With Sleep Awareness Month in full swing, everyone here at Pillows.com has sleep on the brain even more than usual. (And that’s saying something because, as you know, we’re pretty passionate about the subject!) It’s true though: being in the business of sleep, we’re constantly staying on top of the latest sleep research and hunting for the newest and best products to add to our store, and this month is no exception.
As pillow and bedding experts, we think it’s important to discover everything there is to know about the products we sell. And if you’ve ever talked to one of our customer service reps on the phone, you know how much we love sharing everything we learn! So in the spirit of pillow education, we thought it was only fitting to kick off this month’s series of blog posts with a little history lesson: the history of the pillow. So lay back, fluff up your favorite pillow, and dive in!
Think your pillows are rock hard? Think again!
Believe it or not, humans have been using pillows since around 7,000 BC, or about 9,000 years. However, you probably wouldn’t want to use one of these ancient pillows today, as they were made of solid stone! Instead of enveloping your head in a soft cushion like the modern pillows we know and love, these “pillows” featured chiseled grooves for the sleeper’s head and neck to rest in.
Sounds uncomfortable, right?! It gets better. Because without one of these pillows to keep your head off the ground, you would have had to worry about bugs crawling in your hair, mouth, nose, and ears as you slept. Talk about a rock and a hard place! The number of pillows a person owned was also symbolic of his or her social status. (So we like to think that much hasn’t changed!)
Ancient Mesopotamian pillow via hankeringforhistory.com
As it turns out, pillow technology didn’t improve much in the 5,000 years between 7,000 BC and 2,000 BC. Like the Mesopotamians, the ancient Egyptians also had a penchant for hard pillows, sticking with stone and wood as their construction materials. Unlike their Mesopotamian predecessors, however, they weren’t even intended for living people! Instead of using them for sleeping or bug protection at night, ancient Egyptians really only used these pillows to prop up the heads of the deceased after death, as they believed the head to be sacred.
Hard pillows were also all the rage in ancient China. (Like parachute pants and mullets, we’re seriously hoping this isn’t a trend that makes a comeback.) The ancient Chinese version of this torture comfort device consisted of a range of materials including bamboo, jade, porcelain, wood, and bronze. In addition to being hard and unforgiving, they were also highly decorative. But instead of using pillowcases like we do today to protect and adorn their pillows (microfiber, anyone?), they usually covered them in carefully painted designs.
Ancient Chinese Pillow via ancient-chinese-porcelain.com
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the first soft pillow!
It wasn’t until the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations came along that humanity first discovered the pure joy that is resting your head on a nice, soft pillow. In addition to feathers, these ancient Greek and Roman pillows were also stuffed with reeds and straw. (While a vast improvement over stone and wood, we’d obviously recommend down or advanced synthetic fibers as filling instead of the reeds and straw, but who are we to judge?!) Like the Mesopotamians, ancient Greeks and Romans also saw pillows as a status symbol, and they even borrowed the practice of putting them under the heads of deceased loved ones from the ancient Egyptians.
While we have the ancient Greeks and Romans to thank for saving us from laying our heads on pillows made of stone, it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that modern pillows began to really take shape. And the rest, as they say, is history!
The modern pillow—so many choices!
With so many different materials found in pillows today, choosing the right one to suit your sleep needs can almost be overwhelming! Luckily, that very process is the topic of our next Pillow Talk blog, so check back next week as we walk you through the details! And if you can’t wait that long, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-720-6973 to talk to one of our bedding experts personally. We’d be happy to guide you!
Until next time: sleep well, live well, and be well!
Disclaimer: This sleep tracking study was conducted by the Pillows.com staff and volunteers. This study was not conducted by a sleep research team or sleep scientists. The Pillows.com staff is passionate about discovering new methods and products to help people sleep better and improve their overall health and life.
Purpose:
At Pillows.com we are constantly researching and keeping up with the latest sleep trends in order to help people achieve the best sleep possible. As many of you know, there is a lot of buzz right now about sleep tracking devices and how they can monitor your sleep cycle to help you better understand the quality of your sleep. With so many devices out there, how are people supposed to know which one is the most accurate at tracking? Well, we took it upon ourselves to put on a fun experiment so that we can help answer that question!
The purpose of this study was to determine which popular sleep tracking device is the most accurate at monitoring movement while you sleep, which is a determinant in analyzing quality of sleep. When we conducted the study we also took a subjective approach and reviewed each app based on how user friendly the apps were as well as how insightful the data and reports were.
The Study
In order to determine which app was objectively most accurate at monitoring movement, we had a volunteer, Max M., act as the sleeper and a Pillows.com team member, Chelsea Duckham., Director of Marketing, act as an observer. The participant (Max) wore three different sleep tracking devices and slept next to two phones with sleep apps for 3 nights. All of the apps/devices were activated for the entirety of the study. In addition, he slept in front of a video camera that visually recorded his sleep movement. Every morning Chelsea observed his movements via the video recording and compared it to the sleep monitoring data from the tracking devices. The above graph compares the sleep tracking devices’ data to Chelsea’s observations of movement from the video. Chelsea also recorded her opinions and reviewed the apps’ usability and reports/data.
Sleep Tracking Devices
Screen shot of observed video footage
Observer’s findings and review of sleeping tracking devices
How to use the sleep tracking graph: Compare the different sleep tracking devices to the observed movement that was noted in the video by clicking on the device name in the legend. Hover over the observed movement (dark grey dots on the graph) for more detail on the extent of movement. Each day is separated in different tabs.
Standards for data analysis: Movement measurement findings, review of user interface, and review of detailed reporting/data. We classified movement calibration by minor (scratching nose, adjusting bedding), moderate (adjusting sleep position), and extensive (sleeper participant is awake).
Fitbit Flex: This tracking device is a wearable wrist band and has a sleep tracking element to it. The app claims to measure your sleep quality by tracking how many times you woke up and how long you slept. This data is supposed to help you learn how to sleep more soundly. Wristband also includes a silent sleep alarm to gently wake sleeper.
movement measurement: There was only a few instances that Fitbit did not pick up on movement in some way, and the movement it did not pick up was always very minor ( He re adjusted his position on the same side, scratched his nose, etc). There was even a time on June 5th where he stretched, which caused moderate movement and Fitbit was the only device that tracked this movement. The movement was seen as “restless” or “awake” in the app and it even did a good job at recording how long he was restless or awake for.
user interface: The user interface was very unique. It was the only app that summarized the total time that he was restless or moving in the night. The app is interactive where you can touch the “restless” points in the chart to see the time frame of restless or awake. However, sometimes it was a bit finicky and I could not pull up the exact time.
Fit Bit – graph with touch capabilities
detailed reporting: I like how the app described his movement as “restless” since it’s a very accurate description of his movement. Sometimes awake and restless were interchangeable from my video observations. The app doesn’t include anything regarding sleep cycles or phases, which I think is helpful in understanding your sleep quality.
Jawbone Up
The Jawbone UP is also a wearable wristband that tracks daily activity along with sleep. The app tracks hours slept, light sleep vs. deep sleep, awake time, and overall sleep quality. Up wristband also has a smart alarm that wakes the sleeper at an optimal time.
movement measurement: UP categorized sleep movement as light sleep and wake. When I compared Up to the video, I noticed that moderate to extensive movements were marked as transitions from deep sleep to light sleep. All movement from slight to extensive was recorded as light sleep. There were a few instances of moderate movement (e.g. adjusted blanket, sits halfway up, etc) where UP recorded his movement as sound asleep.
user interface: The user interface includes a graph that is also interactive. You can touch one of the sleep phases recorded in the graph (wake, light or sound) and it will give you detail on time. I really liked how the app also includes how long it took the sleeper to fall asleep.
detailed reporting: The only thing that I didn’t really like about categorizing the movement as light sleep, deep sleep, or wake is that it seemed a little too general and not detailed enough to my liking. The app didn’t take into account the range of his movement and how this could indicate his overall sleep quality.
**Winner for user interface
Pebble Watch With Sleep By Android
This specific sleep tracker was a combination device and phone app. The Pebble Watch is a customizable watch that syncs with apps and has the ability to track movement. The Pebble Watch can track a sleeper’s movement and then syncs with the app, Sleep By Android, where the data is analyzed.
movement measurement: Movement was tracked in both a time linear graph and bar graph that tracked sleep phases. The Pebble Watch With Sleep By Android (PW) was extremely accurate and showed at least some calibration of movement for every time the participant moved.
user interface:The user interface was slightly confusing and it was not interactive. However, this means that the two graphs were the main focus, which I think is necessary since they provide you valuable information. You can also compare different nights of the linear movement graph.
detailed reporting: THIS is the kind of detailed reporting that I’ve been waiting for. I love how the app tracks everything that is important in sleep tracking and displays it in two simple graphs. This app is the only one that included the REM (rapid eye movement) which is essential when determining sleep quality. The reports also allowed you to compare graphs over multiple nights so that you can get a better understanding of your overall sleep quality over a period of time.
** Winner for movement measurement (most accurate)
Sleep Cycle – IOS
Sleep Cycle is an app that acts as a bio alarm clock that tracks your movement and then determines which sleep phase you are in. The alarm will wake the sleeper up during their lightest sleep phase. The sleeper sleeps with their phone tucked between their sheet and mattress.
movement measurement: Sleep Cycle tracked movement via a linear graph. The app was accurate and documented the sleeper’s movement and how this correlated with falling in and out of the sleep stages. During the study, there was only one major movement where Sleep Cycle did not indicate anything that summarized this movement.
user interface: The user interface is very intuitive and simple. After three nights, you have the ability to view more detailed reporting by turning the phone to the side. There is no interactive element. The smart alarm is a nice touch since it gently wakes up the sleeper in a given time frame (30 minutes, etc).
detailed reporting: I really liked Sleep Cycle’s reporting and especially how the app classifies movement as awake, sleep, and deep sleep. The graph makes it easy to show how long you spent in deep sleep and the peaks of movement that brought the sleeper into different stages. The app gives you more insight on your overall quality of sleep the more you use it. I liked this detail reporting the best since it was clean, simple, and gave you all the necessary info.
After 3 nights, the app includes more detailed reports on sleep quality (percentage), sleep quality per day of the week, time in bed per day of the week, bedtime, and activity (steps), effect on sleep quality.
** Winner for detailed reporting
Sleep Cycle Reporting – Night 1
Sleep Bot – Android
Sleep Bot is also a phone app that tracks sleep movement and uses that information to trigger the smart alarm to wake the sleeper.
movement measurement: Sleep Bot was not as accurate as the other apps used in our study. The first night, the app was the least accurate and barely recorded any movement. The 2nd and 3rd night saw some improvement where the app did record extensive movement and some minor movement.
Sleep Bot – Night 1Sleep Bot – Night 3
user interface:The interface was simple and only really displayed the graph of movement, how long the sleeper was in bed, and sleep time. There was no interactive element.
Reporting/Data: I liked how Sleep Bot clearly reported movement and the graph included low, medium, and high movement. The app was also the only linear graph that included detailed time ranges in the graph. The app did not mention any sleep phases, which could help users understand the correlation between movement and quality of sleep.
Study Conclusion
Although three days is a brief time period in which to conduct a sleep study, it was long enough to give us a look into the world of sleep devices and sleep technology. Variables such as age, health, exercise habits, eating habits, etc should all be taken into account when evaluating your sleep needs. Sleep devices are not guaranteed to automatically improve your sleep; however, they can help to give you a better understanding of your sleep patterns. Evaluating this information and adjusting your daily habits can greatly improve your quality of sleep.
Furthermore, quality of sleep is just as important, if not more, than quantity, which is what these sleep devices aim to do. On a given day, keeping track of what you eat, how much you exercise, and how you feel can give you much insight into what’s most conducive for your sleep. No one knows you better than you, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sleep. Focus on maintaining a regular schedule and consistency, as the human body likes predictability. The amount of money you want to spend and the amount of data you desire will ultimately determine which device/app you choose to purchase. If you do choose to use these sleep apps, or any others, use them in a manner that helps you to be more attuned to your body and overall health.
With Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, many of you will soon have a house filled with family and friends. This also means that you may need to make additional household purchases to accommodate the added company. For most of us, a house filled with holiday guests often means a lack of SPACE and too much to keep track of. However, there are a few steps that you can take to maximize the space you have, avoid over-clutter, and focus your energy on preparing the perfect turkey.
Fill the coat closet with hangers or purchase a coat rack – This is a rather simple and perhaps obvious suggestion but, if you’ve ever had to store coats on a bed, couch, or other not so convenient area, then you can definitely relate.
Stock up the bathroom – You know the hotel amenities, i.e. soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc, that you’ve been collecting for…YEARS?! This is where they come in handy. Guests, or perhaps just me, are notorious for forgetting their bathroom necessities, so setting any extra out in advance will save you time from having to dig for them when your guests arrive.
Put extra pillows in the guest bedrooms – If you’ve ever stayed at someone’s house without having your own pillow, you know how lonely it can be. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but the relationship between your own bed and pillow is likely a special one. But accommodating someone’s sleep needs doesn’t have to be expensive. There are a variety of high quality pillows that can be purchased without breaking the bank. You might want to purchase a night light or two while you’re at it, for those late not bathroom trips that might catch your guests by surprise.
Load the kitchen with snacks – Is it just me, or is there something about the holidays that just makes everyone hungrier? (I won’t be offended if it’s just me). But seriously what would the holidays be without people perusing through the kitchen looking for anything and everything that’s edible? (That’s a rhetorical question). Having goodies that people can munch on throughout the day will not only make you more loveable, it will hopefully reduce the traffic jam in your oh-so-precious cooking space. P.S. Don’t forget to purchase a few special goodies, i.e. hot cocoa, for any children that may be present.
Set out extra hand towels – Guests tend to go through paper towels at a rapid rate. So, to keep from spending a small fortune, consider having a surplus of hand towels to accommodate the excess hand washing that should be taking place. (It’s cold and flu season, so it should definitely be taking place). They’re available fairly inexpensively on Amazon.
Take a deep breath and relax – No one scrutinizes your house as much as YOU. (Well, maybe your mother-in-law does, but we didn’t want to bring her up). People visit to enjoy quality time and be with the ones they love. Don’t forget that.
Anticipating your guests needs will give you more time to enjoy their company and worry about making sure your pumpkin pies are better than Grandma Betty’s (Although Grandma Betty makes amazing pumpkin pies). But what are the holidays without a little bit of friendly competition, right?
