A new high-tech mattress may get people to fall asleep faster, researchers have claimed.
The innovative mattress, developed by a group of engineers at the University of Texas, Austin, works by manipulating the body’s core temperature.
Our body temperature changes on a natural 24-hour cycle, and a lower core temperature helps make you feel sleepy.
While it may seem counterintuitive, the mattress lowers core temperature by warming the neck, which helps stimulate blood flow to the hands and feet – allowing that heat to dissipate faster.
dr Shabab Haghayegh, who led the development of the mattress, said: “We encourage sleepiness by manipulating internal body temperature-sensitive sensors to momentarily adjust the body’s thermostat to think the temperature is higher than it actually is . ”
The team reviewed two different iterations of the mattress: one that used water and another that used air to manipulate body temperature.
The mattresses were tested on 11 people who were asked to go to bed two hours earlier than usual and to use the mattress’s cooling/heating capabilities on some nights and not on other nights.
On average, participants fell asleep 58 percent faster when using the mattress’ features compared to those who did not, despite going to bed two hours earlier.
And not only did it help them nod off faster, but the researchers said it also improved their sleep quality.
The project is the latest from the lab of Professor Kenneth Diller of the Cockrell School of Engineering, who is looking for new ways to use heat to help people fall asleep.
In 2019, researchers published a study that found that a warm bath an hour or two before bedtime helped people fall asleep faster.
The current project, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, is similar in that it aims to lower internal body temperature to send the signal to sleep.
Professor Diller added: “It is remarkable how effective gentle warming along the cervical spine sends a signal to the body to increase blood flow to the hands and feet to lower core temperature and speed sleep.”
“The same effect also makes it possible to slightly lower blood pressure overnight, with the benefit of allowing the cardiovascular system to recover from the stress caused by maintaining blood flow during daily activities, which is beneficial for the long-term.” health is extremely important.”
