Effectiveness of a Grid Mattress on Adults' Sleep Quality and Health: A Quasi-Experimental Intervention Study
Study by M. Breus, S. L. Hooper, T. Lynch, M. Barragan and H. A. Hausenblas
Before-and-After Study · Health Science Reports (Vol. 7, Issue 4, Article e2046) · DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.2046
Key Takeaway
Sleep Scores Improved in the First Week on a New Mattress
What was tested: 39 adults with occasional sleeplessness rated their sleep for 1 week on their own mattress, then for 8 weeks on a new medium-firm grid mattress. They filled in questionnaires at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 and wore a sleep-tracking ring (Breus et al., 2024).
What the numbers showed: On the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, where a lower score means better sleep, the average score fell from 7.49 to 5.46 after the first week and was 4.92 at week 8. Most of the change showed up in week 1.
What this means for you: This study tracked how sleep changed over the first weeks on a new mattress. It did not study returns. It had no control group, and the mattress maker helped fund it, so treat it as a hint about the adjustment period, not proof.
Key Numbers
How the Study Was Done
This was a before-and-after study with no control group. 39 adults with occasional sleeplessness slept on their own mattress for 1 week of baseline tests, then on a pressure-relieving, medium-firm grid mattress for 8 weeks. 37 of them finished. The data were collected from January to April 2022 (Breus et al., 2024).
People completed sleep, pain, stress, mood and fatigue questionnaires at the start and at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8. They also wore an Oura sleep-tracking ring the whole time. The authors state that the study had no control group, no blinding and no randomization.
What the Study Compared
New Grid Mattress (Weeks 1 to 8)
Sleep quality score 5.46 at week 1 and 4.92 at week 8, both better than at the start.
Own Mattress (1 Baseline Week)
The starting point. Sleep quality score 7.49 before the switch.
What the Study Found
Self-reported sleep quality, pain, stress, mood and daytime tiredness all improved significantly from the start to week 8. The sleep ring also showed gains in sleep time, deep sleep and light sleep, and less time awake at night. Dream (REM) sleep did not change significantly, and no side effects were reported (Breus et al., 2024).
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index averaged 7.49 at the start, 5.46 at week 1, 5.54 at week 2, 5.61 at week 3, 5.14 at week 4 and 4.92 at week 8. Each of those weeks was significantly better than the start.
The study was funded by Jacksonville University and Purple, LLC, and one author was a former consultant for Purple, LLC. We could not find any published study of why people return mattresses. An earlier version of this page cited a returns audit that we could not trace to any source, so its figures have been removed.
How to Apply This Study When Choosing a Mattress
What it tells you: Sleep can change quickly on a new mattress, and it can keep shifting for several weeks.
Before you buy, read the trial length, any minimum nights before a return, and who pays for pickup. Give yourself time to judge the bed, but know the deadline so you do not miss it.
Study Scope and Limitations
39 adults with occasional sleeplessness, one mattress, no control group, no blinding and no randomization. The mattress maker helped fund the study. It did not look at mattress returns or return reasons.
Primary Citation
Breus, M., Hooper, S. L., Lynch, T., Barragan, M., & Hausenblas, H. A. (2024). Effectiveness of a grid mattress on adults' sleep quality and health: A quasi-experimental intervention study. Health Science Reports, 7(4), e2046. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.2046