Evaluations of Effects of Sleep Surfaces on Athletic Performance in Youth
Study by T. Maruyama, S. Sato, M. Matsumura, T. Ono, M. Nishida and S. Nishino
Randomized Crossover Study · Scientific Reports (Vol. 10, Article 11805) · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68795-5
Key Takeaway
A Firm, Springy Topper Helped One Test per Study, Not Sleep
What was tested: Two crossover studies at a sports boarding school in Florida. In study I, 51 male athletes aged 10 to 19 slept 4 weeks on a high-rebound fiber topper and 4 weeks on a memory foam topper. In study II, 23 athletes slept 6 weeks with the high-rebound topper and 6 weeks with no topper (Maruyama et al., 2020).
What the numbers showed: In study I, the 40 m sprint took 7.00 seconds on the high-rebound topper and 7.28 seconds on memory foam. In study II, an agility drill took 31.03 seconds with the topper and 32.83 seconds without it. Long jump, sleep, sleepiness and reaction time did not change.
What this means for you: The gains were small, showed up on a different test in each study, and the authors call them preliminary. The maker of the high-rebound topper funded the study, so treat it as a hint, not proof.
Key Numbers
How the Study Was Done
The study ran over two school years (2013 to 2015) at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The athletes played tennis, baseball, basketball, lacrosse or soccer. Half of each group started on one surface and then switched, so every athlete tried both. This is called a randomized crossover design (Maruyama et al., 2020).
The high-rebound topper was a firm, breathable polyethylene fiber topper made by airweave inc. The low-rebound topper was a memory foam topper. Both sat on the regular dorm beds. The staff who ran the tests did not know which topper each athlete had, but the athletes did.
Twice a week, the athletes filled in sleep and mood questionnaires, took a 5-minute reaction test, and did a 40 m sprint, a long jump and a star drill (a timed agility run between cones). In study I they also wore a wrist activity monitor that estimates sleep.
What the Study Compared
High-Rebound Fiber Topper
A firm, breathable polyethylene fiber topper by airweave inc. Used in both studies.
Memory Foam Topper or No Topper
Study I compared a memory foam topper. Study II compared the plain dorm mattress with no topper.
What the Study Found
In study I, 47 of the 51 athletes finished both periods, and complete test data came from 28 to 39 of them. Over the last 2 weeks of each period, the sprint took 7.00 seconds on the high-rebound topper and 7.28 seconds on memory foam (p = 0.06, just short of the usual cutoff for significance). A second analysis across all 4 weeks found the sprint gain significant (p = 0.03). Long jump and star drill did not differ (Maruyama et al., 2020).
In study II, the star drill took 31.03 seconds with the high-rebound topper and 32.83 seconds without it (p = 0.04). Long jump and sprint times did not differ.
Neither study found a difference in sleep time, sleepiness, self-rated sleep quality, mood or reaction time. The authors point to their earlier lab study, where this kind of topper was linked to a faster drop in body temperature early in the night. This study did not measure body temperature.
The study was funded by airweave inc., the maker of the high-rebound topper, under a sponsored research contract. An earlier version of this page credited the paper to different authors and gave figures for college athletes, performance gains and body temperature that are not in the paper. Those have been removed.
How to Apply This Study When Choosing a Mattress
What it tells you: A sleep surface may make a small difference to athletic performance, but this is one sponsored study in young male athletes, and their measured sleep did not change.
If you train hard, choose a surface you find comfortable and easy to move on, and judge it over several weeks. The study tested toppers on dorm beds, not full mattresses, and did not compare mattress brands.
Study Scope and Limitations
Male athletes aged 10 to 19 at one sports school. Toppers, not full mattresses. The athletes knew which topper they had. Significant gains showed up on a different test in each study. Sleep was estimated with wrist monitors, not lab sleep tests. Funded by the maker of the high-rebound topper.
Primary Citation
Maruyama, T., Sato, S., Matsumura, M., Ono, T., Nishida, M., & Nishino, S. (2020). Evaluations of effects of sleep surfaces on athletic performance in youth. Scientific Reports, 10, 11805. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68795-5