We've all experienced the difference between a restless night and truly restorative sleep. But according to groundbreaking new research, how you sleep over time reveals far more about your overall health and well-being than you might think.
A study published this week in the journal PLOS Biology identified five distinct "sleep profiles" that affect everything from brain activity and mental health to cognition and daily functioning. The research, led by scientists at Concordia University, examined 770 healthy adults and found that sleep patterns are connected to biological, psychological, and even social factors in ways that traditional sleep medicine hasn't fully captured. Read the full NBC News article about this research here.
"People should treat their sleep seriously," says study co-author Valeria Kebets. "It affects everything in their daily functioning."
The Five Sleep Profiles
The researchers identified patterns that many of us will recognize in our own lives:
Profile 1: Poor Sleep and Mental Health - characterized by difficulty falling asleep, sleep disturbances, and connections to anxiety, depression, and negative emotions.
Profile 2: Sleep Resilience - people who experience daytime impairment and attention difficulties but don't report sleep problems, suggesting they may not realize their sleep quality is affected.
Profile 3: Sleep Aids and Sociability - individuals using sleep medications who reported strong social connections but showed reduced emotional recognition and memory performance.
Profile 4: Sleep Duration and Cognition - those sleeping fewer than six to seven hours nightly who demonstrated cognitive impacts, including worse problem-solving abilities.
Profile 5: Sleep Disturbances and Health Issues - people experiencing pain, breathing problems, temperature regulation issues, and multiple awakenings, along with substance use and cognitive challenges.
The important takeaway? You may fall into more than one profile over time. Stressful periods at work, life changes, or health issues can shift your sleep pattern and affect your well-being.
What This Means for Your Sleep Environment
While the study looked at the bigger picture of sleep health, one factor stood out clearly: your sleep environment matters. The research specifically noted that having "a safe, comfortable place to sleep" contributes to better sleep hygiene.
This is where your mattress becomes more than just furniture—it's a foundational component of your sleep profile.
Consider the physical comfort factors the researchers examined:
- How well your body can relax during sleep
- Whether you toss and turn throughout the night
- If you wake up with aches, pains, or stiffness
- How temperature affects your rest
A quality mattress directly impacts each of these factors. Proper support helps maintain natural spine alignment, allowing your body to truly relax rather than constantly adjusting position. Quality materials—like the 18 pounds of cotton upholstery (queen size) in our Orthos line—provide natural temperature regulation that prevents the overheating that disrupts sleep cycles. A well-constructed innerspring system reduces motion transfer, ensuring you and your partner don't disturb each other's sleep.
The Holistic Approach to Better Sleep
As Dr. Rafael Pelayo of Stanford University notes in the NBC article, "Sleep is a more complex issue than just how much time you spend in bed. If you can improve your sleep, it has downwind effects on your overall health—not just your mental health, but your physical health."
This research reinforces what we've always believed at the Original Mattress Factory: quality sleep requires a quality mattress. When you're shopping for a mattress, you're not just buying a place to lie down—you're investing in:
- Physical health through proper support and pressure relief
- Mental well-being by enabling the restorative sleep your brain needs
- Cognitive function that comes from consistent, quality rest
- Long-term health that sleep disturbances can compromise
Our two-sided mattresses, built locally in our own factories, are designed to maintain their support and comfort for years. We use natural materials like cotton for breathability and temperature regulation. We construct our innerspring systems to provide proper support without creating pressure points. These aren't marketing features—they're deliberate choices based on what truly matters for sleep quality.
Take Your Sleep Profile Seriously
The bottom line from this research, as Dr. Pelayo emphasizes, is hopeful: "Nobody should be condemned to sleep poorly the rest of their lives."
If you recognize yourself in any of these sleep profiles—particularly if you're waking up with pain, tossing and turning, or feeling tired despite spending enough time in bed—it may be time to evaluate your sleep surface.
You can't determine comfort and support from online descriptions. Everyone's body responds differently to different mattress types. What feels right for one person may be entirely wrong for another.
That's why we encourage you to visit one of our showrooms to truly test different mattress options. Lie down in your normal sleep position. Spend real time on each mattress. Feel the difference that quality construction and natural materials make.
Your sleep profile affects everything from your daily mood to your long-term health. Make sure your mattress is supporting—not undermining—the quality rest you need.
Visit your local Original Mattress Factory showroom to experience the difference quality construction makes in your nightly rest. Our sales associates can help you find the right support and comfort for your body's unique needs.
Written by: Chris Gardner, OMF Marketing
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