The use of a new overlay mattress in patients with chronic pain: impact on sleep and self-reported pain

Objective: To evaluate the use of an air flotation mattress overlay in patients with chronic pain.

Design: Four-week prospective AB design.

Setting: The mattress overlay was used in a community setting.

Subjects: Adult patients attending an outpatients clinic in a department of rheumatology, with chronic pain plus sleep problems, or pain sufficient to disturb sleep.

Interventions: An inexpensive low-pressure inflatable mattress overlay (Repose^TM), which is readily portable and has no electrical supply, was introduced to the patients. They were encouraged to use the support surface every night.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was measured by self-reported changes in sleep quantity and frequency of sleep disturbance. Secondary outcomes were self-reported changes in pain and use of analgesia, verified by medical notes.

Results: Nineteen female patients (mean age 61 years) completed the study. At baseline, mean length of sleep time was 3.8 h, with mean of 4.9 interruptions of mean 25.3 min: week 4, mean sleep time = 6.4 h, with a mean of 2.3 interruptions for mean 14.2 min (all measures p < 0.001). At baseline, median pain during the day was 6 and at night-time was 7; by week 4 a reduction in pain was reported both for the day (median = 5) and the night (median = 5) (both p < 0.001). Thirteen patients reported a reduction in the use of analgesia during the study.

Conclusions: In this pilot study of a new mattress overlay, statistically significant improvements in sleep and pain were noted over a four-week period.