Contoured Side-Sleep Support With Arm Cavity for Spinal Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flat mattresses fail to align the spine properly during sleep, leading to discomfort, potential injury, and exacerbation of conditions like acid reflux and nasal congestion, due to uneven pressure distribution and lack of spinal alignment.
Innovation Solution
A contoured sleep system with a trunk rest and head rest that includes a cantilevered arm cavity to support the arm, reducing pressure on joints and allowing the spine to align along the Sagittal plane, thereby alleviating discomfort and improving circulation and respiratory functions.
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 cannot align properly causing back pain and potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress incorporates a contoured surface with specific curvatures designed to match the natural alignment of the human spine. The contour includes a cervical region curvature for the neck, a thoracic region curvature for the upper back, and a lumbar region curvature for the lower back, allowing the spine to maintain its natural S-shaped alignment during sleep.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the mattress surface have different firmness and curvature characteristics tailored to specific body parts. The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions each have optimized local properties to support corresponding spinal segments, while the shoulder and hip areas have modified zones to accommodate bony prominences and prevent pressure points.
2Ease of operation
If a person sleeps on their arm, then they can maintain side sleeping position, but circulation is hindered causing numbness and pain
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress design includes a dedicated arm support structure that acts as an intermediary between the arm and the main mattress surface. This arm cavity or recess provides a specialized support zone that elevates and cradles the arm, preventing direct compression of blood vessels and nerves while maintaining comfortable side sleeping position.
3Device complexity
If a person sleeps on a flat mattress, then the mattress structure is simple, but pressure distribution is uneven causing discomfort and injury
Solution Approach 1:
The contoured surface geometry creates varying pressure distribution across the mattress surface. The curved cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions naturally redirect pressure away from bony prominences and distribute it more evenly across softer tissue areas, reducing peak pressure points while maintaining structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for facilitating sleep is disclosed. Embodiments of the sleep system receive a person's lower arm in an arm cavity of a person laying in a sleep-on-side position. An exemplary sleep system has a trunk rest and head rest. Two separated cantilevered supports extending outwardly from the base portion of the head rest are in contact with and supported by a top edge of the trunk rest, thereby defining an arm aperture that receives the person's lower arm when laying in a sleep-on-side position. An arm cavity is defined by lower surfaces of the two cantilevered supports and a trunk rest cantilevered arm cavity surface that extends generally downward and inward.