Finding the ideal mattress
A perfect night's sleep for all may not be far away thanks to Macquarie University research. A team from the Department of Health and Chiropractic is conducting studies to determine the ideal mattress for individuals taking into consideration their weight, height and body shape.
The Bedding Research Group (Dr Sharyn Eaton, Mr Peter Bull, Dr Robyn Beirman and Dr Subra Vemulpad) has been working on the project for the past two years in cooperation with the Australian Spinal Research Foundation and a Brisbane based bedding company.
"We are looking at different mattress types (latex and viscoelastic) and five firmnesses of these types," says Eaton, Head of the Department of Health and Chiropractic. "We are correlating people's parameters to different types of mattresses and seeing what is the ideal and most appropriate one for them."
Groundbreaking research
Currently there is no literature on the best pressure for the body to lie on. The Bedding Research Group is conducting the first known testing and research into this area.
"When chiropractors, physiotherapists and osteopaths endorse bedding products they really have no idea what they are endorsing," Eaton says. "They may lie on the bed and think this feels okay but there is no testing."
Pressure mapping
Research has been undertaken with the use of a pressure mapping system which determines a person's pressure distribution when they lie on different mattresses.
A pressure map, which has thousands of capacitance transducers, is placed on a mattress and subjects are then asked to lie down. Researchers then look at pressure points. Areas of high pressure are not ideal for circulation and cause patients to move more. After the pressure mapping, subjects were then asked to lie on six different beds and for each mattress given a series of questions based on comfort. This provides a subjective measure of comfort which supplements the objective pressure mapping readings.
"There is a general rule that heavier people require a firmer mattress and lighter people require a softer mattress but what we have found so far is that what people perceive as comfortable may not be necessarily right for their spines," Eaton says. "On the pressure map, if we see a really firm mattress there are hot spots and pressure spots everywhere and it looks incredibly uncomfortable, but if the person is used to a very firm bed they will perceive that to be the best bed. Hence, their perception of what is comfortable does not correlate to objective pressure measurements."
The ideal bed is one that doesn't have hot spots, has even pressure distribution in addition to supporting the person's spine.
The future of bedding research
According to Eaton there is a potential for research into bedding.
"There are so many different areas, so I'm hoping to make this study long term," Eaton says. "We'd like to go into differences of gender, overnight sleeping patterns, and also study symptomatic patients with back pain. In general mattresses should not be considered to be able to cure back problems but should be used to prevent the problem getting worse and result in a restful sleep. Our ultimate aim is to be able to give people the mattress that will suit them the best."
For further information visit www.chiro.mq.edu.au or contact Dr Sharyn Eaton sharyn.eaton@mq.edu.au