Relationship Between Sleep, Bed, and Health
Modern-day mankind is subject to the influences and circumstances that ever increasingly threaten the undisturbed order of sleep. This subject is thus receiving ever more attention by the medical profession. Research results at the Institut Proschlaf in the Salzburg Medical Center show that the quality of sleep at night is directly related to the physical environment. This refers to the mattress and pillow. Negative influences of a physical nature not only cause sleep to be interrupted and thus be substantially disturbed, they also put additional strain on body parts such as the discs, muscles and ligaments. This can have a significant, negative impact on the comfort and well-being that in turn affects a person's performance.
Left graphic shows the sleep architecture of human beings as it should look. In 8 hours of sleep, we spend the first half primarily in deep sleep, then our brain switches to longer REM sleep phases. this tells us that deep sleep is the more important phase since Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is produced in that period. HGH is responsible for growth and division of our body cells as well as four their rejuvenation process.
Right graphic shows the sleep architecture when sleep is disrupted. So called "arousals from sleep" interrupt the deep sleep phase which causes fragmentation of the sleep cycle. Since the deep sleep phases has to start again, valuable time is lost. If this happens too frequently, deep sleep and REM sleep will be reduced to an insufficient level not allowing the body and mind to be rejuvenated, even though people think they have slept all night since short interruptions are not remembered.
