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Effects of air mattress pressure on sleep quality and physiological responses: comparison of shoulder and hip pressure relief

Yoon Jeong Baek (BK21 FOUR Graduate School Innovation Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Seung-Hyun Kim (Department of Physical Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Sayup Kim (Human Convergence Technology R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Ansan, Republic of Korea)
Eui-Sang Yoo (Human Convergence Technology R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Ansan, Republic of Korea)
Joo-Young Lee (Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea) (Graphene Research Center for Convergence Technology, Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Suwon, Republic of Korea)

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology

ISSN: 0955-6222

Article publication date: 20 July 2021

Issue publication date: 11 March 2022

243

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of air mattress pressure on sleep quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten young healthy males participated in all hard surface [AH], shoulder soft [SS] and shoulder and hip soft mattress [SHS] conditions. The surface pressure for SS and SHS were set at their preferred levels.

Findings

The results showed that sleep efficiencies were over 95% for all the three conditions; there were no significant differences in individual sleep variables among the three conditions, but overall sleep quality was better for SS than AH (p = 0.065); heart rates during sleep was greater for AH than the other two conditions (p < 0.1); and a stronger relationship between clothing and bed microclimate humidity were found for SS and SHS than that for AH.

Research limitations/implications

These results indicated that the both pressure relief air mattresses that were set at their own preferred levels provided high quality sleep with no marked differences.

Practical implications

Air pressure relief mattresses can improve sleep quality of healthy individuals during sleep at night. The results can be used to understand appropriate pressure distribution on surface mattress according to body region, and also to develop algorithms to provide optimum sleep using mattresses with surface pressure control by body region.

Originality/value

The present study found that the shoulder and/or hip pressure relief air mattresses that were set at their own preferred levels provided high quality sleep with no marked differences.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors express their thanks to Yoon Jeong Hur and Jong-Ryun Roh for their technical supports and Andrew Gorski for proofreading.

Funding: This work has been supported by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (kitech JA210001), the Gyeongi-Do Technology Development Program (IZ210001), and the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (No.2016M3A7B4910552).

Citation

Baek, Y.J., Kim, S.-H., Kim, S., Yoo, E.-S. and Lee, J.-Y. (2022), "Effects of air mattress pressure on sleep quality and physiological responses: comparison of shoulder and hip pressure relief", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCST-10-2020-0166

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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