Mattresses Matter: Ergonomic Guidelines
How to Sleep Soundly
Although we spend around one-third of our life lying on mattresses, and although it is estimated that about half of all Americans experience at least occasional sleep difficulties, there has been relatively little scientific study of mattress design.[2] Poor mattress design can create inappropriate body support, and this in turn may cause muscle discomfort and back pain.[3] So what are the features of a good mattress? Does it matter if it's too hard or too soft? Does it matter if it's an orthopaedic mattress? Is a mattress even important?
Recent Mattress Study
In a recent study of mattress ergonomics that tested 12 women, lying on an incompressible wooden surface was compared with various mattresses. All of the mattresses were judged as significantly more comfortable than the wooden surface, but there were no significant differences between mattress types, even though these included orthopaedic and normal designs. Measures of shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle body contact pressures showed few significant differences, and surprisingly, there were no significant associations between measures and the comfort ratings.[4]
However, how hard or soft a mattress feels is thought to be an important factor in reducing or preventing back pain.[5] Comparison of sleeping on a futon or a softer air mattress showed that sleep onset latency, waking after sleep onset, and the sleep efficiency index were comparable for both mattresses, but subjective sleep evaluation tended to be better for the air mattress.[6] A study of sleep quality and bed firmness showed that 4 of 9 male subjects slept significantly better on the softer mattresses, while 2 slept better on the harder mattress. The greatest difference in sleep quality occurred when changing from the subject's own mattress to one of the test mattresses, and the authors concluded that it may take several days to adapt to a new sleep surface.[7] This may be why business travelers often report sleep difficulties.[8]
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