The effect of far-infrared emitting sheets on sleep

McCall et al, 2018 [marketing study; n = 27; male and female; mean age of 40/46] aimed to test whether bedsheets impregnated with bioceramic far-infrared technology would improve the perception of sleep in a sample of healthy adults. Inclusion criteria included habitual bedtime between 9 p.m. and midnight at least six nights per week, and habitual rising time 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. at least five days per week. Participants were randomized into two groups; one group had the FIRc bed sheets and the other group control bed sheets. They slept on their randomly assigned sheets for five weeks, followed by a one week “wash out”. Insomnia symptoms were assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index, depression symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire, “vigor” and “fatigue” with the Profile of Mood States, and napping behavior with daily sleep diaries. Results showed that participants on the far-infrared sheets reported fewer insomnia symptoms and less napping. This improvement was lost during the wash out period.