Contoured Sleep Surface for Side-Sleeper Spinal Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sleeping on a flat mattress can lead to spine misalignment, causing discomfort and potential injury to vertebrae disks, back muscles, and ligaments, as well as reduced circulation and exacerbated nasal and sinus congestion, especially during recovery from illness or injury.
Innovation Solution
A contoured sleep system with a trunk rest and head rest that includes a cavity for the lower arm, hip concavity, and leg channel to align the spine along the Sagittal plane, reducing compression of vertebrae disks and improving circulation and sinus drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a person sleeps on a flat mattress, then the sleeping surface is simple and comfortable, but the spine becomes misaligned causing back pain and potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress incorporates curved contours including a head contour, shoulder contour, and hip contour that follow the natural curvature of the human body. These curved surfaces support the spine in proper alignment while maintaining sleeping comfort, resolving the contradiction between simple flat surface comfort and spinal alignment.
2Ease of operation
If a person sleeps on their arm to support their head, then head support is provided, but circulation is hindered causing numbness and pain
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress design extracts the head support function from the arm by providing a dedicated head contour and cavity structure. The cavity specifically accommodates the lower arm in a neutral position, removing the arm from its harmful role as head support and eliminating the circulation problems it causes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the spine is not aligned along the Sagittal plane during sleep, then the sleeping position may be varied, but discomfort increases and injury to vertebrae disks, muscles, and ligaments may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress applies different contour characteristics to different body regions: a head contour for head support, a shoulder contour for shoulder alignment, and a hip contour for hip support. Each local region provides specialized support that collectively maintains overall spinal alignment along the Sagittal plane while allowing natural position variations.
4Device complexity
If a person sleeps on a flat mattress, then the mattress structure is simple, but nasal and sinus congestion is exacerbated and acid reflux is more damaging
Solution Approach 1:
The elevated head contour creates a gentle incline that uses gravity to facilitate sinus drainage and prevent acid reflux, addressing respiratory and digestive issues without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms. The curved surface provides this physiological benefit while maintaining relatively simple mattress construction.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for facilitating spinal alignment is disclosed. The contoured sleep system facilitates alignment of a person's spine along the Sagittal plane when laying in a sleep-on-side position. An exemplary contoured sleep system has a trunk rest having a trunk rest surface and a trunk rest face.