Engineers Develop Unique Mattress And Pillow System That Tricks People To Fall Asleep Faster

Researchers explained this new mattress stimulates the body to trigger the sleepy feeling, helping people fall asleep faster. 

Advertisement
By Bhavya Sukheja | Updated: 25 July 2022 17:38 IST
Engineers Develop Unique Mattress And Pillow System That Tricks People To Fall Asleep Faster

The team is seeking partnerships with companies to commercialise it. (Unsplash/Representative Photo)

A unique mattress and pillow system that uses heating and cooling to trick the human body into sleeping has been developed by engineers in the United States. 

Sleep is possible when the body temperature declines at night as part of the 24-hour cycle. Therefore, researchers explained this new mattress stimulates the body to trigger the sleepy feeling, helping people fall asleep faster and improving the quality of sleep. 

"We facilitate the readiness to fall asleep by manipulating internal body temperature-sensitive sensors to briefly adjust the thermostat of the body so it thinks the temperature is higher than it actually is," said Shahab Haghayegh, a study co-author and a research fellow at Harvard Medical School. 

As per a study published in the Journal of Sleep Research, scientists said that the mattress targets the skin on the neck with a warming pillow as this part of the body is an important bodily thermostat for humans. The mattress is designed to simultaneously cool the central areas of the body while heating up the neck, hands and feet in order to increase blood flow to dissipate body heat. 

Advertisement

Also Read | Airline Reveals World-First Bunk Beds For Economy Class On Long-Haul Flights

The researchers experimented with two versions of the mattress: one that uses water and another that uses air to manipulate the core body temperature. As per the study, they tested the unique mattresses with 11 subjects, asking them to go to the bed two hours earlier than usual, some nights using the cooling-warming functions of the mattresses and other nights not. 

Advertisement

The team found that the warming and the cooling-warming mattress helped them fall asleep faster - approximately 58% faster compared with nights when they did not use the function. They explained that lowering the internal body temperature significantly not only shortened the time required to fall asleep but also resulted in a significantly improved quality of sleep. 

"It is remarkable how effective gentle warming along the cervical spine is in sending a signal to the body to increase blood flow to the hands and feet to lower the core temperature and precipitate sleep onset," said Kenneth Diller, another study co-author. 

Advertisement

Also Read | World's Most Expensive Pillow Costs Nearly ₹ 45 Lakh, Here's Why

"This same effect also enables the blood pressure to fall slightly overnight, with the benefit of allowing the cardiovascular system to recover from the stress of maintaining blood flow during daily activities, which is highly important for long-term health," he added. 

Now, as per the study, the team has a patent for the cooling-warming mattress and pillow technology and is seeking partnerships with companies to commercialise it. 

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: mattress, pillow, US
Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Nothing Phone 3 Renders Leaked Ahead of July 1 Launch
  2. Vivo X200 FE India Launch Teased; Key Specifications Revealed
  3. Samsung Galaxy M36 5G Launched in India: Price, Specifications
  4. Samsung Galaxy M36 5G Launching Today: All You Need to Know
  5. Redmi K Pad With 8.8-Inch Display, 7,500mAh Battery Unveiled: See Details
  6. OTT Releases of the Week: Squid Game S3, Raid 2, Panchayat S4, and More
  7. Xiaomi's Pad 7S Pro With Xring O1 Processor Launched: All Details
  8. Apple Starts Working on Official Support for Its Swift Language on Android
  1. James Webb Telescope Captures First Direct Image of Saturn-Mass Exoplanet
  2. James Webb Telescope Detects Methanol and Ethanol Near Young Stars, Hinting at Life’s Origins
  3. Rubin Observatory Captures Distant Nebulae From Chilean Mountaintop
  4. Apple to Expand Swift Language Support to Android; Sets Up Android Working Group
  5. FBC: Firebreak Has Crossed One Million Players, Remedy Confirms
  6. Two Spacecraft Recreate Artificial Solar Eclipses to Observe the Sun’s Superhot Corona
  7. Honor Magic V5's Periscope Telephoto Camera Teased Ahead of July 2 Launch
  8. Breakthrough Laser Tech Enhances LiDAR Accuracy and Gas Detection
  9. Canva Launches Deep Research Connector with ChatGPT, Introduces New Open MCP Server
  10. Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Said to Offer More RAM; iPhone 17 Lineup May Get 12GB RAM
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.