled support pressure (not constant pressure), as well as each individual person. It must deliver soft support pressure to soft parts and firm support pressure for heavier parts. The old traditional “constant pressure” mattress forces your body to fit the mattress and induces stress on joints and can cause pressure points on shoulders and hips which aggravate morning aches and pains. However, when you sleep on the ‘controlled support pressure’ mattress, the mattress conforms to your body and the morning is the most pain free part of the day.
The arm needs support different from shoulders and hips. The 200 pound person has different support requirements than the 115 pound person next to them, but they both need even support across all body parts. These individuals will change positions and may switch locations and the mattress must perform equally well for every body all the time. In other words, we need infinite variations of support at different times and places on the same mattress!
A Review of Old Sleep Technology
It is clear that the constant pressure dictated by twisted metal (inner springs) or feathers or rubber foams or fiber technologies may not be expected to relieve pressure and stress evenly.
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| "Constant Pressure" Technologies Induce Stress | Hammock EffectsInduce Stress |
Water and air mattresses solve some problems by conforming to body shape; however the balloon skins that contain the fluid also trap heat and vapor next to your body. They also depend on electrical power. In addition, air and water beds create hammock effects that distort musculoskeletal alignment. ‘Hammock effects’ refer to the heavy body parts sinking while the head and feet are pushed up. Hammock effects can be reduced with multiple chambers however there is no escaping the laws of physics; ‘non-compressible fluids’ must go some place when our hips sink. Hammock effects can show up between metal inner springs as well.
All these traditional options must add thick pads between you and the mattress because you cannot directly sleep on balloon skins or twisted metal or latex. Foams and inner springs fight back instantly with the same force regardless of what your body needs, and they transmit vibrations and bounce. Add the real world factors such as a pen or tool in a pocket or a zipper or button between your body and the traditional mattress, and obtaining true pressure relief is near impossible. Each conventional option has serious limitations regarding one or more important medical objective. It quickly became clear that a new material would be required and NASA scientists went to work.
A Giant Step in Sleep Technology by NASA
NASA scientists invented the basic molecular formula of generic viscoelastic polyurethane and gave it to the world in the 1970’s. Viscoelastic polyurethane molecules actually change shape, positions and “packing space” with weight and temperature.
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| "Controlled Pressure" Relieves Stress |
This was indeed a giant step for sleep science. However, there were several important technical issues yet to resolve such as how to make it durable and dissipate heat and vapor, appropriate recovery time, and how to manufacture it reproducibly, etc. A few companies have not bothered to satisfactorily address these important problems and sell so-called “memory foam.” One company however took a more serious path.
Swedish Scientist Work to Develop the Perfect Mattress
| TEMPUR® Material |
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Fagerdala Foams of Sweden invested eight more years of research after receiving the NASA information. They set out to achieve all the medical specifications needed to develop the perfect mattress. Fagerdala first developed TEMPUR material, the most advanced viscoelastic material and the only one recognized and used by NASA. TEMPUR material is the core technology for the Tempur-Pedic mattress and pillow products. The secret Fagerdala manufacturing process produces the high density viscoelastic material with a true open cell structure so it breathes. Equally important, it is their reproducible process that ensures consistent comfort. Others have tried to hack into the “memory foams” success story but none have been able to meet all the Tempur-Pedic performance standards including consistency and durability.
The TEMPUR material includes a “calculated recovery time” to its original shape. Calculated recovery is not to fast and not to slow. Too slow of a recover time would make moving out of a “mattress hole” difficult. Too fast of a recovery time would transmit vibration and bounce. The consistent capillary sized, open cell characteristic of TEMPUR material is also unique. The capillary sized open cells allow body heat and vapor to be dissipated naturally plus the “AirFlow System ™” between layers promotes the temperature and humidity equalization with the room, a Tempur-Pedic exclusive. The list of medical goals above included no bouncing. TEMPUR materials have the natural ability to absorb shock and vibration. That means a resting partner is not disturbed when you move or leave. The Swedish scientists recognized that TEMPUR material by itself does not answer all the medical questions.
The “open cell” structure needs protection from body oils and salts. The removable Tempur-Pedic cover is a high technology mattress pad that protects the mattress cells and is washable. Its flexibility keeps your body close to the TEMPUR material. It meets hypoallergenic standards and it is mold and mildew resistant. It is specially treated to prevent mite and bacterial growth for added health benefits. The bottom cover is a heavy duty duct material with non-slip characteristics. The all around separating zipper makes it easy to remove the cover for washing without any mattress wrestling. Meanwhile the mattress and bottom cover remain on the bed.
The Tempur-Pedic mattress was completed with a three layer composite structure to achieve a progressive compactness. That means the top layer is low resistance and the bottom is more resistant. This allows the light body parts, such as arms and legs, to get the conformed support from the top TEMPUR layer. The middle TEMPUR layer supports the major body parts in the sleeping position. At the same time, we want to avoid bottoming out when all the body weight is centered on a knee or elbow, hence the firm bonded substrate. Tempur-Pedic Mattress offers models with thicknesses that vary from 8 to 14 inches. Of course ACM offers custom thicknesses to whatever matches your needs.
Generic “memory foams” are mostly hot and short lived, not at all the same as TEMPUR Material. The comments we receive from customers of the many competitive materials have convinced us that Tempur-Pedic is still the unsurpassed source of a complete “mattress system” for comfort and health.
Comparative Computer Maps were recorded using
an Electronic “Quilt” with 512 Gravity–Effect Sensors.
Low and moderate pressures are displayed in blue, high pressure areas are displayed in green and the very high pressure points are in orange.
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| "Constant Pressure" Technologies Induce Stress | Hammock EffectsInduce Stress |
Tempur-Pedic products have a noticeable advantage for each and every real world issue for mattress performance. Continuous customer satisfaction, and word of mouth advertising since 1993, has demonstrated the significant advantage Tempur-Pedic still holds over any other competitive sleeping material. We have even won over a few of those hardy young sailors who claim to sleep on a pile of fire coral.
To this day, the Tempur-Pedic products are the only memory foams recognized by NASA and the Space Foundation. The 20 year warranty and 90 day trial are clearly demonstrating the new standards of quality and performance set by Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
ACM service and skill now makes it possible to get this excellent technology in a custom mattress with the 20 year warranty and 90 day trial. The complexity of the Tempur-Pedic composite structure requires expert knowledge and skills to change the shape and thickness while retaining all the original materials and features. Since 1999 the artisans at ACM have perfected the customizing process and skills. No longer to you have to worry about the quality of the no-name custom mattress company. Get the best, every time – ACM.
