Scientists develop sleep-inducing mattress

According to circadian rhythms, human body temperature begins to drop when it's time to sleep. Based on that, a team of scientists at the University of Texas Austin developed a smart mattress that helps people fall asleep with promising results from preliminary testing. The new study was published in the journal Sleep Research on July 19.

The smart mattress helps to heat and cool the body parts in a certain arrangement, providing a good night's sleep. (Image: University of Texas Austin)

The mattress can trigger sleepiness in the user through carefully positioned cooling and heating elements. Lowering the body's internal temperature at night can signal to the body that it's time to sleep, but this needs to be done in a cautious and organized manner, the team said.

Dual-zone heating pads and warming pillows are designed to cool central areas of the body, while warming the hands, feet, and neck - important human thermal "regulators" . This promotes blood circulation and improves the body's heat dissipation, thereby regulating body temperature more efficiently.

"Notably , gentle warming along the cervical vertebrae is very effective in sending signals to the body to increase blood circulation to the hands and feet, thereby lowering core temperature and promoting sleep. This also causes blood pressure to drop slightly overnight, helping the cardiovascular system recover after stressful work to maintain blood circulation in daily activities. long-term," said study author Kenneth Diller.

The team of experts conducted a small test on two versions of the mattress with 11 volunteers, one using water and the other using air to control body temperature. Volunteers were asked to go to bed two hours earlier than usual. The team activated the cooling and heating functions on some nights. As a result, the cooling and heating function helped volunteers fall asleep about 58% faster than nights without activation, resulting in improved sleep quality.

The team looks forward to further developing smart mattresses by partnering with mattress companies to produce commercial versions. They have also filed a patent application for the new technology.