Abstract
Specific pillow use is a seldom studied or controlled factor in the setting of sleep disordered breathing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different pillows [own pillow (OP), memory foam pillow (MFP), generic laboratory pillow (LP)] on polysomnography (PSG)-derived parameters in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). Thirty-two consecutive patients with OSAS were randomly allocated into two groups with randomized pillow usage [Group A: 3 h with LP and 3 h with OP (Age: 53.8 ± 12.5 years, BMI: 32.1 ± 4.6 kg/m2); Group B: 3 h with LP and 3 h with MFP (Age: 52.0 ± 6.3 years, BMI: 30.6 ± 2.2 kg/m2)]. Statistically significant differences between pillow types were detected in desaturation index and heart rate. In Group B (with MFP), a statistically significant decrease of 47.0 ± 15.9% was observed in snoring events (p < 0.05) and 10.6 ± 6.7% in their duration (p < 0.05) compared to LP. On the other hand, group A with OP recorded a decrease of 29.1 ± 32.1% in snoring events and 32.5 ± 33.1% in duration, but these values were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) compared to LP. These findings indicate that pillow type and usage, often uncontrolled in OSAS studies (contribution to the field), may impact several PSG parameters and are related to a snoring subtype of the syndrome. Secondly, they indicate that a focus on the treatment of the snoring OSAS subtype warrants further dedicated investigation.
Highlights
Pillows affect sleep quality by maintaining the natural curvature of the spine, ensuring optimal sleep posture [1]
The group with the memory foam pillow (MFP) pillow showed higher values in Heart Rate (HR) during awakening phase and non-REM stage compared to the group with own pillow (OP) (p < 0.05)
Unlike Group A which demonstrated no statistical differences in snoring parameters, Group B recorded significantly lower number of snoring events by 47.0 ± 15.9 % (106.0 ± 17.8 vs. 55.8 ± 23.7 events, p = 0.002) and snoring duration by 10.6 ± 6.7% (42.2 ± 5.0 vs. 37.5 ± 3.7 min, p = 0.002) with MFP compared to laboratory pillow (LP)
Summary
Pillows affect sleep quality by maintaining the natural curvature of the spine, ensuring optimal sleep posture [1]. In patients with mild sleep-disordered breathing, optimal pillow usage may reduce snoring and improves sleep quality efficiency and, by extent, depth [2]. Previous studies on pillow usage are limited in number and focus on the role of cervical positional therapy, collectively reporting an improvement on snoring [6–9]. Previous research has suggested that the use of custom fitted pillows may represent an efficacious and cost-effective treatment option in mild to moderate OSAS [10], filling a niche where continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) would not be indicated [11]. Considering that pillow design can be guided [12, 13] to alleviate specific symptoms, an evaluation of pillow type impact on sleep health may be directly relevant to their efficacious implementation
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