St. John’s Medical Plaza Sleep Disorders Center
November 2009
We ran a pilot study to compare the effects of using the Pillo 1 versus a standard store-bought pillow on various objective measures of sleep:
We recruited six healthy subjects (3 male, 3 female), ages 18-65 years, who were not known to suffer from any sleep disorders or neck/back conditions, and who scored within the normal range on a standard (Epworth) sleepiness questionnaire.
These subjects were randomized into one of two groups: one group received the standard store-bought pillow first, and took it home to use for 6 nights. They then came into the sleep laboratory on night number seven, and underwent overnight polysomnography (a sleep study which uses various electrodes attached to the body to measure various parameters, including: body position, brain waves, eye movements, and muscle tone, throughout the entire night) while using the pillow.
[Subjects] were then sent home for 6 nights with the Pillo1, and returned on the seventh for another polysomnogram, using the Pillo 1. The other group was evaluated in the reverse order (with the Pillo 1 first, and the standard store-bought pillow second).
The sleep study data was analyzed by a registered polysomnographic technician and board-certified sleep specialist, who were both blinded to the type of pillow used during each of the two studies.
The results (expressed as mean [± standard error of the mean]) demonstrated that, compared to the standard “store-bought” pillow, the use of the Pillo 1 was associated with: 2.0 minutes [± 6.8] shorter latency to sleep onset, 3.6 minutes [± 5.7] shorter latency to persistent sleep, 23.75 minutes [± 23.6] shorter latency to enter REM sleep, 16.5 minutes [± 4.4] more time spent in REM sleep, and 56 minutes [± 36.4] more time spent in supine sleep.
Latency to sleep onset is a measure of how long it takes for a person to fall asleep after the room lights are turned off.
Latency to persistent sleep is a similar measure that examines how long it takes (after lights are turned off) for a person to enter a more continuous period or deeper stage of sleep.
Latency to REM sleep measures how long it takes for a person to enter REM (or Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, a sleep stage that is thought to be important in restorative processes for the mind, and optimizing memory and cognitive functions.
The amount of time spent asleep in the supine position (laying on the back, face up) may relate to improved relaxation and lengthening of the spine, less facial pressure/wrinkle production, and improved support and anatomical correctness of the neck and head.
In relative terms, the findings reflect a 21% increase (94 min vs. 77.5 min) in time spent in REM sleep, and a 30% increase (242 min vs. 186 min) in time asleep in the supine position when using the Pillo1 versus the standard store-bought pillow. While larger studies are needed to determine the statistical significance of these findings, the results of this pilot study do suggest potentially beneficial aspects from the use of the Pillo 1 on a number of important aspects of sleep architecture and body position.