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Abstract Introduction Previous research has shown that comfort, including comfort of the sleep surface, is essential to sleep quality. In addition to comfort, temperature regulation plays an important role in sleep quality. This study compared sleep on a mattress protector designed to help keep the sleeper cool to participants’ prior sleep on their original bedding. Methods Healthy adults (69% female, ages 21-76; mean age=44) who reported sleeping hot or night sweats, as well as difficulties with frequent awakenings or time spent awake during the night, participated in a 6-week field study, using a pre-post intervention design. During the 3-week baseline period, participants used their regular bedding at home. During the 3-week intervention period, they used Sleepy’s Cooling Knit Protector. This mattress protector includes breathable materials designed to draw heat away from the body. Sleep was measured objectively using a PSG-validated, non-contact biomotion device, SleepScore Max, every night and by daily and pre-post self-report. Multilevel regression and paired t-tests were used to test for statistical significance. Results There were 973 nights of tracked sleep across 33 participants. Objective sleep measurements showed decreased sleep onset latency (-7 minutes, p=.010) when using the mattress protector compared to baseline. Self-report measures revealed that participants felt cooler and more comfortable, perceived a reduction in sleeping too hot or experiencing night sweats, felt they had better overall sleep quality, and felt more well-rested in the morning (all ps.05). Conclusion Objectively measured sleep onset latency and many aspects of self-reported sleep improved when using the cooling knit protector compared to the original bedding, suggesting that a comfortable and cool sleep surface can lead to improvements in sleep. Support (if any) Mattress Firm INC
Ledesma et al. (Sat,) studied this question.