Study Confirms Link between New Mattress and Improved Sleep

February 5, 2007

A study published in the Winter 2006 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine attributes significant improvements in sleep comfort and quality to sleeping on a new mattress.

Industry leaders, such as the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA), the Better Sleep Councils (BSC) of the United States and Canada, and the European Bedding Industries’ Association (EBIA), agree that the study provides firm scientific evidence of the critical link between mattress quality and sleep quality, as well as the importance of regular mattress replacement.

“Considering the increasing global sleep deficit, this is fantastic news for all consumers in search of viable solutions to improve sleep,” said Kerry Tramel, ISPA chair. “There is now definitive research that underscores the health benefits of sleeping on new bedding systems.”

In the study titled “Subjective Rating of Perceived Back Pain, Stiffness and Sleep Quality Following Introduction of Medium-Firm Bedding Systems,” researchers Bert Jacobson, EdD; Tia Wallace, MS; and Hugh Gemmell, DC, EdD, of Oklahoma State University, took a group of 59 healthy participants (30 women and 29 men) and compared selected sleep variables in participants’ sleep on their own mattresses (at least 5 years or older) to sleep on new bedding systems.

Their results revealed significant improvements for participants regardless of age and weight in all the following areas of focus: lower back discomfort, spine stiffness, sleep quality, sleep comfort, and sleep efficiency.

“Largely from this study, we have found that new bedding systems provide immediate and sustained benefits in sleep,” Jacobson said. “More so, each week, as the study progressed, participants noted an increased improvement in sleep quality and efficiency and in the other targeted variables, all attributed to the new sleep surface.”

The study authors also noted that sleep deficiency interferes with daytime activity, social interactions, mood, and even loss of work production further making the case that a new mattress can improve sleep quality and therefore overall quality-of-life for consumers.

“Consumers tend not to realize that mattresses gradually lose comfort and support with use,” said Frank Verschuere, EBIA president. “So it’s helpful to see proof of evidence that newer mattresses provide improved wellness and sleep benefits.”