Technology-Driven Mattress Styles that Improve your Sleep

It’s no secret that sleep is essential for good health and well-being. Yet, despite this, many people still struggle to get the quality sleep they need. In fact, a 2020 survey found that British adults aren’t getting enough sleep, with over half getting an average of 6.6 hours of sleep each night.

What can feel like a minor matter could have severe consequences in both the short and long term. Studies have shown that poor sleep habits could lead to weight gain, increased risk of heart disease, and a whole host of other problems. And that’s not even to mention the fact it could impact your personal performance at work, leaving you feeling fatigued and unmotivated.

According to research published in Applied Ergonomics, new mattresses can enhance sleep quality by 61% and reduce back pain by 56%.  Put simply, having the right mattress can be the difference between a restful night’s sleep and a sleepless night.

At one time, the standard mattress consisted of a single layer of slab foam that provided basic and rather limited contour support. However, with the aid of scientific advancements on how the human body works, mattress manufacturers around the world have been able to design products that cater to the specific needs of our bodies. The most technologically advanced mattress styles are now focussed on enabling you to sleep soundly and comfortably, without having to worry about tossing and turning all night long because of pain or discomfort.

However, with so many products on the market vying for your attention and promising to help you sleep better, it can be difficult knowing which one is right for you. In this article, we’ll look into some of the new mattress technologies designed to enhance your sleep.

Memory Foam

The new generation of memory foam mattresses are the perfect example of when scientific innovation meets mattress design. Mattresses made from memory foam do not contain internal springs, instead, they are made up of soft layers of foam which use body heat to mould around the contours of the body.

Unlike traditional mattresses that could take days or even weeks to break in, a memory foam mattress can instantly mold around your body shape in response to pressure points. It has a high-density core that responds to the slightly uneven pressure exerted on all sides, as well as individual layers of foams, which provide support and give comfort. The soft foam makeup of this mattress enables greater comfort and improved orthopedic support, alleviating stress and pain on the body’s joints.

Memory foam mattresses have also been able to adapt to various body types and even provide an alternative support solution for pregnant women. With a polyurethane foam core, these mattresses are ideal for people who want extra support without the need for a separate base layer.

Latex Mattress

But this isn’t the only type of mattress in the market that offers more personalised support. The latest mattress to hit the market is the organic latex mattress. In a latex mattress, latex foam is combined with springs or reflex foam to make a firm yet comfortable sleep surface

Each natural latex is derived from the sap of rubber trees and is expertly crafted with soft, pure and organic cotton and wool to offer a soft feel, with an individual spring for every body part that can be individually targeted by the mattress.

Research conducted by Bed Divans found that on average, latex mattress users experience better sleep quality and have the highest customer satisfaction rating compared to any other mattress on the market, with an average rating of 4.62 out of 5.

Organic latex mattresses offer improved orthopaedic support for individuals suffering from back, spinal or joint pain. Unlike the soft design of the memory foam mattresses, organic latex mattresses use an  internal spring system to provide a medium to firm surface for its users. The innovative design of this mattress offers an array of benefits, such as  increased pressure support to help improve spinal alignment, as well as comfort and pain relief on the body’s joints.

To help you get into a deeper sleep, these mattresses also include individually shaped pockets that increase airflow and allow you to feel cooler at night. Additionally, organic latex mattresses are perfectly suited for people with sensitive skin or allergies to other materials, making it a popular choice for people who suffer from uncomfortable symptoms such as eczema and rashes.

All of this high-tech mattress innovation could have far-reaching effects on how we sleep and how we age in the future.Many people might already see the effects of arthritis waking up in the morning, as their joints are stiff from the night’s sleep. It might be necessary to start sleeping on a thinner mattress that can provide more support to enhance our health and prevent age-related illness.

In addition to high-tech mattresses, companies are also developing pillows with sensors that can detect your movements and adjust your pillow position around you at night to help keep you aligned during sleep. Soon there will also be a whole range of products on the market that are designed to help you reach optimal sleep by adjusting temperature and pressure, or even using sound waves to improve your experience.

With so much innovation and technological advancement coming our way, it’s likely that sleep will become more of a focus in the future. But it might take some time before we see all of these products come to fruition – especially as we get a better understanding of how technology is affecting sleep, for better or for worse.

Jessica Weisman-Pitts