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2026 Vol.33, Issue 2 Preview Page

Research Article

Effects of a Cervical Pillow on Sleep Quality, Physiological and Psychological Responses During a 7-Hour Nocturnal Sleep

야간 7시간 수면 중 경추 베개 사용이 수면의 질 및 생리‧심리 반응에 미치는 영향

Jae-Yeon Jung1
,
Yonghyun Cho2
,
Subin Chung1
,
Joo-Young Lee134*
정 재연1
,
조 용현2
,
정 수빈1
,
이 주영134*
1Department of Fashion and Textiles, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
2Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
3Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
4Graphene Research Center for Convergence Technology, Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Suwon, Korea
1서울대학교 의류학과
2서울대학교 기계항공공학부
3서울대학교 생활과학연구소
4차세대융합기술연구원
*Corresponding Author
30 April 2026. pp. 117-137
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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a newly developed cervical pillow on sleep quality. Eight healthy males completed two sleep conditions, using a standard pillow (control) and the cervical pillow, each for 7 h (00:00–07:00) in a climate chamber (23.5°C and 46%RH). Sleep quality was assessed using electroencephalography (EEG), actigraphy, core/skin temperatures, neck muscle stiffness, and subjective evaluations. EEG analysis showed that the delta wave ratio was higher with the cervical pillow than with the control, particularly during the final hour of sleep (P = 0.054, Cohen’s d = 0.82), suggesting deeper sleep in the cervical pillow condition. Actigraphy revelaed no statistically significant differences in total movement, sleep efficiency, or number of awakenings, however, trends indicated reduced nocturnal movement with the cervical pillow. Distal skin temperatures (the hand and forearm) increased more rapidly during sleep onset with the cervical pillow, indicating more favorable thermoregulatory conditions for sleep initiation. Core temperature and mean skin temperature did not differ between conditions. Post-sleep measurements demonstrated that cervical pillow use led to greater reductions in neck muscle stiffness and tension following cervical pillow use compared with the control. Subjective assessments indicated lower morning fatigue and greater comfort with the cervical pillow, with five of eight subjects (63%) expressing a preference for it. These findings suggest that the cervical pillow may enhance both physiological and subjective aspects of sleep, likely through improved cervical support and head-neck alignment, highlighting its potential as a simple intervention to improve sleep quality in healthy adults.

Keywords
Sleep Quality
Cervical Pillow
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Thermoregulation
Bed microclimate
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Living Environmental System
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국생활환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of The Korean Society of Living Environmental System
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국생활환경학회
  • Volume : 33
  • No :2
  • Pages :117-137
  • Received Date : 2026-02-23
  • Revised Date : 2026-03-01
  • Accepted Date : 2026-03-06
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.21086/ksles.2026.4.33.2.117
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