Effects of truss mattress upon sleep and bed climate

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a truss mattress upon sleep and bed climate. The truss mattress which has been designed to decrease the pressure and bed climate humidity was tested. Six healthy female volunteers with a mean age of 23.3 years, served as subjects. The experiment was carried out under two conditions: a truss mattress (T) and a futon (F) (Japanese bedding). The ambient temperature and relative humidity were controlled at 19-20 degrees C, and RH 50-60% respectively. Sleep was monitored by an EEG machine and the rectal temperature, skin temperature and bed climate were also measured continuously. Subjective evaluations of bed and sleep were obtained before and after the recording sessions. No significant difference was observed in the sleep parameters and time spent in each sleep stage. Rectal temperature was significantly lower in T than F. Although there was no significant difference in bed climate over the T/F, the temperature under T/F was significantly higher in T. No significant difference was observed in subjective sleep evaluation. The subjective feeling of the mattress was significantly warmer in F than T before sleep. These results suggest that although T does not disturb the sleep parameters and the bed climate is maintained at the same level as with F, it may affect rectal temperature which can be due to low thermal insulation.