Do you have a difficult time falling asleep at night? Do you toss and turn ad infinitum, feeling as if you get more exercise while you slumber than you do during the day? Do you get out of bed in the morning feeling as if you have been hit by a truck, complete with a sore back and aching neck? For many people, getting a decent night's sleep is as illusive as the Holy Grail.

Buying a high quality mattress can eliminate a world of problems, from sleepless nights to aching joints. Unfortunately, most traditional spring mattresses do not give the contouring needed for a comfortable night's rest; they do not offer uniform support. Spring mattresses, therefore, put a great deal of pressure on hips and shoulder joints, causing trouble. In hospital and nursing home patients, in fact, that kind of pressure can cause sores and, in some cases, lead to gangrene.

A memory foam mattress, however, uses space age material to evenly distribute body weight, keeping pressure from building up in one spot. The dense polyurethane foam was actually first produced by NASA. It was never put to work in the space program, but it found its first application in the medical profession, helping to combat of the aforementioned bed sores. At first, memory foam was unaffordable for the general public, but now these mattresses, pillows, and mattress "toppers" are becoming more and more accessible.

The foam works by reacting to body warmth to mould itself to the sleeper's form. It takes a few minutes for the denser mattresses to conform to your position, but the effect is well worth it. Replacing your existing mattress can make a astonishing difference, but it is quite possible that your old one is often acceptable with the addition of a mattress topper. As long as your existing mattress is solid and the springs are sound, a topper is a good solution. If your old bed is full of depressions and gaps, however, a topper will be of no help.

If you have forgotten what a comfortable night's sleep feels like, if you cannot stand waking up in pain or feeling like you have not slept ten minutes, a memory foam mattress may be just what the doctor ordered.