Effect of Different Mattress Designs on Promoting Sleep Quality, Pain Reduction, and Spinal Alignment in Adults With or Without Back Pain: Systematic Review of Controlled Trials
Study by A. Radwan, P. Fess, D. James, J. Murphy, J. Myers, M. Rooney, J. Taylor and A. Torii
Systematic Review · Sleep Health (Vol. 1, Issue 4, pp. 257-267) · DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2015.08.001
Key Takeaway
Review Favors Medium-Firm, Self-Adjusted Mattresses
What was tested: Researchers reviewed 24 controlled trials published since 2000 on mattresses described as soft, medium-firm, firm or custom inflated (self-adjusted), plus trials on mattress temperature. They rated each trial's quality with the PEDro scale, a checklist for clinical trials (Radwan et al., 2015).
What the numbers showed: The review did not combine the trials into one number. The authors rated the trials moderate to high in quality and concluded that a medium-firm, custom inflated (self-adjusted) mattress is best for sleep comfort, sleep quality and spinal alignment.
What this means for you: The evidence leans toward medium-firm. But firmness in these trials was described, not measured the same way, and the review did not test any brand. There was not enough evidence to say what mattress temperature is best.
Key Numbers
How the Study Was Done
This was a systematic review: a search for all the controlled trials on a question, followed by a quality check of each one. The authors included trials published since 2000 on adults with or without back pain. Mattresses in those trials were described subjectively as soft, medium-firm, firm or custom inflated. Trials that changed mattress temperature were also included (Radwan et al., 2015).
Twenty-four articles met the rules for inclusion. The authors rated their quality with the PEDro scale and judged it moderate to high.
What the Review Concluded
Medium-Firm, Self-Adjusted
The review's pick for sleep comfort, sleep quality and spinal alignment.
Mattress Temperature
Not enough evidence yet to say what temperature is best.
What the Study Found
The authors conclude that a mattress described as medium-firm and custom inflated (self-adjusted) is optimal for promoting sleep comfort, quality and spinal alignment. On temperature, they found the evidence not yet sufficient, although authors of the trials had recommended a warm temperature (Radwan et al., 2015).
We read the abstract only, because the full review is behind a paywall. So we could not check who funded it or the details of each trial.
An earlier version of this page called this a National Sleep Foundation review with 100% agreement over 15 years, and listed an author affiliation we could not confirm. The abstract does not say those things, so they were removed.
How to Apply This Study When Choosing a Mattress
What it tells you: Across the trials reviewed, medium-firm mattresses that people could adjust did best for comfort, sleep and spinal alignment.
Treat medium-firm as a starting point, and give any new mattress several weeks. This review did not test or compare mattress brands.
Study Scope and Limitations
Firmness was described subjectively in the trials, results were not pooled into one number, and the review covers only trials published since 2000. We read the abstract only, so funding is not shown here.
Primary Citation
Radwan, A., Fess, P., James, D., Murphy, J., Myers, J., Rooney, M., Taylor, J., & Torii, A. (2015). Effect of different mattress designs on promoting sleep quality, pain reduction, and spinal alignment in adults with or without back pain; systematic review of controlled trials. Sleep Health, 1(4), 257-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.08.001