The Science

Many claims and bed descriptions made by manufacturers and retailers about their beds’ supportive and pressure reducing qualities are often misleading and sometimes simply untrue.

In this study well-known brands; Sleepmaker Classic Miracoil 5 zone Mattress, Sealy Posturepedic Prestige, Simmons Beauty Rest, Tempur-pedic and others have been tested to determine which mattress types are most effective at:

⦁ Reducing peak pressure points, particularly at hips and shoulders.
⦁ Providing increased support in the lower back
⦁ Improving spinal posture

Correct support contributes to improved spinal alignment. Poor posture during bed rest/sleep contributes to deterioration of health. This study tested the use of a conventional bed system (offering no variable support) and a bed system which offers variable support (Ergolife Zero Stress).

The Results showed the following benefits of a bed system with variable support:

⦁ Decrease in “disc wedging” demonstrating less tension and compression at those levels. Decreased spinal rotation.

 ⦁ Improved spinal alignment closer to the ‘zero stress’ posture.

The study supports the hypothesis of Professor Haritos from a leading Melbourne University “No mattress/bed construction with a flat surface and near uniform firmness can by itself be capable of supporting the human body in a near orthopedically correct (zero stress) posture.”

The results of the study showed the supportive materials used in mattress/bed construction must be able to:

⦁ Support the body continuously along the many curves of the body with a force equal to and opposite to the weight of the body at each point (Newton’s 3rd Law).
⦁ The shape taken by the compressed mattress must correspond exactly to the shape of the particular body that is being supported if we are to prevent distortion.

Dohrmann Consulting (ergonomics and safety consultants) were engaged by Ergonomic Life International to provide an independent opinion regarding the ergonomic characteristics a bed/mattress product should possess, and to undertake an independent ergonomics assessment of a range of designs.

Based on this assessment, the ergonomic principles of a neutral position of the spinal column, thus reducing the strain, is ideally achieved through a bed/mattress system which can be adjusted to accommodate the variation of weight as well as the shoulder, waist and hip dimensions of each individual. This adjustment should also be applied to each side of the bed. Two of the Ergolife products achieved this.