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. 2019 Jan 25;7:e6364. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6364

Table 1. Selection of subjects and mattress samples in the reviewed articles.

Author (Year) Subjects Exclusion criteria Sleeping posture Mattress characteristics Manufacturer
Chen et al. (2014) 16 healthy males aged 20–45 Sleep disorders, vital signs beyond the normal range Supine
Lateral

  1. Plank springs

  2. With supporting layer and pillow top made of palm fiber

  3. 3D structure made of foam rubber and plant fiber, with supporting layer, intermediate layer finely fitting the shape of the human body, and pillow top

  4. Independent springs

 (1)–(4) DaZiRan Science and Technology Ltd., Guizhou, China
Denninger, Martel & Rancourt (2011) Three subjects (1F/2M) with NS age NS Lateral Custom-made mattress consisted of rows and columns of PU foam (extra-firm Q41) cubes with hollow ellipsoidal cavities. Cube dimensions were customized according to spinal curvature and body weight portion NA
Deun et al. (2012) 11 healthy subjects (5F/6M) aged 20–28, mean age = 21.2 ± 3.2 Medical conditions interfering with normal sleep, back pain, intake of sleep medications No control, postures were detected and estimated Dynasleep, mattress equipped with indentation sensors and adaptive actuator spring pockets

  1. Actuator inactive

  2. Actuator active, induced different stiffness in eight zones to optimize spinal curvature based on the results of indentation measurements

 Custom8, Leuven, Belgium
Esquirol Caussa et al. (2017) First pilot test: six subjects, age/gender NS; Second pilot test: 50 subjects (28F/22M) aged 18–93, mean = 34.2;
Final study: 151 subjects (60F/91M) aged 4–94, mean = 34.43;
Re-analysis study: 117 subjects (75F/42M), aged 4–93, mean = 33.82		 NS Supine Five types of mattresses (DORMITY®):

  1. Soft, density = 2.75 kPa*

  2. Neutral/soft, density = 3.0 kPa

  3. Neutral, density = 3.3 kPa

  4. Neutral/hard, density = 3.8 kPa

  5. Hard, density = 4.4 kPa


Three types of toppers (DORMITY®):

  1. Soft, density = 1.1 kPa

  2. Medium, density = 1.6 kPa

  3. Hard, density = 2.1 kPa


Three types of pillows of different densities (45 combinations)		 Dormity.com, Barcelona, Spain
Lee et al. (2015) 10 healthy subjects (5F/5M), age mean = 29.1 ± 3.2 Any skin or musculoskeletal disorders affecting supine position;pain in the measuring site Supine Subjects’ existing mattress NA
Lee et al. (2016) 10 healthy subjects (5F/5M), age mean = 29.1 ± 3.2 Any skin or musculoskeletal disorders affecting supine position;pain in the measuring site Supine

  1. Floor

  2. Mattress

  1. NA

  2. NS
Leilnahari et al. (2011) 25 male students, age: NS Spinal deformities Lateral

  1. Soft mattress (polyurethane foam and a layer of memory foam

  2. Firm mattress

  3. Custom-made mattress with different regional stiffness based on neutral spine alignment predicted by the musculoskeletal model. The mattress was made of a combination of PU and spiral pressure springs with different wire diameters

  1. NS

  2. NS

  3. NA
López-Torres et al. (2008) 19 young subjects (9F/10M), age mean = 28 ± 3 (F); 26 ± 3 (M),
56 elderly subjects (34F/22M), age mean = 67 ± 5 (F); 70 ± 6 (M)		 NS A three-step testing procedure:

  1. seated position

  2. supine

  3. roll onto one side

 Four mattresses were selected from 17 samples to cover the full range of firmness NS
Low et al. (2017) 20 young healthy subjects (10F/10M), age: NS Back, shoulder or neck pain in the past month Supine
Lateral
Prone

  1. Delight, latex foam mattress

  2. Masterfoam 1000, high-density PU foam mattress

  1. Sofzsleep, Singapore

  2. Masterfoam, Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Palmero et al. (2017) 200 subjects (128F/72M) aged 4–93, mean = 33.82 ± 23.02 NS Supine Intermediate density mattress NS
Park, Kim & Kim (2009) 64 healthy subjects (35F/29M) aged 25–50 NS Supine
Lateral
Prone		 Adjustable bed system with eight sectors that allowed the sector height to be controlled by subjects to achieve the most comfortable feeling

  1. without adjustment

  2. with adjustment

 NA
Verhaert et al. (2011) 17 healthy subjects (8F/9M), age mean = 24.3 ± 7.1 Insomnia, medical problems that interfere with normal sleep, back pain No control, biomechanical measurement on lateral posture only Dynasleep, mattress equipped with indentation sensors and adaptive actuator spring pockets

  1. Actuator active, induced different stiffness in eight zones to optimize spinal curvature based on the results of indentation measurements

  2. Manually adjust the actuator to simulate a sagging support (high stiffness at shoulder zone, low stiffness at the waist and hip zones)

 Custom8, Leuven, Belgium
Verhaert et al. (2012a) 65 subjects (33F/32M), age mean: 27.3 ± 11.5
Validation: subgroup of 20 subjects (8F/12M), age mean: 22.9 ± 3.8		 NS Supine
Lateral
Prone		 Dynasleep, mattress equipped with indentation sensors and adaptive actuator spring pockets

  1. actuator active, induced different stiffness in eight zones according to anthropometric measurements and BMI

  2. manually adjust the actuator to simulate a sagging support

 Custom8, Leuven, Belgium
Verhaert et al. (2012b) 18 subjects (9F/9M), age mean = 28.5 ± 4.7 NS Lateral Three types of bed base

  1. Homogeneous box-spring

  2. Multi-zone slatted base

  3. Multi-zone mesh base


Three types of mattress

  1. Multi-zone pocket spring mattress

  2. Multi-zone latex mattress

  3. Homogeneous PU foam mattress (nine combinations)

 NS
Verhaert et al. (2013) 18 subjects (8F/10M), age mean = 31.3 ± 14.3
Field study: 12 subjects (6F/6M), age mean = 38.7 ± 23.4		 Medical problems that interfere with normal sleep, back pain, sleep medications, antidepressants No control, postures were detected and estimated in system configuration;
six sets of postures in a field study (supine, left/right lateral, prone, intermediate left/right)		 Dynasleep mattress equipped with indentation sensors and adaptive actuator spring pockets Custom8, Leuven, Belgium
Wu, Yuan & Li (2018) 17 healthy subjects (4F/13M), age mean: 34.9 ± 9.7 Backache in the last 10 days, any spinal deformations Supine

  1. Palm fiber

  2. Bilayer, upper layer: latex, lower layer: palm fiber


Palm fiber, Young’s modulus
E = 46.73 ± 5.72 kPa.
Latex, hyperelastic Ogden’s parameter, μ = 1.28 ± 0.13 kPa, α = 4.175 ± 0.885, β = 0.314 ± 0.048

  1. Guizhou Nature Technology Co., Ltd., Guiyang, China

  2. NS
Yoshida, Kamijo & Shimizu (2012) 14 male college students aged 21–24
Finite element model: three subjects were picked from the pool to form the best body dimension coverage		 NS Supine Four types of pocket coil mattress with

  1. E = 14.0 kPa

  2. E = 11.4 kPa

  3. E = 9.6 kPa

  4. E = 6.0 kPa

 NS
Zhong et al. (2014) Nine females classified into three groups (n = 3) based on BMI Diagnosed musculoskeletal pathology Supine A total of 14 mattresses formed by the different combination of regional stiffness in five zones using six types of spring stiffness. The mattress consisted of a superficial layer of PU foam and a core layer composed of rows of pocketed springs. NA

Notes:

M, male; F, female; BMI, body-mass index; PU, polyurethane; NA, not applicable; NS, not specified.

*

The authors used the unit of kPa to describe the density of the sleeping support without justification.