Influence of sleep environment on sleep quality in healthy individuals: investigation of a novel two-mattress system

Well-known factors for achieving high quality of sleep in the home environment are avoiding emmissions from ambient noise and light, optimizing room temperature design, and removing of sleep-disturbing elements. In contrast, little research has been conducted to date on whether and to what extent the design of matrasses and the bed system, that is, sleep comfort, has an influence on sleep.In a randomized crossover design, the effect of an ergonomically novel two-mattress system (TMS) on sleep structure and sleep quality was investigated inn= 30 sleep-healthy subjects of both sexes (age 44.8 +/- 7.7 years) by using polysomnography (PSG)and questionnaires. The results were compared with those from a standard single mattress (SSM).A higher percentage of REM sleep (p< 0.05) as well as a lower index of leg movements per hour of sleep(LM-I,p< 0.01) and lower index of periodic leg movements (PLM-I,p< 0.02) occurred while sleeping on the test mattress TMS compared to the reference mattress SSM. Other PSG parameters, the subjective rating of sleep quality, and other items from the questionnaires did not differ significantly.In this study, a selective improvement of sleep structure was demonstrated by the use of a TMS. In order to investigate and assess the clinical relevance and (long-term)effects on sleep quality, there is a need for further studies with large case numbers indifferent populations.