MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
OBJECTIVE: A new sleep study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital by Harvard researchers examined sleep surface, sleep quality and quantity, and their impact on quality of life and well-being.
STUDY DESIGN: The in-home sleep study was executed through Massachusetts General Hospital by Dr. Nancy Etcoff, PhD, the director, program in aesthetics and well being at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and commissioned by SELECT COMFORT® Corporation. A total of 84 participants, 38 men and 46 women, enrolled in the study between May 1 and July 19, 2008. The sample included 35 bed partners and 14 singles. Participants ranged in age from 25 to 71 years old with a mean age of 43. Some subjects were individuals who usually slept alone, the others were bed partners who have shared the same bed regularly for at least one year and were screened using a Sleep Screening questionnaire. Once accepted, each individual and couple participated in a six-week protocol in which they filled out a series of questionnaires, some only at the beginning and end of the study, some daily, and some weekly. After filling in daily and weekly questionnaires for two weeks, each subject received a SLEEP NUMBER® mattress that was the same size as their current bed, along with pillows of their choice based on their usual sleeping positions.
RESULTS: After six weeks, the majority of the participants who switched to a different bed reported a significant improvement in sleep quality, the ability to fall asleep faster and sleep longer, a decrease in back and neck aches and a significant decrease in soreness, stiffness and pain. Study participants also reported that improved quality of sleep led to improvements in their quality of life, such as a decrease in food cravings, a belief that they appeared younger-looking, and a decrease in negative moods. Participants who also were part of a couple reported that improved quality of sleep led to greater intimacy and expressions of affection with their partner. Specifically, the majority of study participants reported an increase in the stimulating exchange of ideas with their partner. And, nearly half reported increased kissing and laughing as a result of improved sleep quality.
CONCLUSION: After participants switched to a different bed, they saw a significant improvement in their sleep quality, along with a reduction in aches and pains and the ability to fall asleep faster. Improved sleep quality led to other quality of life improvements including a decrease in food cravings and increased intimacy with their partner, among other things. The bed all participants switched to in the study was a Sleep Number bed.
