Why Memory Foam is Hard in Winter and Soft in Summer?

Have you been using memory foam for a few years now but notice something quite odd about the material? You may have realized that your memory foam becomes pretty hard in the winter but much softer in the summer. As strange as it may sound, this phenomenon is entirely normal.

Let me make things easier for you and walk you through the entire process so you may understand why exactly memory foam seems to be hard in winter and soft in summer.

The Material

Memory foam is more than just a huge chunk of material put together to form a mattress or a pillow. Instead, it is made of a viscoelastic polymer which we called polyurethane, it can also be referred to as PU for short. Viscoelastic polyurethane is a unique material that reacts with the heat of your body. Its foam structure bunch up closer as temperature decreases. It softens or hardens depending on the temperature it interacts with, which creates a unique surface every time it is used.

Since memory foam is created from a material that adapts to temperature (read: viscoelastic polyurethane ), it considers its surrounding temperature into account and lets it affect its softness. So, in the winter, when the weather is cold, the pillow becomes hard. Whereas, in the summer, when the temperature is hot, the pillow becomes soft.

Winter Effect

In winter, viscoelastic polyurethane bunch up closer together. This results in a relatively harder mattress or cushion. However, if a fireplace or some device increases the room’s temperature, the memory foam gets softer. Along with this, it also adapts to your body heat. So, after lying on it for a while, the pillow absorbs your body heat and becomes soft.

Summer Effect

The effects of memory foam in summer are the complete opposite of that in winter. Here, the viscoelastic polyurethane bunch apart from each other. In this case, your memory foam is going to be much softer. If the heat is intense, you might end up with a pillow or mattress that is way too soft. However, you can always alter the softness by introducing a cooler room temperature by turning on an air conditioner or any other mechanism. This will allow your memory foam to become relatively harder and more suitable for sleeping.

Areas with Minor Temperature Changes

Some areas only have minor changes in the temperature regardless of the weather. In these places, the softness and hardness of memory foam do not change. It remains stagnant with negligible variation because the surrounding temperature is almost always the same. However, suppose your body temperature is far higher or lower than the room temperature, or you induce some factor that causes an increase or decrease in room temperature; in that case, the softness or hardness of the memory foam may vary.

The Solution

Although this problem is fairly common in memory foam, people often choose not to repurchase if they live in climates with varying temperatures. I know for a fact that solutions for varying temperatures affecting memory foams have already been introduced. You can find multiple mattresses or pillows that have been designed to combat these issues so that you get to make the most out of your memory foam. Solutions have been posed for every kind of climate out there. Here are some of the solutions you can consider if you want to eradicate any significant problems your memory foam may bring:

• If you live in a relatively hotter climate, try out memory foam that is ventilated and infused with gel. This allows you to feel cooler, and the memory foam itself is more resistant to heat. This results in an adequate balance between softness and hardness.
• If you live in an area that is mostly cold, you can obtain a softer memory foam pillow or mattress by finding one with shredded memory foam. This is better than just one chunk of memory foam, as you can find added softness even if the temperature is low. Gel shredded memory foam is also a great option.
• Perhaps your climate is constantly changing? This can be difficult for many, but the solution is quick and simple. Find something with a small zip or opening. With this, you can add or reduce the amount of shredded memory foam. If the weather is hot, add more shredded memory foam to the pillow. If the weather is cold, take out some shredded memory foam from the pillow. This way, you will obtain the optimal balance so that you sleep perfectly regardless of the weather.