You spend about a third of your life in bed. But what if, for a huge chunk of that time, your body is in a hidden struggle you don't even know about?
We wanted to find out. So, we asked someone to sleep for 8 hours on three very different mattresses: a budget spring, an expensive latex, and the Huggah.
This wasn't about "how did it feel?" This was about data. On each mattress, we placed a Xsensor high-tech pressure mapping system with ca 2,000 sensors, recording what their body was really experiencing twice every second.
Spoiler alert: The results weren't what anyone expected. Especially about that expensive latex one.
The Science: What We Were Actually Measuring
Before we get to the results, you need to know about the magic number: ca 32 mmHg.
This is the "capillary closing pressure" - the medical “tipping point” where blood flow starts getting squeezed. Go above it for too long, and your body starts sending "please move" signals that pull you out of deep, restorative sleep.
Think of it as your body's complaint threshold. Below 32 mmHg, your body is quiet and resting. Above it, your body is working instead of resting.
Night One: The Spring Mattress (Constant Resistance)
The budget spring mattress, marketed for "firm support," was up first.
The data was immediate and clear. The pressure map lit up with bright red zones at the shoulders and hips and those hot spots didn't go away. The timeline showed prolonged periods, minutes at a stretch, where the participant's body was stuck in that high-pressure zone.
The Aha Moment: That "firm support" was actually resistance. The springs pushed back so hard, they created concentrated pressure points. The body's response? To toss, turn, and fight against the mattress all night long.
Night Two: The Latex Mattress (The Expensive Disappointment)
Next up was the premium latex mattress, costing 3-4 times more than the spring. And to be fair, it was better.
But here's what the data revealed: while it reduced the peak pressure, it couldn't eliminate the problem. The timeline, instead of showing long periods of discomfort, showed frequent, intermittent bursts where pressure spiked above 32 mmHg all night long. The pressure map was still yellow and orange at the hips and shoulders.
The Aha Moment: The latex was responsive, but it was still creating enough concentrated pressure to trigger those "please move" signals. For a premium price, it was just a less annoying version of the same fundamental issue. Expensive doesn't automatically mean better.
Night Three: The Huggah (When the Fighting Stops)
Finally, our participant slept on the Huggah, made with Zetic foam.
On the Huggah, something fundamentally different happened.
The data was striking. The pressure plot, which was scattered wide for the other two, compressed into a tight, safe cluster well below the 32 mmHg line. The timeline graph? It almost flatlined. No prolonged red zones. No intermittent spikes. The pressure map was a cool, comfortable blue and green, even at the shoulders and hips.
The Aha Moment: For the first time, the participant's body could fully relax. Why? It's the physics. Zetic foam does the opposite: it contracts toward the pressure point, pulling in support. This creates a wider support area, distributing your weight so evenly that pressure points just... disappear.
What This Actually Means
Let's make this really simple. If pressure above 32 mmHg is like someone poking you while you sleep:
- The Spring Mattress: Is like someone poking you constantly, for minutes at a time.
- The Latex Mattress: Is like someone poking you in shorter bursts, but all night long.
- The Huggah: Is barely any poking at all.
Your conscious mind might not register this fight, but your body does. It responds by tossing and turning, pulling you away from the deep, restorative sleep you need.
That subtle fatigue you feel? That "I slept 8 hours but I'm still tired" feeling? This data is likely why. Your body spent the night micro-adjusting instead of truly resting.
The Bottom Line: Physics Beats Marketing
This 24-hour experiment revealed a few hard truths that challenge everything we've been told about mattresses:
- Expensive ≠ Better: The premium latex mattress was only marginally better than the budget spring and failed to solve the core problem of high-pressure episodes.
- "Firm Support" is a Trap: What feels supportive in a store often translates to concentrated resistance that your body has to fight all night.
- Material Physics is Everything: How a material behaves under load and how it contracts makes a measurable, dramatic difference that no amount of marketing can fake.
Most mattresses force you to compromise: firm support or pressure relief. The data shows that with the right physics, you don't have to choose. The data doesn't lie.
The only question left is: What is your body experiencing all night?
