This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
COVER STORY


health. When discussing the Institute’s work, Oexman often refers to the three points of the ‘sleep triangle’—behavior, equipment and environment—and how each one contributes to the kind of sleep you achieve every night. “We do the research to discover what im-


pacts sleep,” says Oexman. “We’re not only looking at the sleep studies, but at the bed- room environment as a whole—at the mat- tress, sheets, light, pillows, temperature to see how they all influence sleep. Then we develop products that benefit those conclusions.” Before those solutions ever reach the retail


floor, they must first pass through the Sleep To Live Institute’s rigorous testing. Using ad- vanced, patented technologies, the organiza- tion is able to measure and quantify the kind of support that you can’t necessarily feel, but nevertheless has a major impact on how the body recovers and reacts during the night. First, a tool called the X Factor Machine is used to test the support capabilities of


10 Sleep Retailer / Summer 2016


each mattress model. By mimicking a variety of different body types and weights, over a dozen differently-shaped platens press down into the mattress to determine exactly how the product will respond to a wide range of consumers. Through this process, the Sleep To Live Institute is able to assign the model a specific “support level” that can be easily communicated to the consumer. Before any finished mattress heads to the retail store, its comfort and support levels are tested again— this time with the patented Inline Comfort Support Analysis Machine. If this test does not match its intended “support level”, the mattress is sent back to the factory to be re- made. This ensures that the bed a customer brings home feels and functions exactly like the one they tried in-store. Only the mattress- es that pass ICSA testing receive Sleep To Live Institute Certification. While most manufacturers partner with re- search and testing facilities when developing


new products and collections, the Sleep To Live Institute’s in-house capabilities lends Kingsdown a more circular business model. The research informs product development and then, in turn, the product testing informs additional research. This approach is not only productive and efficient, it is also unmatched in the industry; no other company or organi- zation is able to do all of this under one roof. Over the past nine years, the scope of the Sleep To Live Institute has evolved—moving beyond a broad focus on the “sleep environ- ment” to expand into more in-depth diagnos- tics. It is home to the largest data warehouse of anthropomorphic responses to bedding, with


information from thousands of sleep studies at its disposal. Coupled with its on-go- ing research, this is what makes the Sleep To Live Institute a true authority in the industry. “It’s simple,” says Kevin Damewood, Kings- down’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, “we’re using scientific research to


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54