Abstract
(1) Objective: Sleep problems have become one of the current serious public health issues. The purpose of this research was to construct an ideal pressure distribution model for head and neck support through research on the partitioned support surface of a pillow in order to guide the development of ergonomic pillows. (2) Methods: Seven typical memory foam pillows were selected as samples, and six subjects were recruited to carry out a body pressure distribution experiment. The average value of the first 10% of the samples in the comfort evaluation was calculated to obtain the relative ideal body pressure distribution matrix. Fuzzy clustering was performed on the ideal matrix to obtain the support surface partition. The ideal body pressure index of each partition was calculated, and a hierarchical analysis of each partition was then performed to determine the pressure sensitivity weight of each partition. Using these approaches, the key ergonomic node coordinates of the partitions of four different groups of people were extracted. The ergonomic node coordinates and the physical characteristics of the material were used to design a pillow prototype. Five subjects were recruited for each of the four groups to repeat the body pressure distribution experiment to evaluate the pillow prototype. (3) Results: An ideal support model with seven partitions, including three partitions in the supine position and four partitions in the lateral position, was constructed. The ideal body pressure distribution matrix and ideal body pressure indicators and pressure sensitivity weights for each partition were provided. The pillow that was designed and manufactured based on this model reproduced the ideal pressure distribution matrix evaluated by various groups of people. (4) Conclusion: The seven-partition ideal support model can effectively describe the head and neck support requirements of supine and lateral positions, which can provide strong support for the development of related products.
Highlights
According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization, the incidence of insomnia among Chinese nationals is as high as 38%
This paper proposes a head and neck support model with partitioned matching based on the body pressure distribution matrix
The similarity with the ideal body pressure distribution matrix canmatrix effectively characterize the comfort evaluation ideal body pressure to a certain extent. distribution matrix can effectively characterize the comfort evaluation to a certain ideal pressure distribution matrix can be divided by the fuzzy clustering
Summary
According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization, the incidence of insomnia among Chinese nationals is as high as 38%. Studies have shown that a comfortable sleeping pillow can relax the neck muscles to help people fall asleep and effectively reduce pain in the neck, shoulders, back, and head [3]. Current research on the comfort of supporting surfaces mainly focuses on the sitting posture, and relatively few studies have examined the lying posture. The human body can assume many different positions while lying down, and the curvature of the contact support surface changes greatly among these positions, so the support requirements for the head and neck in these positions are significantly different [4]. The supporting surface is in contact with the human head and neck area, and the subcutaneous physiological structure is complex, so different regions of the area have different sensitivity to pressure. Due to the relative relaxation of muscles and brain during sleep, electromyogram (EMG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) are not strong indications of comfort
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
