Biomechanics-Based Active Control of Bedding Support Properties and Its Influence on Sleep
Study by D. Van Deun, V. Verhaert, T. Willemen, J. Wuyts, J. Verbraecken, V. Exadaktylos, B. Haex and J. Vander Sloten (Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven, Belgium)
Sleep Lab Study of 11 Adults · Work (Vol. 41, Supplement 1, pp. 1274-1280) · DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0313-1274
Key Takeaway
A Bed That Adjusted Its Support Overnight Felt Better, With Mixed Lab Results
What was tested: 11 normal sleepers spent three nights in a sleep lab on a bed with 8 comfort zones that could change stiffness during the night to keep the spine aligned. One night was for getting used to the lab, one used fixed support, and one used active support (Van Deun et al., 2012).
What the numbers showed: On the active support night, people rated their sleep quality, next-day quality and number of awakenings significantly better. Lab recordings showed a trend toward more deep sleep, but also significantly more of the lightest sleep stage and less of the next stage.
What this means for you: The idea of support that adapts to your position shows some promise, but this was a small lab study of one prototype bed. It does not show that any zoned or smart mattress sold today works the same way.
Key Numbers
How the Study Was Done
Researchers at KU Leuven in Belgium built a bed with 165 sensors that measure how far the mattress is pressed down, and 8 actuators, parts that move on command, to change the stiffness of 8 comfort zones. From the sensor data, the system detected body movements and position changes and adjusted the zones to keep the spine aligned, using a personalised body model (Van Deun et al., 2012).
11 normal sleepers slept three nights in a sleep lab: an adaptation night, a reference night and an active support night, with the last two in counterbalanced order. Sleep was recorded with polysomnography (overnight brain wave and body signal recording), and people answered questionnaires about how they slept.
What the Study Compared
Active Support Night
Better self-rated sleep quality, next-day quality and fewer felt awakenings. A trend toward more deep sleep, but more of the lightest sleep stage.
Reference Night (Fixed Support)
The comparison night on the same bed with its support left unchanged through the night.
What the Study Found
People rated their sleep quality, daytime quality and number of awakenings significantly better after the active support night. The lab recordings showed a trend toward more slow wave (deep) sleep. At the same time, the share of N1, the lightest sleep stage, rose significantly and the share of N2 fell. The authors found no long N1 periods during or right after the bed adjusted itself (Van Deun et al., 2012).
An earlier study from the same group tested fixed support. 17 normal sleepers each spent a night on personalised support and a night on sagging support. The authors found that sleeping posture mattered: a sagging bed hurt sleep quality for people who sleep on their side or stomach (Verhaert et al., 2011).
An earlier version of this page gave figures for spinal distortion, restlessness and sample size that we could not find in any paper, so they have been removed. The abstracts we read do not state who funded these studies.
How to Apply This Study When Choosing a Mattress
What it tells you: Good support depends on your body and the position you sleep in.
If you sleep on your side or stomach, avoid a bed that sags. This research used lab prototypes, so it does not show that a zoned or self-adjusting mattress you can buy will help you.
Study Scope and Limitations
11 people, one prototype bed, and one night of each condition in a sleep lab. The lab results were mixed. Funding is not stated in the abstract, and no mattress sold today was tested.
Primary Citation
Van Deun, D., Verhaert, V., Willemen, T., Wuyts, J., Verbraecken, J., Exadaktylos, V., Haex, B., & Vander Sloten, J. (2012). Biomechanics-based active control of bedding support properties and its influence on sleep. Work, 41(Suppl 1), 1274-1280. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-2012-0313-1274